Zesty Summer Lemon Pizza (Printable)
Tangy lemon, creamy mozzarella, and fresh herbs on a crispy crust for a vibrant summer meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 ball (about 10.5 oz) fresh pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
→ Cheese & Sauce
02 - 4.2 oz crème fraîche or ricotta cheese
03 - 1 garlic clove, minced
04 - 4.2 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
05 - 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
→ Toppings
06 - 1 unwaxed lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
07 - 1 tsp lemon zest
08 - 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 1.75 oz arugula
10 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
11 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
12 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# Steps:
01 - Preheat your oven to 475°F or as hot as it will go. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven during preheating.
02 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to your desired thickness. Transfer the shaped dough onto a sheet of parchment paper.
03 - In a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche or ricotta with the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly mixed.
04 - Spread the cheese mixture evenly across the dough, leaving roughly a ½-inch border around the edge for the crust.
05 - Arrange the fresh mozzarella slices in an even layer over the sauce. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan uniformly on top.
06 - Lay the thin lemon slices over the cheese, slightly overlapping them. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
07 - Carefully transfer the pizza on its parchment paper onto the hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is bubbling.
08 - Remove the pizza from the oven. Immediately top with fresh arugula, lemon zest, and torn basil leaves. Slice into portions and serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Lemon on pizza sounds weird until you try it and then you will never go back to plain cheese on a hot night.
- The creme fraiche base is lighter than tomato sauce so it feels like a proper meal without weighing you down.
02 -
- Slice the lemon paper thin because thick slices will be bitter and chewy rather than caramelized and tender.
- Definitely remove every seed before laying the slices down because roasted lemon seeds are unpleasantly crunchy in a finished pizza.
03 -
- If you have a pizza stone use it because the direct heat from below is what gives you that puffy charred crust that makes this feel like restaurant food.
- Taste your lemon before topping the pizza because an overly sour one will dominate everything and a sweet meyer lemon will make the whole thing remarkably delicate.