I feel like it’s been forever since I made you a pizza.
Here we are: chewy dough, creamy burrata, grilled artichokes and a bright lemon-basil pesto. It’s one of my favorite combinations.
Okay, I know it hasn’t been forever — just a bit over a month — but that feels like an eternity in pizza time.
I spent much of the early months of the year hunting for good basil. We needed loads of it while shooting the cookbook: for recipes and for garnish. I bought every bunch I could find, even basil plants, and still watched it wilt in the cold. Now that fresh basil is finally abundant again — and I’ve used up what I had frozen — it felt like the perfect time to make a new batch of pesto.
Lots of lemon and a good handful of parmesan make this pesto especially bright and flavorful.
I’ll admit: I seriously love burrata on pizza. If you pat it dry and tear it into pieces across the pie, it melts beautifully. I usually prefer burrata with crusty bread, olive oil and fresh tomatoes, but when tomatoes aren’t at their peak, pizza is an excellent home for it.
So for a while longer, burrata on pizza it is.
The grilled artichokes add the briny bite I love, and a little provolone helps everything get delightfully melty. I finish with a sprinkle of parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves to brighten it up and make it feel more vegetable-forward.
This pizza is surprisingly simple to pull together. If you have a jar of artichoke hearts, a batch of pesto (homemade or store-bought) and some good cheese, you’re ready to go.
My favorite part: that golden, crunchy crust that’s still chewy in the center and the glossy, bubbly cheese on top.
And a chilled glass of white wine pairs beautifully with this pie.
Artichoke Burrata Pizza with Lemon Basil Pesto
4
2 hrs
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Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pizza
- 4 cups fresh basil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1/2 cup finely grated asiago cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces freshly grated provolone cheese
- 2 balls burrata cheese
- 1 12-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained (grilled artichokes recommended)
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the warm water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Stir, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and the salt, stirring until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Form into a ball and work in the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Knead on a floured surface a few minutes, then place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover and let rise in a warm spot 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- After rising, punch the dough down and shape it on a floured surface. Form to your desired size and transfer to a baking sheet or pizza pan (this dough makes one pizza to feed about 3–4). Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. If using a pizza stone, heat oven to 475°F and bake about 15 minutes; for a baking sheet, use 425°F and the bake time below.
- Make the pesto: in a food processor combine basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, asiago, pine nuts and garlic. Pulse until roughly chopped, then stream in olive oil while processing until you reach the desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Spread a few tablespoons of pesto over the dough, then top with grated provolone. Tear the burrata into pieces and distribute over the pizza, then add the artichokes.
- Bake 20–25 minutes (or 15–20 minutes on a pizza stone) until cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove, garnish with extra basil and parmesan if desired, slice and serve immediately.
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Isn’t that a huge bite of spring?