Looking for a new pizza oven recipe to add some fresh pizazz to pizza nights? This butternut squash, pesto and burrata recipe is a lovely new seasonal take. It uses soft and creamy burrata cheese to give your pizza a luxurious edge. Similar to mozzarella when it comes to taste, burrata has a looser, creamier texture that takes your pizza to the next level. This colourful vegetarian version is also topped with delicate ribbons of butternut squash, zippy pesto, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and fresh peppery rocket leaves for full-on flavour and texture.
Even though it's getting colder, cooking outside is still one of our favourite pastimes. With one of the best pizza ovens you can whizz up authentic wood-fired pizza every time in minutes. Read on for the delicious recipe, which makes four 12 inch pizzas that will fly off the plate.
- Thanks to the team at Ooni for sharing this delicious recipe
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, PESTO AND BURRATA PIZZA
Ingredients for the classic pizza dough:
- 380ml cold water
- 4 tsp salt
- 20g fresh yeast (or 9g active dried yeast or 7g instant dried yeast)
- 600g '00' flour, plus extra for dusting
Ingredients for the butternut squash, pesto and burrata topping:
- 200g butternut squash, peeled
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 200g burrata
- tub of fresh pesto
- several handfuls of fresh rocket
- Handful of pine nuts
- Handful of pumpkin seeds
- Chilli flakes
Method
1. Prepare your pizza dough ahead of time. Place two-thirds of the water in a large bowl. In a saucepan or microwave, bring the remaining water to the boil, then add it to the cold water in the bowl. This creates the correct temperature for activating yeast. Whisk the salt and yeast into the warm water.
2. Put the flour in a large bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the pizza dough comes together in a ball. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until it is firm and stretchy. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Place each piece of dough in a separate bowl or tray, cover with cling film and leave to rise for another 30-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
4. Place each ball of dough on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc. Working from the centre, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Pick up the pizza dough and gently pinch it around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it downwards into a 12-inch circle. Take care when doing this as you don’t want it to tear. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
5. Once the pizza dough is fully stretched, lightly flour your pizza peel (a tool for sliding pizzas in to the oven) and lay the base on it. If at this point you see any small holes in the dough, gently pinch them back together.
6. Fire up your pizza oven. Aim for 500˚C (932˚F) on the stone baking board inside. You can check the temperature inside your oven quickly and easily using an infrared thermometer.
7. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the butternut squash into long, thin ribbons. In a bowl, drizzle the squash ribbons with a little olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste.
8. Using a large spoon or ladle, spread the pesto evenly across the pizza dough base. Pile on the butternut squash ribbons, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds.
9. Slide the pizza off the peel and into your pizza oven, making sure to rotate the pizza regularly.
10. Once cooked, remove the pizza from the oven. Add spoonfuls of the burrata, and top with the rocket leaves, chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve straight away, then repeat the process to rustle up three more pizzas.
Read more:
- The best pizza oven recipes: perfect for garden pizza nights
- The best BBQ recipes: you'll love these meat and veggie options
- The best pizza oven accessories: boost your cooking skills
