Why this formula works
This version does not solve moisture by making the pizza dry. It keeps 95 g sauce and 120 g fresh tomatoes, but cut tomatoes are salted, drained and placed cut-side up. Burrata stays out of the oven so its creamy center remains fresh and does not soak the base during the bake.
Honest timing
| Active preparation | 25 min |
| Hydration / proof / preheat | 1 h |
| Cooking / baking | 8 min |
| Elapsed total | 1 h 33 min |
Ingredients
- mature room-temperature pizza dough ball250 g (8.8 oz)
- thick pizza tomato sauce95 g (3.35 oz)
- ripe cherry tomatoes, halved120 g (4.2 oz)
- fresh burrata, well chilled125 g (4.4 oz)
- fresh basil leaves10 g (0.35 oz)
- extra-virgin olive oil12 g (0.42 oz)
- fine sea salt2 g (0.07 oz)
- freshly cracked black pepper1 g
Equipment
- pizza steel or stone
- pizza peel
- fine sieve
- paper or clean kitchen towel
- pizza wheel
Exact method
- 1. Preheat a steel or stone on the lower-middle rack at maximum heat for 60 minutes.
- 2. Toss halved cherry tomatoes with 1 g salt in a sieve. Drain 15 minutes, then blot their cut surfaces dry.
- 3. Drain burrata in its container, then place it on a small plate in the refrigerator. Wash and dry basil.
- 4. Open the dough to 28–30 cm, leaving a defined rim. Move to a peel and check that it slides before topping.
- 5. Spread all 95 g sauce to within 1.5 cm of the rim. Arrange drained tomatoes cut-side up and drizzle with 7 g olive oil.
- 6. Bake at 250–300°C / 482–572°F for 5–8 minutes, rotating once, until the underside browns and tomato edges concentrate.
- 7. Rest 60 seconds. Set burrata in the center and tear it open into four connected folds so cream spreads without covering the entire crust.
- 8. Finish with basil, remaining 5 g oil, remaining 1 g salt and black pepper. Cut around the burrata and eat immediately.
How to know it is ready
- Cherry-tomato edges look concentrated and no watery pool surrounds them.
- The base is browned and firm before burrata is added.
- Burrata is cool-creamy at the center and just warmed at its outer folds.
Troubleshooting
- Wet center: drain and blot tomatoes; do not remove sauce automatically.
- Rubbery burrata: it was baked; add it only after the 60-second rest.
- Torn dough on the peel: check sliding before adding moist toppings.
- Bland tomatoes: use ripe fruit and retain the measured two-stage salt.
How to adapt the base recipe
- For a very juicy 30 cm version, use 110–120 g thick sauce but keep tomatoes drained.
- For 35 cm, use a 300–320 g dough ball, 140 g sauce, 170 g cherry tomatoes and 150 g burrata.
- In winter, replace cherry tomatoes with 100 g well-drained roasted tomatoes rather than watery pale fruit.
Storage and food safety
Designed for immediate serving. Refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 1 day because cut burrata and fresh basil deteriorate quickly. Reheat only the bare base, then add the cold topping back.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), Milk
Always verify every label and cross-contact risk; brand formulations can change.