This Long Island favorite, often called Grandma pizza, starts with a square-shaped dish. With under an hour of cook time and the flexibility to pre-make your white pizza dough, this recipe will quickly become a family favorite.
Olive oil and a healthy heaping of herbs like oregano and parsley give this homemade pizza recipe loads of flavor. The dough and toppings are made with ingredients you may already have on hand. Ricotta and melty mozzarella make this pizza rich and creamy. When choosing a mozzarella, keep in mind that whole milk mozzarella has more fat and calories than part-skim, which gives it a richer flavor. When it melts, whole milk has a nice "stretch" and a silkier texture than part-skim, which tends to brown faster.
Tips for the Perfect Pizza
Here are some tips for creating the most delicious pizza, just like grandma used to make.
- Place your pizza on a wire rack to cool. This will prevent the pizza from growing soggy. Once it’s cooled down a bit, place your pizza on a cutting board to create your slices. You don’t want to cut while it’s in a baking pan because it could leave marks in the metal.
- Bake on a pizza steel. A pizza steel is even better than a pizza stone because it will create a crisper pizza—and will require a shorter amount of time in the oven.
- Avoid using fresh mozzarella. This cheese may be delicious, but it will have too much water for this type of pizza. It’s best to stick to whole-milk mozzarella, which will stay creamy and delicious, even when baked.
Ingredients
Grandma's White Pizza
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3 Tbsp. olive oil
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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¼ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
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¼ tsp. dried parsley, crushed
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⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper
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⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
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1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
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5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (1/3 cup)
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¼ tsp. salt
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¼ tsp. black pepper
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1 portion Grandma-style pizza dough
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2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
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1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
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Chile-infused honey
Grandma-Style Pizza Dough
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1¾ cups lukewarm water (105° to 115°F)
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1½ tsp. active dry yeast
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4½ cups all-purpose flour
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1½ tsp. salt
Directions
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Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 15x10-inch baking pan. In a small bowl combine the first five ingredients (through crushed red pepper) and 1 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese.
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In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, spinach, salt, and black pepper.
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On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough portion into a 15x10-inch rectangle; place in the prepared baking pan and stretch to fit, pressing the dough up the sides and letting it rest as needed.
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Spread the olive oil mixture over dough. Top with small dollops of the ricotta mixture. Top with the mozzarella cheese and remaining ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese.
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Bake until the cheese and crust are lightly browned, 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. If you like, serve topped with rosemary, additional crushed red pepper, and chile-infused honey, if desired.
Grandma-Style Pizza Dough
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In an extra-large bowl combine the water and yeast, let stand 5 minutes or until yeast is foamy. Stir in the flour and salt. (Dough will be shaggy.)
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Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough.
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Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until double in size, 1½ hours. Punch dough down. Shape into two balls. If not using dough right away, cover and chill for up to two days.