Tomato pizza is good. White pizza is better—and once you’ve figured that out, there’s no going back. Without the overpowering acidity, the other ingredients really come through. Zucchini and Tête de Moine cheese make the most of it.
Before you: a pizza with blistered edges the color of light caramel on the tips, dotted with translucent zucchini discs that have turned a soft olive green during baking. The Tête de Moine rosettes, placed after pulling from the oven, keep their slender shape but soften gently from the residual heat. It smells of warm ricotta, cave-aged cheese, and that faint smokiness of pizzas baked at very high heat. Simple. Precise.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Ingredient Notes
All the ingredients together: fresh zucchini, zucchini blossoms, Tête de Moine AOP, and the essentials for a successful white base.
- Pizza dough : Homemade or store-bought really changes the outcome. Homemade: all-purpose or bread flour, fresh yeast, a little olive oil, salt, warm water—and at least 1.5 hours rise at room temperature. Store-bought: choose fresh refrigerated dough, not frozen. Frozen dough often gives a rubbery texture that no oven can fix.
- Ricotta : It acts as the sauce. Use whole-milk ricotta, not low-fat—low-fat releases too much water during baking and soaks the dough. Good ricotta should be firm under the spoon, almost grainy. Season it with salt, pepper, and a small grated garlic clove before spreading.
- Zucchini (courgettes) : Small and firm, not the large August zucchinis full of water. Slice them as thinly as possible—ideally on a mandoline, 2-3 mm max. The thinner they are, the more evenly they cook without releasing liquid onto the pizza.
- Tête de Moine AOP : This is the cheese that gives this pizza its identity. It comes in small rosettes made with a tool called a girolle—if you don’t have one, a spiral peeler will do. Never put it on before baking: the heat would kill its aromatic finesse. It is placed on the hot pizza only after coming out of the oven, and melts gently.
- Zucchini blossoms : Optional but visually stunning. They are found in summer at markets or specialty stores. Simply remove the pistil inside, open them delicately, and lay them flat on the pizza just before baking. They become translucent and slightly crispy on the edges.
The dough: take the time it needs
It’s the weekend, so there’s no rush. If you’re making dough from scratch, knead until it’s smooth and slightly sticky—pliable, almost elastic under your palms, not at all like plastic. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest. One hour minimum, two is even better. The dough will double in volume and develop small air bubbles that give you that sought-after bubbly crust. When you stretch it by hand, it should stretch without resistance. If it springs back, let it rest another ten minutes—it’s not ready.
The white base carries everything
Whisk the ricotta with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a small grated garlic clove. Spread it over the stretched dough, leaving a 2 cm border—not too thick, a uniform layer of about 5 mm is enough. Then arrange the zucchini slices slightly overlapping, like scales. If you have zucchini blossoms, open them and tuck them among the zucchini. A drizzle of olive oil over everything. A pinch of flaky salt.
Into the oven and don’t touch anything
Your oven should be as hot as possible—at least 250°C, 270°C if you can. Preheat it for at least 30 minutes with the baking sheet inside. When you slide the pizza onto the hot sheet, you hear a faint sizzle: that’s the base cooking immediately by direct contact, and that’s exactly what we want. Fifteen minutes, no more. The edges should be golden like light caramel, and the zucchini slightly shriveled, translucent, with a few brown-green tips on the edges. If the bottom is still pale after ten minutes, move the sheet down one rack.
Tête de Moine enters the scene
The pizza comes out of the oven. Only now do you place the Tête de Moine rosettes on the hot surface. In 30 seconds, they soften and release their aroma—slightly fruity, with that characteristic peppery note of cave-aged Swiss cheeses. A few fresh basil leaves if you have them. Serve immediately. This cheese doesn’t wait: placed on a cooling pizza, it loses all its finesse and is no longer worth anything.
Tips & Tricks
- Salt your zucchini slices and let them sit for 15 minutes before placing them on the pizza—they will release much less water during baking and your crust will stay crispy to the last bite.
- A girolle for Tête de Moine costs about thirty euros, but if you make this often, it’s a real investment. Without one, make thin shavings with a spiral peeler—less aesthetic, same taste.
- Let the pizza sit on the hot baking sheet for 2 minutes after coming out of the oven before cutting. The bottom finishes crisping and won’t soften under the knife.
Can you prepare the pizza dough in advance?
Yes, and it’s even recommended. Prepare the dough the day before, let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate it for a slow rise overnight. Dough that has risen slowly in the cold develops much more flavor and a more airy texture than a rushed 1.5-hour dough.
What can I use instead of Tête de Moine if I can’t find it?
Finely grated Gruyère AOP or shavings of aged Comté come close for the melted aspect, but the aromatic profile is different. To keep the idea of cheese placed raw on the hot pizza, try crumbled fresh goat cheese—it’s a different result, but it works very well with zucchini.
How do I avoid a soggy, undercooked pizza bottom?
Two critical points: the oven must be at least 250°C with the baking sheet preheated for 30 minutes. And the zucchini must be salted and drained for 15 minutes before placing them—if you skip this step, they release water during baking and directly soak the bottom.
Can you freeze this pizza once baked?
Not really, and especially not with the Tête de Moine on top. Baked dough does not freeze well without losing its crispness. However, you can freeze the raw dough balls after the first rise—take them out the night before in the fridge, and they’ll be ready to stretch the next day.
Where can I find zucchini blossoms?
In summer at farmers’ markets, sometimes in supermarkets in the premium fruit and vegetable section. Some specialty stores carry them. Out of season, they are almost impossible to find fresh—the pizza works very well without them, the zucchini alone suffice.
Can I top this white pizza with other ingredients?
The garlic ricotta base pairs well with fresh thyme, lightly toasted pine nuts, or thin slices of cherry tomatoes added at the end of baking. Avoid toppings that release water—mushrooms, bell peppers—unless you pre-cook them in a pan first.
White Pizza with Zucchini and Tête de Moine
Italian
Main dish
A tomato-free pizza on a garlicky ricotta base, topped with thin zucchini slices and finished with Tête de Moine AOP rosettes placed after coming out of the oven. Light, precise, and much more interesting than it looks.
Ingredients
- 500g all-purpose or bread flour (T45 or T00)
- 7g active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 300ml warm water
- 30ml olive oil (2 tbsp) for the dough
- 8g fine salt (1 level tsp) for the dough
- 250g whole-milk ricotta
- 2 garlic cloves
- 400g zucchini (about 3 small)
- 8 zucchini blossoms (optional)
- 150g Tête de Moine AOP
- 30ml olive oil (2 tbsp) for the topping
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
- a few leaves fresh basil
Instructions
- 1Mix the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the warm water and olive oil, knead for 10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
- 2Form a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 1.5 hours at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume.
- 3Preheat the oven to 250°C (or higher) with the baking sheet inside for 30 minutes.
- 4Slice the zucchini thinly on a mandoline (2-3 mm). Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 15 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
- 5Mix the ricotta with the grated garlic, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
- 6Stretch the dough by hand on a floured surface into a thin disk. Transfer onto a sheet of parchment paper.
- 7Spread the seasoned ricotta over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border. Arrange the zucchini slices in slightly overlapping scales. If available, open the zucchini blossoms and lay them flat among the slices.
- 8Drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of flaky salt. Bake on the hot sheet for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden like light caramel.
- 9Remove the pizza from the oven. Immediately place the Tête de Moine rosettes on the hot surface. Add a few basil leaves and serve at once.
Notes
• For a quick version, use store-bought fresh refrigerated dough and skip steps 1 and 2. Avoid frozen dough—the texture is too rubbery.
• Without a girolle, make thin shavings of Tête de Moine with a spiral peeler. The result is less aesthetic but the taste is identical.
• This pizza is best eaten the same day, ideally within 5 minutes of coming out of the oven. Tête de Moine loses its aromatic finesse as it cools.
Nutrition Facts (per serving, estimated)
| 680 kcalCalories | 26gProtein | 82gCarbs | 28gFat |
