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How Does Pizza Bianco Differ From A Traditional Pie?

Do you love cheese? Then you might enjoy a pizza bianco or white pizza. This kind of pie skips the tomato sauce and piles on the cheese instead. Moreover, when looking for some of the best pizza in the Piedmont, stop by Mario’s Pizza.

A Brief History Of White Pizza

According to legend, bakers in Naples tested the oven temperature by placing a small piece of dough inside. Later on, this test piece became a versatile treat enjoyed at any time of the day.

Typically, pizza bianco in Italy resembles focaccia more than pizza as we know it, but with a drier, chewier texture. Usually, it’s lightly brushed with olive oil, sea salt, and occasionally topped with mozzarella, figs, prosciutto, or chard. However, this version changed when Italian immigrants arrived in America.

Beginning in the late 1800s, waves of Italians settled in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Along with their culture, they brought their beloved recipes with them. However, the new world brought changes to many favorite dishes.

For example, in Italy, bakers used wood fired ovens to make pizza. However, American bakers had coal fired ovens that burned hotter. The difference in fuel had a profound effect on pizza crust. Instead of pillowy Neapolitan style, NY style pizza baked crispier. This variation in cooking also helped change Italian pizza bianco into the American version of white pizza.

Ingredients For A NY Style Crust

Generally, pizza consists of a few simple ingredients that bake into a wonderfully tasty dish. Yet, every great pizza begins with its foundation, a pizza dough recipe. For NY style crust, you need only 6 ingredients:

1. High Protein Flour

Using a dough with 13-14.5% protein content will yield a firmer, stronger crust. A stronger crust enables diners to pick up a slice and eat it with their hands.

2. Yeast

Either instant or active dry yeast works well with pizza, but each requires different water temperatures. Typically, any temperature will activate instant yeast. However, active dry yeast requires warm water.

3. Olive Oil

A good quality olive oil will give your crust additional flavor. Moreover, olive oil also helps retain moisture in the dough for a softer structure.

4. Sugar

A little bit of sugar promotes an evenly browned crust while tenderizing the dough. It also imparts subtle flavoring.

5. Salt

Like sugar, salt is much more than just a flavor enhancer. It also plays an important part in the yeast fermentation process and impacts gluten development. Salt slows down yeast activity just enough to allow complex flavors to develop. Additionally, salt strengthens gluten bonds resulting in a stronger, more elastic dough.

6. Water

Each type of flour has a hydration level ranging from 59-64% in proportion to the amount of the flour. If you use too much, you’ll have a sticky dough that’s hard to manage. While using too little water will result in a denser crust.

How to Make NY Style Pizza Bianco

Once you’ve mixed up your dough ingredients and sufficiently kneaded it, it’s time to let your dough proof. Most pizza chefs choose the cold fermentation process to enhance the flavor of the crust. This involves letting the dough sit in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

When it’s time to make pizza, you need to remove it from the refrigerator 2-4 hours before use to warm up. Then, it’s time to stretch the dough to your desired pie size. After stretching, brush a bit of water over the surface to keep the crust from drying out.

Next, drizzle the crust with olive oil and sprinkle it with garlic. While powder is the easiest to use, you can also opt for roasted or fresh garlic. Then, place little dollops of ricotta on the pizza followed by shredded low moisture mozzarella. You can also add Pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese on top.

If this sounds like a lot of work, why not stop by Mario’s Pizza? Since 1981, we’ve been serving some of the best pizza in North Carolina. We serve traditional hand tossed NY style pizza as well as pizza bianco. Moreover, our recipes are authentic Italian family recipes brought over from Calabria.

FAQs About Mario’s Pizza

Want to know more about our pizzeria? Below we answer a few commonly asked questions about our Italian restaurants.

Do You Serve More Than Pizza?

While pizza is our specialty, we have many other items on our menu. First, we have over a dozen appetizers including favorites like wings, toasted ravioli, and garlic knots. Our menu also includes salads and hot and cold subs. We also serve strombolis, calzones, and several authentic Italian entrees. And, to finish off your meal, we have several sweet treats.

For our littlest diners, we have a special menu in smaller-sized portions. Plus, we price all these items at $5 or less.

Where Can I Find Mario’s?

We have several convenient locations throughout the Piedmont Triad area:

• 2205 Cloverdale Ave., Northwest Winston-Salem
• 1066 Hanes Mall Blvd., Winston-Salem
• 266 Harvey St., Winston-Salem
• 1469 River Ridge Dr., Clemmons
• 2645 N Main St., High Point
• 5824 Samet Dr., High Point
• 4215 W Wendover Ave. Greensboro
• 1575 New Garden Rd. Greensboro
• 3354 W. Friendly Ave. Suite 142 Greensboro

Do You Offer A Dine-in Option?

All of our Italian restaurants offer dine-in options. We’ve also partnered with delivery services to bring your meal to your doorstep. Of course, we also offer take out.

Craving cheesy, white pizza? Why not stop by the nearest Mario’s Pizza and pick up a pie?