Name: Everything Basil Pizza
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough); 1/2 cup Best Basil Pesto (or Cashew Pesto, Walnut Pesto, or Vegan Pesto); 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese; 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese; 1 pinch dried basil (optional); Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel; 1 handful fresh basil leaves

Everything Basil Pizza

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This epic basil pizza is all about this fresh herb! It’s got a thick layer of savory basil pesto and is topped with loads of fresh leaves.

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 8 slices 1x
Category: Main Dish
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

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1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough)
1/2 cup Best Basil Pesto (or Cashew Pesto, Walnut Pesto, or Vegan Pesto)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pinch dried basil (optional)
Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel
1 handful fresh basil leaves

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Instructions

Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
Prepare the toppings: Make the Best Basil Pesto (or Cashew Pesto, Walnut Pesto, or Vegan Pesto). Thinly slice the fresh basil (or keep it whole if you like).
Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
Spoon the pesto onto the dough and spread it out with the back of the spoon. Then top with the mozzarella cheese in an even layer, then the Parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of dried basil and if you like, a sprinkle of kosher salt. (Most pesto is salty enough, but it depends on your pesto and cheese.)
Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven).
Top with the basil leaves. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/everything-basil-pizza/