New York-Style White Pizza Recipe

Place a baking steel on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 500°F for at least 30 minutes.

For the White Sauce: Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cream, lower heat to medium-low, and cook until cream thickens and reduces slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool completely, at least 30 minutes, before using.

For the Ricotta Mixture: In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, salt, thyme, and pepper. Set aside.

For Assembling and Baking the Pizza: Shape the dough ball using the toss-and-spin method, stretching it to a diameter of about 12 inches. The dough should be about 1/4-inch thick and slightly thicker toward the edge. Transfer the dough to a peel or an inverted sheet pan that has been dusted with flour.

Spread prepared white sauce in a thin, even layer over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border uncovered. Spread ricotta mixture evenly over the white sauce.

Carefully slide the pizza from the peel onto the baking steel. Bake until the crust is crisp and slightly charred on the edges and the cheese is bubbling and just beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes. (The underside of the crust should be brown and crisp, not white and soft.)

Remove the finished pizza from the oven and garnish it immediately with the parsley. Let the pizza cool for about 3 minutes before slicing and serving. If you want a “snappier” crust, let the pizza cool completely, then return the individual slices to the hot oven for recrisping.