Delicious DIY Roman White Pizza: The Ultimate Guide

A Journey through Roman Cuisine: The Classic Pizza Bianca.

Table of Contents

1 A Journey through Roman Cuisine: The Classic Pizza Bianca.

White pizza, or “pizza bianca,” is a type of crunchy flatbread typically served as a sandwich filled with figs. This soft dough is oven-baked and made from flour, water, salt, malt, brewer’s yeast, and oil, and is often stuffed with a variety of other ingredients. Historically, it was paired with figs, a widely available and affordable fruit, making it a staple for workers, farmers, and the less affluent. Today, white pizza is considered a classic in Roman cuisine and is a popular street food.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

500g of Type 0 Flour
25g of Durum Wheat Semolina Flour
3g of Brewer’s Yeast
425g of Water
10g of Salt
20g of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6g of Malt
6g of Sugar
Coarse Salt

Here’s how to make Roman White Pizza:

To prepare Roman White Pizza, you must start the day before. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in 340g of water taken from the total amount.
Add sugar, malt, and 340g of flour, also taken from the total, and stir with a fork until you get a creamy consistency.
Let it rest for 30 minutes, then cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. If you’re preparing the dough in the evening, you can leave it until the next morning.
Bring the dough to room temperature for 30 minutes and add the remaining ingredients. If kneading by hand or using a stand mixer with a dough hook to speed up the process, first add Type 0 flour and semolina, then the water gradually.
Add the salt and finally the oil, gradually, until you get a smooth and shiny mixture.
Let it rise again in the turned-off oven with the light on for an hour.
Keeping the dough in the bowl, oil a dough scraper and fold the dough from the edges towards the center. Let it rise for another 2 hours.
At this point, preheat an oven tray at the highest temperature.
Divide the dough in half and dust a wooden board generously with flour. Oil your hands and gently pull the corners of the dough to stretch it to about half a centimeter thick. Avoid using a rolling pin so as not to break the bubbles formed during the rising process.
Take the hot tray out of the oven, oil it, and very carefully transfer the stretched dough onto it, reshaping if necessary. Sprinkle some coarse salt grains on the surface.
Bake at the highest temperature for 7-8 minutes. When bubbles form on the surface, turn on the broiler for a moment to brown it. Repeat the steps to cook the other half of the dough.
Your Roman White Pizza is ready to be served, either plain or filled as desired.

Topics: How to Make Roman White Pizza, Traditional Pizza Bianca Recipe, Authentic Italian Street Food at Home, Guide to Making Homemade Pizza, Italian Cooking Techniques, Roman Cuisine and Recipes, Step-by-Step Pizza Making Guide, Experience Italian Cuisine at Home