Why this formula works
Dried porcini supply genuine woodland depth rather than asking truffle oil to do all the work. Their filtered liquor and white wine are reduced until no loose liquid remains; 200 g cultivated mushrooms are browned separately. Five grams truffle oil finishes the pizza after baking, so the aroma remains clear and the center does not become perfumed and greasy.
Honest timing
| Active preparation | 30 min |
| Hydration / proof / preheat | 1 h |
| Cooking / baking | 18 min |
| Elapsed total | 1 h 48 min |
Ingredients
- mature room-temperature pizza dough ball250 g (8.8 oz)
- dried porcini, checked and brushed clean25 g (0.88 oz)
- hot water, about 80°C / 176°F250 g (8.8 oz)
- cultivated cremini and oyster mushrooms, sliced200 g (7.1 oz)
- shallot, finely diced40 g (1.41 oz)
- garlic, finely grated6 g (0.21 oz)
- unsalted butter20 g (0.71 oz)
- dry white wine containing sulphites30 g (1.06 oz)
- crème fraîche80 g (2.82 oz)
- low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated100 g (3.5 oz)
- Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved35 g (1.23 oz)
- truffle oil with a short declared ingredient list5 g (0.18 oz)
- fresh thyme leaves2 g (0.07 oz)
- fine sea salt3 g (0.11 oz)
- coarsely ground black pepper1 g
Equipment
- heatproof bowl
- coffee filter or very fine sieve
- wide heavy skillet
- pizza steel or stone
- pizza peel
- fine grater
- digital scale
Exact method
- 1. Preheat the chosen baking surface as shown in the oven table below. Cover dried porcini with 250 g hot water for 20 minutes.
- 2. Lift porcini from the liquid, squeeze gently and chop. Filter the soaking liquid through a coffee filter; measure 100 g clean liquor and discard any gritty remainder.
- 3. Heat a wide dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms in one roomy layer and cook 3–4 minutes until released water evaporates.
- 4. Add butter, shallot, garlic, half the thyme, 2 g salt and black pepper. Brown 3 minutes, then add wine, chopped porcini and 100 g filtered liquor. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, 4–6 minutes; cool on a plate.
- 5. Open the dough to 28–30 cm with a 1.5–2 cm rim. Move to a lightly dusted peel and confirm it slides.
- 6. Spread crème fraîche thinly, add mozzarella and distribute the cooled mushroom reduction without any pan liquid.
- 7. Bake with the matching setup below. On steel, use 5–8 minutes and rotate once; pull when the underside browns and mushroom edges re-crisp.
- 8. Rest on a rack for 60 seconds. Add Parmigiano shavings and drizzle exactly 5 g truffle oil in fine lines.
- 9. Finish with remaining thyme and remaining 1 g salt. Cut while the mushroom surface remains glossy but the base is dry.
How to know it is ready
- No grey liquid surrounds the mushrooms.
- Porcini tastes deep and savory without grit.
- The white base is creamy but the center lifts cleanly.
- Truffle aroma is present at the table without masking real mushroom.
Troubleshooting
- Gritty sauce: soaking liquid was not passed through a coffee filter or very fine sieve.
- Wet center: reduce wine and porcini liquor until the skillet is almost dry before cooling.
- Flat mushroom flavor: brown fresh mushrooms before adding butter and aromatics.
- Perfumed oiliness: use exactly 5 g truffle oil and keep it out of the oven.
How to adapt the base recipe
- Without wine, use 30 g additional filtered porcini liquor plus 5 g lemon juice; reduce just as thoroughly.
- For cultivated mushrooms only, omit dried porcini and liquor, increase fresh mushrooms to 260 g and label the result as a different, less forested profile.
- For 35 cm, use a 300–320 g dough ball, 35 g dried porcini, 270 g fresh mushrooms, 105 g crème fraîche, 130 g mozzarella and no more than 7 g truffle oil.
Storage and food safety
Serve immediately. Refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 2 days and reheat uncovered until steaming. Add a new 1–2 g truffle-oil finish only after reheating if needed; never soak the leftover base.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), Milk, Sulphites
Always verify every label and cross-contact risk; brand formulations can change.