This is absolutely one of those recipes that the more quality ingredients you use, the more incredible this dish will taste! Not only did I use freshly made mozzarella and ricotta cheese, but I also used a 16-month aged Grana Padano cheese and 18-month aged Prosciutto di San Daniele.
Let’s talk first about what Grana Padano is and what makes Prosciutto di San Daniele so special!
Grana Padano cheese is made exclusively in the Pianura Padana (Po River Valley) in Northern northeastern region of Italy and aged for at least 9 months to over and up to 24 months. The result is a cheese with a sweet nutty flavor. The best part? It is naturally LACTOSE FREE!
Prosciutto di San Daniele is made exclusively in San Daniele, Italy (north of Venice) and aged for at least 13 months. It is completely natural, containing only Italian pork, sea salt, and San Daniele’s fresh air. With no additives or preservatives, it’s nutritious and easy to digest.
How can you tell you’re getting these quality ingredients in the store? For Grana Padano, look for its name label on the rind. For Prosciutto di San Daniele, look for a product that is branded with “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO for short)!
Okay now let’s get to making this delicious pizza…
White Pizza w. Prosciutto di San Daniele & Grana Padano cheese
Ingredients
White Pizza
- 16 oz fresh pizza dough (1 pound)
- all purpose flour approx. 2 tablespoons
- olive oil
- 6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated and more for topping
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Hot Honey (for topping)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 pinches chili powder or more to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste
Topping
- 6-8 thin slices Prosciutto di San Daniele
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
-
On a clean surface, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of flour across your surface. Place your dough on top of the flour and sprinkle another ~1 tablespoon of flour on top of your dough. Stretch it out until it's just slightly larger than your cast iron pan.
-
Liberally drizzle olive oil in your cast iron, on the bottom and also on the sides. Transfer the dough to your cast iron pan. Drizzle more olive oil just along the crust of your pizza dough.
-
Slice your mozzarella cheese into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Add the mozzarella to the dough, leaving about 1 inch border for the crust.
-
Mix the ricotta cheese, freshly grated Grana Padano, and kosher salt in a bowl. Once combined, add dollops of the ricotta mixture on top of your mozzarella.
-
Heat the cast iron on the stovetop for 4 minutes on medium-high heat or just until the bottom starts to form a crust then transfer to the oven for 16-18 minutes or until the crust begins to slightly brown.
-
Remove the pizza and transfer to a cutting board. While the pizza is cooling down, make the hot honey by adding the honey, chili powder, and cayenne pepper to a small pot. Heat on medium heat until it becomes more liquid in texture, stirring constantly.
-
Top your pizza with slices of Prosciutto di San Daniele, more Grana Padano, and drizzle with hot honey and enjoy immediately!
What do you think?