Reverse Engineer Pizza Bianco

[Jraducha]

I would like to make a Chris Bianco Sonny Boy with salami and gaeta olives. Anybody have an idea of what type of salami he uses? There are so many different types of salami that I can never figure out what to get.

I have experimented with making one of his Rosa sauceless pies (red onion, reggiano, rosemary, crushed pistachios) and it turned out fairly well. I had to use quite a bit of olive oil otherwise it was very dry. The Rosa is a great combo but I still think I am missing something key on these sauceless pies. I think the Bianco Wiseguy (roasted onion, fennel sausage, smoked mozz) does not have sauce on it either but I am not sure.

Thanks

I am 99 percent sure the wise guy has red sauce on it.  Great pie..

[andreguidon]

PIZZERIA BIANCO MENU

MARGHERITA - Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil   11.00
MARINARA - Tomato Sauce, Oregano, Garlic (No Cheese)   10.00
ROSA - Red Onion, Parmigiano Reggiano, Rosemary, AZ Pistachios   11.00
SONNY BOY - Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Salami, Gaeta Olives   13.00
BIANCOVERDE - Fresh Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta, Arugula   14.00
WISEGUY - Wood Roasted Onion, House Smoked Mozzarella, Fennel Sausage   14.00

[scott r]

It must be a misprint, as the Wiseguy did have red sauce when I was there.   

[robert40]

It must be a misprint, as the Wiseguy did have red sauce when I was there.   

You guys are indulging a bit to much next door while waiting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84954050@N00/877415643/in/set-72157600966565712/

[scott r]

HAHA  I am sure you are right!!!!!!

[Tiramisu]

I made three of Biancos combinations the other day and two came out fantastic and one "not bad". 

I had to special order the Gaeta olives for the Sonny Boy as I could not find them around here. I used sopressata which was not great but acceptable. The sopressata I used was a bit too chewy and the flavor a little bland. The olives where very tasty however. The pie will need more work. I definetly need to find a better salami. The sauce recipe I used is the standard one found in the Forno Bravo newsletter using marzanos, sea salt, dried oregano and pepper. I have had great luck with the organic Bella Terra brand.

The Rosa came out the best and was a big hit. The key to this one was how much olive oil to use otherwise it can turn out fairly dry. I used the standard blend from Queens Creek which I believe is called Tuscan or Tuscon. This olive oil really made the difference and was super fresh as it was pressed in May. Deshelling the pistachios takes awhile but this pie really is exceptional flavor wise and is worth the time. Using rosemary right off the vine is definetly the way to go. The stuff sold at the store has way less flavor.

The Biancoverde was the third one and it was very tasty as well. The blend of fresh mozz, ricotta, and reggiano is really nice. I did put too much olive oil on this one as it was dripping wet but it was still very tasty with a whopping amount of baby arugula on top.

The dough was 18 hour bulk ferment Caputo/Ischia with 5 hour proof and 240 gram balls using Bills recipe. I going to try Guistos flour soon.

[Tiramisu]

Last night I made another Biancoverde and a Wiseguy. This time I was careful with the amount of olive oil on the Biancoverde and it came out exceptional. I have always used too much cheese and never knew exactly how much to use. After reading the article on Bianco in the May issue of Martha Stewart Living I noticed he used roughly 4 ounces of cheese per 12" pie. My pies are always around 11" so I decided to weigh the cheese and go with 100g per pie and get more scientific.

The Wiseguy is probably my favorite pie besides the Rosa. My wife roasted the onions in the oven and cooked up some fennel sausage. She formed the sausage into a roll and it came out well but we will use a hotter blend next time as it was not spicy enough.

The dough was my best ever after messing with this hobby for a year and a half. This time I watched the starter until I was really sure it was fully activated. I had to feed it twice before it took off. This process took about 4-5 hours.  I mixed up the dough using Bills recipe again and for the first time did not add any commercial yeast which I had been doing with Varasanos recipe. I hand mix as do not have a mixer. I dissolve the sea salt (very coarse italian) in purified water then add 75% of the flour and let it hydrate for 30 mins. Then add the starter and slowly mix in the rest of the flour.  I then let it rest for a bit then knead for about 20-30 minutes using 5 minute knead, 1 minute rest sessions. I still do not have a clear idea on when I should stop kneading. This is one area I could really could use some help!

This time I decided not to wait a specific time before proofing. Normally I use 18-24 hours but this time I just waited on the dough and it took roughly 35 hours before it was fully risen and ready to go. My home is fairly cold most of the time so that must be it. I formed 240g balls and tossed them into the proofing box for 5 hours before forming the rounds.

After watching Bianco on Youtube I was very careful forming the rounds and used his gravity only method entirely as to not disturbe the bubbles. To my surprise this worked very well and I barely handled the dough at all. Before I was using both my hands in the middle to stretch it out while spinning it on the work surface..not sure what method that is called.

I powered up the oven and waited until the stone reached 800 (cleaning cycle) and tossed in the Wiseguy. The bake time was 2.25 minutes. The pie was delicious and the crust had incredible structure.  The Biancoverde crust turned out much better however and I am not exactly sure why as the baking time was identical. I am thinking the stone may have been hotter. The crust had a snap to it.

Working on the Bianco pies has increased my skills by tenfold

[A-Neibs]

I'm new to this website, and just found this topic in a search I did. What a great topic to discuss! I wanted to bring up something that hasn't really been brought up much in here. What does Chris do for his sauce? Does he cook it before he puts it on the pizza? I just ate there the other day, but I had a hard time trying to figure it out. Does anyone have any idea what he puts in his sauce? Does he use oregano, basil, or anything like that?

[BrickStoneOven]

I'm new to this website, and just found this topic in a search I did. What a great topic to discuss! I wanted to bring up something that hasn't really been brought up much in here. What does Chris do for his sauce? Does he cook it before he puts it on the pizza? I just ate there the other day, but I had a hard time trying to figure it out. Does anyone have any idea what he puts in his sauce? Does he use oregano, basil, or anything like that?

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3654.0.html . Great read.

[scott r]

Chris gave me a can of his tomatoes, which were an italian san marzano.   Unfortunately I forget the brand, but I remember pete taylor buying a case of them to try out.   Both of us decided that while they were excellent tomatoes, we actually both had other brands that we each personally preferred.     At the pizzeria chris' sauce was very simple just like most pizzerias.   I would be very surprised if it was cooked first, as it did have a nice fresh flavor.    I think the only additives I noticed was salt and maybe maybe a tiny touch of sugar, but I am not sure about the latter.    If you go to your local stores and buy a number of italian tomatoes (don't have to be san marzanos, just italian) you will no doubt find a tomato that will let you make a very similar sauce.   Good luck with your quest, and report back to the forum with your favorite tomato after testing!     

[Jraducha]

http://biancodinapoli.com/

[Jraducha]

I am 99 percent sure the wise guy has red sauce on it.  Great pie..

I was wrong.  No red sauce.  Had one last night.