Jim Lahey's White Pizza
I’ve published another version of this recipe (for a thicker pizza) elsewhere, but it’s so much a part of my repertoire that I felt it would be remiss not to include it in the My Pizza cookbook, too. Instead of baking the pie as I usually do, I decided to use the same broiling technique you see in the cookbook. At Co., I offer this pizza in the menu section on bread—an indication of how much it differs from all the others—and serve it with some ricotta cheese for spreading on top.
Equipment
- Pizza Stone
Ingredients
- 1 ball Pizza Dough, shaped and waiting on a floured peel
- 1/4 cup Easy Bechamel Sauce
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 1/2 ounces fresh mozzarella, pulled into 5 clumps
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 6 rosemary leaves
Instructions
- If using a gas oven, place the baking stone in a gas oven on a rack about 8 inches from the broiler. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) for 30 minutes. Switch to broil for 10 minutes. If using an electric oven, see the variation following the recipe.
- Place the dough on a pizza peel. Spoon the béchamel over the surface and spread it evenly, leaving the outer inch or so of the dough untouched.
- Sprinkle the béchamel with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Distribute the clumps of mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary.
- Using quick, jerking motions, slide the pie from the peel onto the hot, hot, hot baking stone. Broil for about 3 minutes if you have a gas oven, and somewhat longer with an electric oven. The ingredients should be bubbling and the crust nicely charred but not burnt.
- Using the peel, slide the pizza to a tray or serving platter before slicing it into wedges. Serve immediately.
Notes
What's the best way to make pizza in an electric oven?
The elements of the electric ovens are generally designed to turn off when the oven reaches 500°F (260°C) or 550°F (288°C) and the door is closed—even if it’s the broiler doing the heating and not the baking element. When you completely understand how I use my gas broiler continuously to force the stone to be hotter on the surface and also to cook the pizza (door closed) so the crust chars properly and the toppings cook quickly, the electric’s shutdown feature may strike you as a potential problem. It’s easily solved. For electric ovens that have a broiler in the oven, turn off at 500°F (260°C) or so, place the stone on a rack about 4 inches from the top heating element (not the 8 inches called for with gas) and preheat, on bake, at 500°F (260°C) for the usual 30 minutes. Then, to boost the heat of the stone without the oven’s elements shutting down, open the oven door a few inches and leave it ajar for about 30 seconds. Some of the ambient heat will escape, but the stone will stay just as hot. Now close the oven door and switch to broil for 10 minutes to heat the surface to the maximum. Open the door and slide the pizza in to broil. Because the stone is so close to the element, you may need to pull the rack out a few inches to get the pie centered on the stone; do it quickly, and don’t worry about losing too much heat. With the door closed, broil for roughly 2 minutes longer than specified for gas—until the crust is adequately charred but not burnt and the toppings are bubbling. Remember, it’s the visual cues that count most. Check a couple of times; the pizza will cook quickly. For electric ovens that have a gas broiler in the bottom drawer of the oven, start with the stone in the broiler at the lowest level or on the floor of the oven. Preheat on low broil for about 20 minutes, and then switch to high for another 5 minutes, or if you just have one setting preheat for 25 minutes. Slide in the pizza, close the drawer and broil as instructed by the recipe (often 3 1/2 to 4 minutes), until bubbling and properly charred, checking to be sure it’s not burning.Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 534mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g