Name: Caprese Pizza
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 2 h 42 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1⁄2 cup warm water; 2 1⁄4 tsp. yeast , 1 package; 4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting; 1 1⁄2 tsp. salt; 1 1⁄4 cup water, at room temperature; 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 cup traditional red pizza sauce; 1 thinly sliced tomato; 8 oz ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds; 3/4 cup fontina cheese, shredded; 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced; 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Jump to Recipe

This recipe for caprese pizza takes the flavor of your favorite caprese salad and makes it into a pizza! It’s fresh and full of flavor and a departure from the boring pepperoni pizza you’ve been making.

This recipe includes affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you purchase something I recommend.

slices of homemade pizza with tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and balsamic glaze

This recipe is perfect for summer nights. Just like caprese salad the stars of this pizza are fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. I love when I can pull things from my garden and make a delicious dinner!

Ingredients:

Ingredients for Pizza Dough

My homemade pizza dough recipe is so simple and only calls for a few ingredients. If you want more guidance make sure to ready my post How to Make Pizza Dough, it has everything you need to know! Pizza dough is a lean dough that’s low in fat and sugar to produce a crispy on the outside crust. We add a little olive oil for flavor.

Water
Active Dry Yeast
Flour- I like to use bread flour, all-purpose works but bread flour produces a little bit better results. When I took the photos for this caprese pizza I did a whole wheat pizza dough by using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 bread flour.
Salt
Olive Oil

caprese pizza before its cooked, sitting on silpat nonstick baking liner

Ingredients for Caprese Pizza

Olive Oil- Brushing the edges of the crust with olive oil helps the crust to be crispy but not too hard.
Red Sauce- A traditional red pizza sauce you can purchase in a jar at the grocery store works great for this recipe. You can always make your own, Mel’s Kitchen Cafe has a recipe for No-Fail Homemade Pizza Sauce.
Sliced Tomato- Making this recipe in the summer with homegrown tomatoes is the best, slice the tomato nice and thin as to not add too much weight and water to the pizza.
Fresh Basil- Another ingredient that is plentiful in the summer months straight from the garden.
Fresh Mozzarella- Grab a ball of yummy fresh mozzarella and slice it into thin rounds. I love these gooey chunks of cheese as I eat the pizza.
Fontina Cheese- Top the pizza with this delicious cheese. You won’t find it pre-shredded so look for a wedge or brick of it in the fine cheese section at your grocery store and then pull out your box grater to shred it. I highly recommend splurging for fontina- it is a semi-soft Italian cheese that can’t be replicated by anything else. It melts perfectly and tastes fantastic!
Balsamic Glaze- Balsamic glaze is a thicker, sweeter version of balsamic vinegar. You can usually find a bottle of it in your grocery store, or make your own with this recipe from Cafe Delites.

circle pizza cut into slices with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and tomoato slices

I love to make pizza! I’ve made several unique pizza recipes to help make family pizza night more delicious and get you more excited about making homemade pizza! Make sure to read my posts with lots of tips for making homemade pizza and how to make pizza for a crowd.

If you would like to get all 5 pizza recipes and the instructions for making pizza dough in a downloadable e-cookbook you can purchase my “How to Make Pizza at Home” ebook Here!

Tools for making homemade pizza

I don’t use a lot of fancy pizza making supplies that are used only for pizza. I don’t need extra stuff in my kitchen! So I prefer tools that are used for a variety of cooking needs. These are my tried and true cooking tools that I love to use for pizza making and more!

Silpat– A nonstick no-mess surface that is perfect for making pizza. Read more about how I use it in my post: The Top 3 Reasons I Love My Silpat
Perforated Baking Sheet– You need a base for the Silpat to sit on. You can use a sheet pan or jelly roll pan but I prefer the perforated baking sheet because it lets more air through the bottom and creates a crispier crust.
Roul’Pat– I can’t imagine rolling out the pizza dough on any other surface. This non-stick mat is awesome. I also use it for sugar cookies, pie crust, bread dough and more.
Metal Scraper– This tool is such a life saver when it comes to cutting and scraping dough.
Pizza Slicer– the only tool that’s “specific” to pizza. 😉
Offset Spatula– Although not necessary I really like to use an offset spatula to spread sauce on dough. If you already have one for icing cakes pull it out for pizza!
Basting Brush– I use a basting brush to brush the olive oil onto the edges of the pizza dough crust.
Kitchenaid Mixer with Dough Hook– Oh how do I count the ways I love my Kitchenaid mixer. I can’t imagine making pizza dough without a stand mixer, it makes it so easy. I clearly wasn’t cut out for pioneer days.
Large Bowl– You’ll want an extra large bowl to let the dough rise in.
Rolling Pin– A good rolling pin is a staple in the kitchen and you’ll need it to roll out your pizza dough.

kitchen aid mixer with flour in the bowl with olive oil, yeast, salt and measuring cups sitting next to mixer

Time Saving Tip:
Pre-make the Dough. If you’re not at home during the day make your dough the night before, let it rise and then put the ready to roll out down in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap. Make sure to let the dough come to room temperature for 30-ish minutes before you roll it out.

Caprese Pizza

Yield: 2 pizzas

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 42 minutes

This recipe for Caprese Pizza takes the flavor of your favorite caprese salad and makes it into a pizza! It's fresh and full of flavor and a departure from the boring pepperoni pizza you've been making.

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

1⁄2 cup warm water 
2 1⁄4 tsp. yeast , 1 package
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting 
1 1⁄2 tsp. salt 
1 1⁄4 cup water, at room temperature 
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Pizza

1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 cup traditional red pizza sauce
1 thinly sliced tomato 
8 oz ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds 
3/4 cup fontina cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Instructions

Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and set aside for 5 minutes, it should start to foam.
In the bowl of a stand mixer mix the bread flour and salt, give it a quick stir to combine.
Pour 1 1/4 cup of room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed and with the bread hook attachment, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed.
Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 2 hours.
Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface or a Roul'pat. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Place on Silpat. Brush edges of the crust with olive oil.
Spread a nice layer of pizza sauce over the crust. Lay mozzarella and tomato slices on top of the sauce.
Sprinkle shredded fontina and sliced basil over the entire pizza. Drizzle balsamic glaze over the top.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Until crust is golden brown. While first pizza is baking roll out second dough ball to make the second pizza. When pizzas are done cooking let cool for 5 minutes, slide off Silpat onto a cutting board and slice and serve.

Notes

If you'd like to make a whole wheat pizza dough do 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 bread flour. In the pictures for this pizza I did a half and half and that is why the dough looks darker.