This porcini pizza is one of the tastiest things you can make with porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis). It’s a white pizza with a creamy garlic sauce instead of tomato, stretchy mozzarella, cheddar, and a pile of pan-fried porcini on top. The dough needs about an hour to rise, the topping takes 10 minutes, and the oven does the rest in 15 minutes.
The umami of porcini on a pizza is unbeatable, so save this to your porcini recipes, because I bet you’ll bake it again soon!
Porcini – the king of the woods
Some foods have an almost mystical appeal, and porcini are definitely one of them. Completely different from other mushrooms, they are like an enigma of the forest, possessing a taste that seems almost too good to be true. No wonder people call them the king of mushrooms.
They are among the rarest that can’t be cultivated; they only grow in the wild. Soaking up the nutrients from the forest soil, they bring a serious umami experience. You know, that fifth taste, the one that makes you salivate and haunts you, making you want another bite.
We tried these wild babies in a bowl of creamy porcini mushroom soup and, of course, in a traditional bowl of buckwheat with porcini, in a super tasty form of porcini mushroom walnut pâté, with gnocchi topped with creamy porcini sauce, cooked a plate of tasty porcini rice, and made the famous tagliatelle with porcini.
Italians love them in hearty stews, the French in fancy sauces. And in many places, porcini hunting is a tradition that never dies out. Just can’t imagine a fall without porcini. Or parasols, which we turn into a parasol mushroom pizza where the mushroom cap is the crust.
How to find porcini mushrooms
Porcini mushrooms grow in temperate climates, and they love a diversity of tree species. Their preferred habitats often include mixed woodlands dominated by pine trees, spruce trees, silver firs, hemlocks, beech trees, oaks, and chestnuts.
They form a mysterious symbiotic relationship with these trees, and that’s one reason they have almost no chance of being cultivated. This is crucial to their existence, and amazingly, forest tree growth also seems to be heavily linked to mycorrhizal fungal composition.
Timing depends on where you live and on the weather, but the main season runs from late summer to early fall. Porcini need moisture, rain or humid air, and well-drained soil. The temperature has to be right too. In the mountains, they can show up as early as August, and in lower forests they usually come with the first autumn rains.
Probably the easiest way to locate porcini mushrooms is to find a perfect habitat with an abundance of trees with which they partner with. And remember this: the mushroom you pick is only the fruiting body. The mycelium stays hidden in the soil, so save the spot where you found porcini. They’ll grow there again next year.
What you need to make a great porcini pizza
FLOUR – We used “00” type flour in the recipe, but if you wish, you can use all-purpose flour without problems, a mixture of all-purpose and whole grain, buckwheat, or gluten-free flour as well.
YEAST – Dried yeast was used in this recipe. You can make pizza dough with fresh yeast, or use sourdough starter instead.
PORCINI MUSHROOMS – We made it with fresh porcini mushrooms, foraged in August. But you can make it with dried porcini as well; just soak them in warm water for 20 minutes (no worries, you’ll do that while the dough rest).
CHEESE – Mozzarella and cheddar. A combination of hard cheese and mozzarella usually works well for pizza. In fact, any combination will do. We made it with cheddar, tried it with Emmental cheese; you can also use provolone or even gorgonzola.
CREAM CHEESE & SOUR CREAM – As porcini don’t blend very well with tomatoes (tomato will override the porcini aroma), a white sauce made with cream cheese and sour cream is used for this pizza. It pairs great with porcini.
GARLIC – Stir-fried garlic is a must-do addition, so don’t skip it. We used 3 cloves of garlic; you can swap that with garlic powder if that’s what you’ve got.
AN ONION – A small onion is used for stir-frying the porcini.
OLIVE OIL – A few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, untouched by processing, present a range of nutritional advantages. Rich in unsaturated fats, it’s a nutritious choice with a great taste, too.
BUTTER – Combined with olive oil to stir-fry the porcini before topping the pizza.
SALT & BLACK PEPPER – Add a pinch of both to the sauce and to porcini.
DRIED OREGANO – You can go without, but a pizza is a pizza!
Easy recipe for a delicious pizza with porcini
A quick note: If you’re making this porcini pizza with dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes, drain them, and skip the slicing in step 6, since they’re already sliced. Do this while the dough is proofing so you don’t lose a minute.
PREPARE THE DOUGH
STEP 1: First, prepare the dry ingredients for the dough. In a bowl, mix together 1 tsp flour, 1 tsp sugar (I used honey here), dry yeast, and 1/2 cup warm water. Allow the yeast to dissolve and activate.
STEP 2: When that’s done, add the flour to the bowl, an additional 200 ml of lukewarm water, two tablespoons of olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Mix until everything is combined enough that you can lift the dough out of the bowl and transfer it to the counter.
STEP 3: If you’re using a kitchen robot, set it to the kneading function and let it knead for eight minutes.
If not, sprinkle a clean surface with flour and continue kneading the dough (for at least 8 minutes) until all the ingredients combine into a soft, elastic ball of dough. There should be no bubbles or hard pieces in the dough left.
STEP 4: After kneading, divide the dough into two balls and place each in a separate bowl. Cover the bowls with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for at least an hour until they double in size.
PREPARE THE TOPPINGS
STEP 5: In the meantime, while the dough is resting, prepare the sauce (mix the sour cream with the cream cheese) and shred both cheeses. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
STEP 6: Slice the onion, mince the garlic, and slice the porcini. Do not wash the mushrooms; only clean them dry and remove any remains of soil or leaves.
STEP 7: Prepare a large frying pan and melt the butter together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Quickly fry the onions until they soften and become translucent with a nice golden-yellow color.
STEP 8: Add sliced porcini to the pan and season with salt and black pepper. At the same time, also add the minced garlic.
STEP 9: Stir constantly until the porcini softens and cook for 3 minutes, no longer. Just until the mushrooms shrink and turn nice brown. They will usually release enough water on their own; if not, add a tablespoon of water or white wine.
STEP 10: When the dough has risen, transfer it back to the floured counter and spread it out into two round pizza forms. Each dough ball should be enough for a large pizza for two. Then transfer each to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
STEP 11: First, top the dough with the cream cheese and sour cream sauce and season the sauce with salt and black pepper. Then add the shredded mozzarella, and lastly the cheddar on top. The amount you have is enough for both pizzas.
STEP 12: Spread the porcini mushrooms evenly over the sauce and cheese. Use half for each pizza dough. To finish, sprinkle some oregano over the mushrooms.
BAKE
STEP 13: Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 13 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and browned in spots, the mozzarella is ooey gooey, and your mushroom pizza has a crunchy, golden crust.
Porcini pizza is best served hot, straight out of the oven!
Tips that will help you bake the best porcini pizza
- For best quality, use fresh porcini. Porcini mushrooms can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days. If you are buying porcini at the market, make sure you get only healthy-looking, younger mushrooms, preferably from a vendor who brought them straight from the forest.
- Porcini mushrooms foraged after heavy rainfall need to be cooked the same day.
- If you are using dried porcini, look for trusted suppliers that offer high-quality dried porcini mushrooms. The mushrooms should be firm and dry, without any signs of moisture or sponginess. If they feel soft or pliable, they might be stale or improperly dried.
- For top-notch pizza dough, use quality flour (preferably “00” type) and take great care to knead the dough properly for at least 8 minutes. Dough that is well kneaded is soft and elastic and won’t stick to the surface.
- For more taste and a crunchier crust, add olive oil to the dough.
- The longer the dough is rested, the easier it will be to work with it, and the better it will taste. For the best pizza crust, allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator overnight. Extended rest helps to develop gluten, enhances flavor and improves texture. Fermentation creates air pockets and makes it digest easier.
- Fry the porcini right before topping the pizza, so they go on hot.
- Before baking, preheat the oven to the desired temperature and, if possible, place the pizza on a warm baking sheet or use a preheated pizza stone.
Storage and leftovers
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two days. Don’t keep cooked mushrooms at room temperature because they are prone to bacterial growth and spoilage.
But fresh from the oven, with the cheese still bubbling, is still the best way to eat it. Just saying.
How to store or freeze pizza dough
The porcini pizza is best fresh, but the dough is happy to wait. Make it ahead and keep it in the fridge or freezer, just like the dough for our wild garlic pizza.
In the fridge: the dough keeps for up to 3 days. The longer it ferments, the tastier the crust and the easier the dough is to stretch. When you’re ready to bake, let it rise at room temperature first.
In the freezer: let the dough rise until doubled, then shape it into balls. Put each ball in its own plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. It keeps for up to 3 months.
To use frozen dough: thaw it in the fridge overnight, or longer. At least an hour before baking, put it in a floured bowl and let it double at room temperature. Then stretch your crust.
Pizza with porcini questions
Porcini have so much earthy, nutty flavor and umami that they usually need only cheese and garlic on a pizza. But if you want ham, lay the slices on the sauce before the cheese. Or even better, finish the pizza with a few slices of prosciutto on top. You can combine porcini with button mushrooms too, but they taste much milder.
Yes, pizza with porcini keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just get it in there within 2 hours of baking. When you’re ready to eat it, reheat it once in a hot oven or a covered pan. Although reheating is not recommended, mushrooms don’t turn toxic when you reheat them. The real problem is leaving them out on the counter too long.
Your porcini have gone bad if they’re slimy or mushy, smell unpleasant, show mold, or have a very dark green-brown sponge under the cap. Check for worms too.
Older porcini, and porcini picked after heavy rain, are softer and full of water, so they spoil much faster than young, firm ones. Cook them the same day and don’t leave them in the fridge.
Porcini is Italian for “little pigs.” The scientific name, Boletus, comes from the Romans, who loved their boleti so much they cooked them in special pots called boletaria.
Got more porcini? Cook these next
Here are our favorite porcini recipes you might want to try:
More wild mushroom recipes
- Fried parasol mushroom rolls
- Black trumpet risotto
- Pear potato soup with black trumpets
- Chicken of the woods soup
- Chicken of the woods fritters
- Bulgur risotto with chanterelles
- Lactarius Deliciosus tarts
Porcini Mushroom Pizza
EQUIPMENT
- 2 bowls
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 baking sheets
INGREDIENTS
- 3 ½ cups flour (plus one tsp)
- 10.5 oz porcini mushrooms (or 30 g dried porcini)
- 7 oz mozzarella cheese
- 5 oz cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 tsp black pepper
- ½ tbsp oregano
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the yeast (2 ¼ tsp/7 g), sugar or honey (1 tsp), and 1 tsp of the flour with ½ cup (120 ml) of warm water. Wait about 10 minutes for it to foam.
- Pour in the remaining flour (3 ½ cups/450 g), the rest of the water (scant ½ cup/100 ml), half the olive oil (2 tbsp/30 ml), and 1 tsp of salt. Stir into a shaggy dough.
- Knead the dough for 8 minutes, either in a kneading machine or by hand on a floured board, until it’s smooth and springs back when you press it.
- Shape it into 2 balls, cover them, and leave them somewhere warm for about an hour to double.
- Turn the oven on to 450°F (230°C). Blend the cream cheese (scant ½ cup/100 g) with the sour cream (3 tbsp/45 g), and grate the mozzarella (7 oz/200 g) and cheddar (5 oz/150 g).
- Brush any dirt off the porcini (10.5 oz/300 g); don’t rinse them. Cut them into slices, slice the onion, and chop the garlic (3 cloves).
- Warm the butter (2 tbsp/30 g) with the remaining olive oil (2 tbsp/30 ml) in a wide pan and cook the onion until soft.
- Tip in the porcini and garlic, season with the remaining salt (1 tsp) and the pepper (2 tsp), and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms brown. If the pan dries out, add a splash of water or white wine.
- When the dough is ready, press and stretch each dough ball into a large circle and lay it on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Spread half the sauce on each base, season with salt and black pepper, then layer on the mozzarella and the cheddar.
- Divide the porcini between the pizzas and dust them with the oregano (½ tsp).
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges are crisp and browned and the cheese is bubbling. Slice and eat hot. Enjoy 🙂
NOTES
NUTRITION
Did you like our pizza with porcini mushrooms? Please rate it in the comments below.
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Another beautiful recipe with porcini so I assume they already started growing. Thank you for sharing.
You’re right Milo, they are popping up abundantly, which means the season have started. Hope you will make the pizza and let us know how it tasted 🙂
White Pizzas are nice to change things up….Potato and Rosemary is a good one too. #HappyTuesday
Thanks Lydia, I never heard about potato and rosemary pizza, but you’ve just motivated me to try that too 🙂
I’m so impressed you make your own pizza dough. Lovely mushroom pizza.
Thanks Carol:)
I’m so happy you shared this delicious recipe I’ll be trying this pizza hopefully if comes out as good as yours saw at fortheloveto link party
Hi Lisa, that’s really nice to hear that you’ll try to make this pizza. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any help with the recipe.
What a lovely dough and then to top if off that awesome mushrooms – fantastic and I am sure so tasty.
Thank you for sharing your links with us at #274 SSPS Linky. See you again next week.
Thanks Esme, see you soon 🙂
This looks delicious
Thanks!
I bet this is delicious! Beautiful presentation and great detail. Thank you for sharing over at Crazylittlelovebirds link party. Hope to see you again this Friday. 🙂
Thanks Stephanie.
This looks amazing! I just added it to my roundup of summer flatbread pizzas!
Woooow, thank you so much! You gote some awesome choice of summer flat breads on your site and I am super happy our porcini pizza is a part of them. Hugs:)
I’m to a big fan of mushrooms and wouldn’t trust myself or many other people with what to pick.
Thanks for linking with #pocolo
Porcini mushrooms are so different from other mushrooms that it’s very hard to miss them. If nothing else, the smell is very specific.
I’m running behind!! Thanks for sharing at the what’s for dinner party last week – The new party is open now. Hope to see you there!
Absolutely!
Oh – I’m DEFINITELY going to be trying this at some point!! I CAN’T BELIVE YOU MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA DOUGH!! What a star!
Aw, thank you so much! 😊 Perhaps I’ve inspired you to go for a walk and look around for some mushrooms? And yes, homemade pizza dough is such a game-changer; it’s easier than it sounds, I promise! Can’t wait to hear how it worked out for you!