Its been WAY too long since I’ve made a homemade pizza. I used to make them fairly often, on Fridays or for a weekend treat, but its been months since I made one. After tasting this one, things definitely need to change. First of all, I’ve never used burrata on a pizza. I always use mozzarella or fontina, but oh.my.gosh. It’s INSANE.
The creamy burrata almost makes a thick cheesy sauce when it melts and it is absolutely to die for. The other fabulous thing about this pizza is that the crust is whole wheat and it doesn’t require rising! I always hate waiting the hour and a half for dough to rise but this one is perfection without it. #firstworldproblems.
The crust is brushed with a garlic infused oil that takes two minutes to make, and it takes this pizza to the next level. The garlicky oil mixed with the creamy burrata is nothing short of magical.
I also save the remaining half of the garlic oil for crust-dipping purposes. SO good.
This dough is super simple too, because of the time saving nature of it. I make the dough first, and let it sit while I’m prepping the rest of the ingredients. No rise time required! You can if you’d like, but it’s not necessary at all.
If you want to make the dough ahead of time, I’d let it rise for an hour and a half, and then stick it in the fridge for later use. I used whole wheat flour in this, and just a little all purpose, but you could use all whole purpose or white whole wheat if you prefer it!
My regular dough that I’ve shared on the blog in the past is a little more focaccia-y and fluffy than this dough. This one is almost a cross between a thin crust and a hand tossed which I LOVE. I think it’s my new go-to.
The chunky basil pesto. Oh my. You don’t need a food processor for this one, just chop up all the pesto ingredients and stir them together! I love it because it’s one less dish to clean. I love experimenting with different pesto ingredients, but this one is just about as classic as you can get. Basil, garlic, pine nuts, parm, a little lemon, and olive oil. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.
Baby Heirloom Tomato Burrata Pizza with Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- For the CRUST:
- 3/4 c. warm water
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1/2 c. all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 T. olive oil
- For the PIZZA:
- 1 c. fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 T. pine nuts, finely chopped
- 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 4 T. olive oil, divided
- 1/2 lb. baby heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 balls (8 oz.) burrata cheese
- extra grated parm
- extra chopped fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450℉. Begin by making the dough. Add warm water, yeast, and honey to a large bowl. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until bubbles form at the top. Add both flours, salt, and olive oil and stir until it starts to form a dough.
- Work it together using your hands onto a clean, dry countertop dusted with flour to prevent sticking. Knead for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Form dough into a ball and place back in bowl and cover with a dish towel. Set aside.
- Make the garlic oil. Heat 3 T. of olive oil over medium heat and add half of the chopped garlic. Sauté, swirling the pan around frequently, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the pesto. Combine basil, the remaining half of the chopped garlic, the pine nuts, parmesan, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Lightly flour the countertop. Turn the dough out onto the countertop, and use heel of your hand to press and stretch the dough out into a large rectangle shape (or circle if you have a pizza stone) until it's about a 1/4-inch thick or less. If you want a super thin crust, you can use a rolling pin, but it isn't necessary.
- Put the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet (I also rubbed the parchment with a little olive oil). Brush with about half of the garlic oil. Next, tear the balls of burrata into pieces onto the pizza dough. Then, lay the tomatoes on top. Next, sprinkle on the pesto. Top it with a little extra grated parm.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden around the edges and the cheese starts to get bubbly and golden too. Mine was perfect at 24 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before slicing. Top with extra chopped fresh basil and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I love saving the remaining garlic oil to dip the crust in!
crust adapted from the kitchn.
I’m thinking this needs to happen every Friday night…who’s with me?!
Leave a Reply