Pizza Bianca Romana is a traditional Roman bakery pizza with a crisp base, airy interior, and olive oil–glossed surface. It is baked without tomato or cheese and may be served plain or sliced and filled with mortadella.
Place the flour and 1⅔ cups of the cold water in a large mixing bowl.
Mix until no dry flour remains and a rough, sticky dough forms.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
The dough is intentionally highly hydrated, so handle it with wet or oiled hands rather than adding extra flour. Roman white pizza should be relatively thin, crisp underneath, and light inside, with olive oil and salt providing most of its flavor.
Dissolve the yeast and barley malt or honey in the remaining water.
Gradually work the yeast mixture into the dough.
Add the fine sea salt and continue mixing until incorporated.
Add the olive oil and knead or fold until the dough becomes smoother and elastic.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Stretch one side of the dough upward and fold it over the center.
Rotate the bowl and repeat the fold three more times.
Cover and rest for another 20 minutes.
Repeat the folding process two more times, resting for 20 minutes between each set.
Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 12 to 24 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before baking.
Generously oil a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet.
Transfer the dough gently to the baking sheet.
Using oiled fingertips, carefully stretch the dough toward the edges without pressing out all the air.
Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes, then gently finish stretching it to fill the pan.
Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C), preferably with a baking stone or steel positioned on a lower rack.
Drizzle the surface generously with extra-virgin olive oil.
Press shallow dimples across the dough with oiled fingertips.
Sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and the surface is lightly golden.
Transfer the pizza to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve plain, or split the pieces horizontally and fill them with thinly sliced mortadella.
