If you haven’t tried burrata cheese yet, it’s sure to be your sweet siren song too. Like Ricotta Pizza, it’s rich and creamy, and if you can stop yourself from inhaling the entire ball for long enough to scatter it over a pizza crust and pop it into an oven, it makes the most fantastic pizza pie. This burrata pizza is part recipe/part frame of mind. I’ve included my favorite toppings, which you can stick with or ignore. You can bake it with a tomato-based pizza sauce, as we usually do, or swap it out and make a pesto burrata pizza instead. OR don’t choose. Make a tomato sauce burrata pizza, then drizzle some pesto over the top. When you are eating a burrata pizza, it really does feel like you can have it all. I’ve also included a few key tips for burrata pizza success. I’ll say this again below for emphasis, but when you are making a classic Italian pizza like this one, my biggest tip is: DO NOT OVERDO IT ON THE TOPPINGS. We Americans like to supreme our pizzas. With burrata pizza, restraint is the move. Keep it all about the burrata itself. Ideas: Some blistered cherry tomatoes. Maybe some prosciutto and a handful of arugula. Drizzle on a balsamic reduction if you absolutely must. Just keep it simple and classic. Velvety, lightly sweet, and unadulterated burrata floating atop a crispy, chewy crust will be your reward.
What is Burrata
Think of burrata as mozzarella taken to the next level. It starts with fresh mozzarella, which is a semi-soft Italian cheese made from cow milk or (even better) water buffalo milk. Burrata is made by taking fresh mozzarella and forming it into a pouch, then filling it with an extra soft mozzarella and CREAM. It’s pure luxury, and if I were queen, I would eat it every day.
Where to Buy Burrata
Fortunately for our cheesy needs, burrata is now widely available throughout the US, including in grocery stores. Even our local Wisconsin stores sell it. If you don’t see it at your own store, ask! If they don’t have it now, hopefully the requests will prompt wider distribution. I used to see burrata only in restaurants in larger cities (my first burrata pizza was in Los Angeles), where I ordered it at every opportunity. Now, I still order it at every opportunity, and I’m pleased to be able to easily purchase burrata at the store to make my own burrata pizza at home.
How to Make Whole Burrata Pizza
This pizza really only needs three ingredients (four, if you count the salt we add to ours). Once you have the burrata cheese, it’s easy-peasy to stretch the dough, top it off, and bake.
The Core Ingredients
Burrata. The star of the pie. We are able to find it at our regular grocery store here. Feeling extra ambitious? Food and Wine has a recipe for homemade burrata that I am bookmarking for a future lazy Sunday.Pizza Dough. You can make your own (this easy and forgiving homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough is our favorite) or purchase refrigerated pizza dough (or even swap classic crust for Naan Pizza). Many grocery stores sell ready made pizza dough now, as does Trader Joe’s. I don’t recommend the canned pizza dough you’ll find beside the canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls, as its weird dough on the inside/stiff on the outside texture and lackluster flavor are a far cry from the blistered, chewy crust that we are after.Sauce. We use store-bought tomato sauce (I’ve made it from scratch before and decided it wasn’t quite worth it). For a pesto burrata pizza, swap pesto sauce.Kosher Salt. Add a small sprinkle prior to baking. It helps bring out the flavor of the burrata.
At this point, all other toppings are optional. Here are a few I love for inspiration.
Burrata Pizza Topping Ideas
Cherry Tomatoes and Basil. Classic Caprese inspo that will never do you wrong. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half to keep them from becoming too mushy. Fresh basil should be added AFTER the pizza bakes to preserve its flavor.Prosciutto and Arugula. Add both to the pizza in the final minute of baking, or wait until after the pizza has baked fully, then scatter it over the top. The warmth of the pizza will heat it up a bit (when I take this approach, I like to let the prosciutto come to room temperature first).A Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes. A touch of heat makes the burrata pizza all the more addictive.Balsamic Glaze. A light drizzle will make you feel over-the-top gourmet.Roasted Garlic. A touch of roasted garlic will add delicious, deep flavor to this pizza. Evenly scatter roasted garlic pieces over the top of the pizza immediately after adding your pizza sauce. To roast garlic: start by removing any loose skin from the garlic head and slice about 1/2 inch off the top to expose part of the cloves. Place the garlic head in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Fold up the sides of the foil and cover the top of the garlic head to make a tidy packet. Place the packet in a small baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees F until the cloves are completely soft (about 1 hour). Remove and let cool completely. Squish the garlic out of the cloves, then scatter over the pizza.
The Directions
Tips for the Best Homemade Pizza
DO NOT OVERDO THE TOPPINGS. Too many toppings will weigh the crust down, and the resulting pizza will taste cluttered. There’s a reason most pizzas in Italy have only one or two toppings, including the cheese. Take a tip from the folks who invented it, and exercise restraint.Bake in a HOT Oven. I crank my oven all the way up to 500 degrees F to mimic the classic Neapolitan wood ovens, which can soar above 900 degrees F.Use a Pizza Stone. If you plan to make homemade pizza often—or if you find yourself making frozen pizza or reheating delivery pizza on a semi-regular basis—it’s 100% worth buying a pizza stone (this is the one I’ve owned for 8+ years. This one is less expensive and has great reviews). I truly can tell a difference. It makes the bottom of the crust just crispy enough to support the toppings, without burning it. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can use a baking sheet for this burrata pizza recipe.Preheat Your Pizza Stone. This will give you the very best, most crisp crust. Place your stone in the oven as soon as you start to preheat it, and let it sit in there for at least 30 minutes (purists will tell you an hour, but even 30 minutes makes a difference).Bake in the Lower Third of Your Oven. This helps crisp the bottom of the crust. If I want my toppings more blistered, I’ll use the middle rack, or move the pizza to the upper third during the last few minutes of baking.
What To Do if Your Pizza Sticks to the Peel (and What to Do if You Don’t Have a Peel)
So, I should probably buy a pizza peel. I don’t own one just yet, so here’s my hack for baking homemade pizza without a pizza peel.
You can use the back of a flat baking sheet to slide your pizza dough onto the stone, instead of a pizza peel (do not use a baking sheet like this one that is textured, as the dough will not slide off as easily).If your dough sticks and doesn’t want to slide off the baking sheet, DO NOT FORCE IT. You won’t win. Instead, pop it into the oven on the sheet for a few minutes. Once the bottom of the dough sets, move the pizza from the baking sheet to the pizza stone to finish baking.
And to be a bit bossy (again). I do own a pizza stone and find it more essential to making perfect homemade pizza than a pizza peel. If you are only going to buy a peel or a stone, I’d choose the stone.
What to Serve with Burrata Pizza
Homemade pizza like this recipe is a treat. To up the burrata pizza nutrition factor, pair it with a large salad or sautéed vegetables. You’ll need the oven for the pizza, so any veggie you can make outside of the oven is ideal. A few of my favorites:
Anytime Arugula SaladCaesar Shaved Brussels Sprouts SaladSautéed ZucchiniSautéed Cabbage
Write yourself a love letter, and bake up a Burrata Pizza sometime very, very soon!
