“Going against all odds
White not red,
This pizza defies
A fiery bed.
Same crunch & goodness
Without traditions old,
The cheese and cream
And all things bold.
The tomato yawns
Waiting it’s turn,
But the flavor gives it a miss
And new style does learn.”
*Adapted from the Pizza Bianca recipe by Giada at Home
Ingredients
For the pizza dough
1 0.25 oz packet of instant active yeast
¾ cup warm water
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
A pinch of salt
For the sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon flour
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon oregano
Salt & pepper
Others
6-8 chicken meatballs, halved
4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 cup chopped kale leaves
Some olive oil for sprinkling
Salt & pepper
Make the base
Mix the water, yeast, sugar and let sit for 20 minutes. It will get bubbly. In the meantime, mix the flour, olive oil and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture, little by little, kneading the dough to a soft, elastic consistency. Add more water or flour as required, but make sure the dough is slightly sticky and doesn’t become too dry. Cover with a damp cloth and keep in a warm place for 2-3 hours, till the dough doubles in size. Punch down the dough and divide into 2 parts.
Roll out each part into a 4-5 inch oval shape. Grease 2 baking trays with olive oil, and dust with some flour. Transfer the rolled out dough to each of the dishes, and press from the center out to spread out the dough, making it thinner from the centre, and leaving a slightness thicker edge. The dough will stop stretching beyond a certain length, and you know know that’s when its been rolled into its entire length.
Bake for 10 minutes in a 425 F oven, and keep aside to cool.
Make the sauce
Heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the flour and keep stirring till the flour begins to turn brown- about 1 minute. Now add the stock, milk, salt & pepper while continuously stirring to prevent forming lumps. Mix in the bay leaf and seasoning, and cook till the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat once it turns to a sauce like consistency and is smooth. Discard the bay leaf and keep aside to cool.
Put it together
Take a prepared pizza base and spread 5 tablespoons of the sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella, meatballs and parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes in a 425 F oven. Remove from the oven and top with chopped kale. Sprinkle with some olive oil, salt and pepper and bake again for another 10-15 minutes, till the cheese begins to bubble and turn brown, and the kale is crisp. Serve immediately and enjoy a non-tomato pizza made from scratch!
