White Pizza is one of my very favorites. As much as I love a traditional pizza, white pizza is like a delicious special pizza treat. It starts with a white pizza sauce, and with my homemade recipe, you will be able to make this unicorn of the pizza world right at home.
Grating Parmesan From a Block
Shredded parmesan cheese adds flavor and creaminess to this white sauce for pizza. For this recipe and any recipe that calls for shredded cheese, I highly recommend buying a block of cheese and grating it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is covered in preservatives that keep it from clumping in the bag, but this also prevents it from melting well. Trust me on this and take the extra couple of minutes to grate it yourself.
Unsalted butter: If you have salted butter on hand, that will work but taste the sauce before adding any more salt.Garlic cloves: Adds a savory flavor to the sauce.All-purpose flour: A key part of making a roux, which thickens cream-based sauces and holds the sauce together while it bakes on the pizza.Whole milk: I do not recommend using a lesser-fat milk. Heavy cream: Makes the sauce thick and creamy.Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated will work best. I share more on this below.Salt and pepper: For taste.
Sauté the garlic. Cook it in melted butter just until it’s soft. Then whisk in the flour.Create a roux. Very slowly whisk in the milk followed by the heavy cream. The more you add, the quicker you can add the liquid.Add the cheese. Simmer the sauce and stir in the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.Add it to the pizza crust. Read more on how to make a pizza with white sauce below.
To make a successful roux, two things are important in my opinion. First, make sure to fully whisk the flour and butter together at the beginning. This will ensure that your sauce doesn’t have a flour taste. Second, make sure to add the liquid (both the milk and heavy cream) very slowly. The roux must be able to absorb the liquid and distribute it evenly before you add more. This process only takes a minute or so, but may require some patience.
Storing White Sauce
This sauce is best to use while it is fresh so I recommend making it when you are ready to make a pizza. That being said, you can make it up to 24 hours in advance to use on your pizza. Always use your best judgment with leftovers.
Add cheese. Start with my homemade pizza dough, add some white pizza sauce, followed by two cups mozzarella cheese and one-fourth cup Parmesan. Bake the pizza at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.Add sausage and vegetables. Another way I love to use this sauce is in my White Pizza recipe. In addition to the sauce, Italian sausage, green olives, mushrooms, and artichokes are topped on the crust to create a hearty and flavorful homemade pizza. Warning, this may become your new pizza obsession.Spinach Artichoke Pizza: Add some spinach to the white sauce in this combination of pizza and spinach artichoke dip.
If you make this white pizza sauce recipe or any of my other recipes, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
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