Pete's White Pizza
Submitted by LindaStone
Pete’s white pizza skips the red sauce for a basil-pine nut pesto base topped with wine-balsamic sun-dried tomatoes, sweet roasted garlic, pine nuts, and melty Fontina, on a homemade cornmeal crust.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
50 minREADY
2 hrsThis is a white pizza that goes all-in on flavor, no tomato sauce in sight, just layers of savory, nutty, herbaceous toppings on a crisp homemade crust.
In place of marinara, the base is a fresh basil-and-pine nut pesto, bringing garlicky, herby richness right to the dough. Two flourishes set it apart: sun-dried tomatoes marinated in red wine, balsamic, and oil until plump and tangy-sweet, and a whole head of garlic roasted soft and mellow, then sliced over the top.
Fontina is the cheese of choice, melting into a gooey, nutty blanket far more interesting than plain mozzarella.
The crust matters too. A cornmeal dough gives a crisp, slightly gritty bottom, especially baked on a hot pizza stone. Build it generously and bake until golden and bubbling, then let it set a few minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips
- Roast the garlic until soft and caramel-sweet. Raw garlic would overwhelm a delicate white pizza.
- Marinate the sun-dried tomatoes the full hour so they plump and soak up the wine-balsamic flavor.
- Bake on a preheated pizza stone for the crispest crust; a hot stone is the key to a non-soggy bottom.
- Don’t drown the dough. Spread the pesto in a thin, even layer so the crust still crisps.
Variations
- Add fresh mozzarella or a sprinkle of Parmesan along with the Fontina.
- Pile on arugula or fresh basil after baking for a peppery, fresh finish.
- Swap the pine nuts for walnuts in the pesto if you prefer.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water.
Let soak, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Drain and pat dry.
Put back in the bowl and add the red wine, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil and let sit, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour.
Wrap the head of garlic in aluminum foil and roast in oven at 400℉ (200℃) for about 30 minutes.
Leave garlic in foil and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
When cool, carefully peel cloves and slice into halves or thirds, and set aside.
Make dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the sugar, yeast, cornmeal, salt, and 1 cup of the flour, and mix for 15 seconds on a medium-low speed.
While dry ingredients are mixing, combine water and oil.
While motor continues to run, slowly add liquid ingredients in a steady stream.
Then add remaining ⅔ cup flour in ⅓ cup increments, and mix until stiff dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl.
Knead for 2 minutes more. Put dough in a deep and cover with plastic wrap.
Let dough rise in a warm place 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
While dough is rising, make the pesto: Put garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and process until coarsely chopped and well mixed.
Add basil and 2 or 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and pulse until a thick paste forms.
Add half of the remaining oil and process for about 10 seconds until all basil is chopped fine but not pureed.
Transfer pesto to a bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil.
Assembly: Preheat oven.
When the dough is ready, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thin disk about 16 to 18 inches in diameter.
Fold the outer edge in about ½ an inch and pinch down to seal.
Spread pesto evenly over crust.
Space sun-dried tomatoes evenly across the crust, skin side up.
Sprinkle pine nuts and roasted garlic slices evenly over pizza, then top with Fontina slices, spaced evenly.
Sprinkle a little cornmeal on the baking stone.
Carefully transfer the pizza to the baking stone and reduce heat to 400℉ (200℃).
Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes before slicing.
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