PIZZA BIANCA
It’s time for pizza! Of course, we had to put our #PlantBasedSlay spin on this classic, savory dish. Mama Paige whipped up not one but two sets – yes, sets- of pizzas for the May collection. I could not be more proud of and excited for her creations! Thanks also to Papa Paige and Kieychia for helping Mama Paige with her marathon cooking. Now, let’s get into these pizzas!
This Mama Paige fondly called this set of pizzas Pizza Bianca due to their garlicky bechamel sauce. A traditional Pizza Bianca, also called Pizza Blanca, generally has no sauce, just a covering of some garlic, olive oil and herbs often topped with mozzarella cheese and whatever other toppings you prefer. Our version of Pizza Bianca uses a white sauce rather than a tomato sauce. If you have issues with acid reflux, this set of pizza might be for you. Since the Pizza Bianca is garlic and oil-based sauce, it has less acid and a milder flavor. Don’t worry if you like red sauce; we have you covered in the Pizza Rossa post.
In this recipe, werecipe, we provide the basics – the dough and the sauce – and a few of our favorite pizza topping combinations. You can find the at-home plant-based cheese recipes in our How-To post. Feel free to make this recipe as a base for your favorite toppings. Don’t forget to post your creations on Instagram and tag us. We are @PlantBasedSlay. Be sure to hashtag #PlantBasedSlay. We would love to see what you create!
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A FEW TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE.
Making dough is not a precise science: You might not need to add all the flour in the dough recipe. If it seems like adding the last bit of flour makes the dough too stiff and rigid, don’t add it. Yeah, I know this is not too precise, but making bread dough is more like art than science.
Don’t overwork the dough: You don’t want to overwork the dough. Only mix until well blended and a ball begins to form. Overworking the dough will produce a cardboard-like pizza crust.
Create a warm space: Dough needs to rise in a warm space. A good way to do this is to turn the oven on to warm for 2-3 minutes. Then, the oven off. Place the bowl in the oven. You can also place the covered bowl on top of a stove or a counter near the stove.
Thinner Sauce: Make a thinner sauce by adding ¼ cup of liquid like water or almond milk.
Store Leftovers: Store remaining pizza sauce in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep refrigerated. The sauce will keep for up to three weeks.
Need some combination ideas? Try these!
Helpful tools.
Pizza Bianca
Ingredients
- ¾ C. warm water
- ¼ oz. packet of dry active yeast
- 1 Tsp. sugar
- 1 Tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 C. all-purpose flour
- extra olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. plant-based butter
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- ½ C. water
- 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- ¼ Tsp. onion powder
- ¼ Tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ Tsp. seasoned salt
Instructions
- Place yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl, add ¾ cups warm (not hot) water. The sugar will dissolve, but you may need to stir the sugar a bit . Allow the yeast mixture to sit uncovered on your kitchen counter for 15 minutes. The liquid will be cloudy and a little foamy – which is a good thing.
- Stir in olive oil, salt, oregano, basil, and garlic powder.
- Mix in flour a ½ a cup at a time. Mix until everything comes together; you might not need to add all the flour. The dough will begin to stick together as if forming a ball.
- Form into a ball. Rub top with extra olive oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place, and let rise for about an hour until the dough ball doubles in size.
- While the dough is resting, prepare the bechamel sauce. In a medium saucepan, add plant-based butter and melt over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour. Keep whisking to ensure the flour does not become too brown. When thoroughly mixed, slowly stir in water. Continue stirring over medium heat until smooth and thickened. Stir in nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoned salt.
- Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Once the sauce is done, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down - one hit in the middle of the raised ball, be careful not to hit your hand on the bowl.
- Carefully remove dough from the bowl and place it on a floured surface. Lightly flour the top, fold the dough in half, and then repeat folding in half four additional times – a total of 5 kneads.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Press your dough into your chosen pizza pan - you can either roll out the dough out into a circle to fit a 12-inch pizza pan or into a rectangle to fit a 10 x 15-inch sheet pan/ cookie sheet. Be sure to press the dough to the edges of the pan.
- Pierce pizza crust with a fork several times, brush crust with a bit of olive oil. Bake in 375F degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Top prepared pizza crust with ½ cup of bechamel sauce (more or less according to your taste). Arrange your preferred vegetable and herb toppings atop the pizza. Select your plant-based cheese toppings, sprinkle over vegetables and herbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400F degree oven. Slice, eat, and enjoy!