Squash Blossom Pizza With Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes And Burrata Cheese

I am excited to share this quick pizza recipe with you but first: a conversation about dough. Perhaps you have a recipe you follow but on my end dough is one of the very few items I prefer to buy versus make at home. Fresh dough balls can be scooped up at so many places - Trader Joe's, your local bakery, your grocery store if it houses an in-house bakery. I've tried them all and they do the trick. But this time, I noticed that Whole Foods carries fresh dough.  So I picked up some and I am happy to share that I beleive this is the best of the bunch. Moist and bursting with elasticity - it yields a crust that is both sweet and yeasty, with just the right amount of density. But of course dough is only half of the equation in creating a  mouth - watering pizza.  It's also all about the toppings.  This one has marinated, garlicy tomatoes, delicate squash blossoms and rich, creamy burrata. So simple yet so delicious.

Squash Blossom Pizza With Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes And Burrata Cheese

2 fresh pizza dough balls

1 c+1/4 c heirloom cherry tomatoes, sliced

2 T olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 t minced garlic {I like lots of garlic but if you don't you can cut this in half}

flour

10 squash blossoms

8 oz. burrata cheese, cut into small pieces

4 fresh, large basil leaves, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl, toss cherry tomatoes, olive oil and some salt and pepper. 

Cover and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the pizzas.

Prep the squash blossoms by removing and discarding the anthers in the center of each flower.  Gently wash them and pat them dry.  Slice the zucchini base thinly and keep the flowers in tact. Set aside.

Sprinkle a little flour on your pizza pans or stones.  Place the dough on each pan and sprinkle a little flour on top to prevent sticking. Stretch out the dough, working from the center outward, to create 2 rounds.  Stretch as thin as possible while leaving the edges thick. Evenly divide the tomatoes and their marinade, the squash blossoms and zucchini stems among the 2 pizzas.

Bake until dough is cooked in the center and the crusts are a rich golden brown.  The time varies based on the dough you use and whether you are using pizza stones or aluminum pans.  With 2 pizzas and the convection setting on, my bake time was approximately 20 minutes. 

When the pizzas are done, remove them from the oven and evenly distribute the cheese on top of each. Place the pizzas back in the oven to allow the burrata to warm and melt slightly.  Again, the time varies but my bake time was approximately 1 minute. Remove from oven and finish with chopped basil.

Easy to make and easy to finish off.

Makes 2 large pizzas.

Source:  Jill Crusenberry