Pizza bianca

Naples - Campania
Preparation - Easy
One 10- to 11-inch pizza

Today, in much of Italy, 'pizza bianca' is plain pizza dressed with with olive oil, salt, and occasionally rosemary. It is usually consumed at breakfast or early in the day.

5 T extra virgin olive oil
3 t coarse or Kosher salt
2 t rosemary

Pizza Dough
Oven rack at top of oven.
A baking stone or quarry tiles to line the oven rack.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. (at least 30 minutes)

ROLL out the pizza dough on a floured surface, turning occasionally, into a circle 10- 11-inches in diameter - until it is about 1/4" thick.

PINCH the the outside rim of the circle to create a slightly raised edge to retain the sauce.

PLACE the pizza on a floured baker's paddle, or a thick piece of cardboard (I use an overturned teflon cookie sheet if I can't find the paddle). As a variation, you can let the dough rise a second time for about half an hour for a thicker, lighter pizza.

WHEN the oven is hot and you are ready to bake the pizza:

DRIBBLE the olive oil on the surface of the pizza dough.

SPRINKLE with 2 or 3 pinches of coarse salt and the rosemary.

SLIDE the pizza onto the baker's stone or tiles. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until the outer edge is a deep golden brown.