Homemade Sourdough Pizza with Burrata, Mozzarella & Casa de Fuego

August 29, 2026

There is pizza, and then there is pizza made completely from scratch.

A naturally fermented sourdough crust. A simple tomato sauce. Fresh mozzarella. Cool, creamy burrata torn over the pizza after it leaves the oven. Fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil and one final pinch of Casa de Fuego.

Nothing here needs to be complicated.

But every component needs to be treated properly.

The dough needs time to ferment and develop flavor. The sauce should taste of tomatoes rather than a dozen unnecessary ingredients. The mozzarella needs to melt without flooding the crust with moisture. And the burrata belongs at the end, where its cool, creamy center creates contrast against the blistered, piping-hot pizza.

Casa de Fuego is treated the same way.

It isn't buried beneath the cheese before baking.

It is the final seasoning.

That distinction is at the heart of What Is Finishing Salt? and it is particularly easy to understand when you taste it on a pizza straight from the oven.

This is homemade pizza from beginning to end.

THE SOURDOUGH PIZZA DOUGH

Good pizza begins with the dough.

Sourdough fermentation does more than make dough rise. Given enough time, fermentation develops aroma and flavor that a quickly made dough simply cannot replicate in the same way.

The objective is a crust with character: crisp underneath, blistered around the edges and light enough inside the cornicione to provide contrast.

This recipe uses an active sourdough starter and a long fermentation.

Time is an ingredient here.

INGREDIENTS

Makes approximately 4 pizzas.

FOR THE SOURDOUGH PIZZA DOUGH

700g 00 flour
455g water
140g active sourdough starter at 100% hydration
18g fine sea salt
14g extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

1 28-ounce can good-quality whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
A few fresh basil leaves

FOR EACH PIZZA

Sourdough pizza dough
Prepared tomato sauce
Fresh mozzarella, well drained
Fresh burrata
Fresh basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Casa de Fuego finishing salt, to finish

STEP 1: FEED YOUR SOURDOUGH STARTER

Begin with an active, healthy sourdough starter.

Feed the starter several hours before making the dough and use it when it has risen substantially, looks aerated and is at or close to peak activity.

A sluggish starter produces sluggish dough.

This is one of the reasons sourdough recipes are better approached by observing the dough rather than relying entirely on the clock.

Temperature, starter strength and fermentation environment all influence timing.

STEP 2: MIX THE DOUGH

Add the water and active sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl.

Stir until the starter is dispersed through the water.

Add the flour and mix until no significant patches of dry flour remain.

The dough will look rough.

That's fine.

Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to rest for approximately 20–30 minutes.

Then add the salt and olive oil.

Work them thoroughly into the dough until everything is incorporated.

STEP 3: BUILD STRENGTH

During the first two hours of fermentation, perform a series of stretch-and-folds approximately every 30 minutes.

With damp hands, lift one side of the dough, stretch it gently upward and fold it over itself.

Rotate the bowl and repeat.

As the folds continue, the dough should gradually change from loose and rough to smoother, stronger and more elastic.

There is no reason to aggressively knead it.

Fermentation and time are doing much of the work.

STEP 4: BULK FERMENT

Cover the dough and allow it to continue fermenting at room temperature.

Rather than waiting for it to completely double, look for clear signs of fermentation.

The dough should become lighter, smoother and aerated, with visible bubbles beginning to develop.

Exact timing will vary considerably depending on room temperature and starter activity.

This is why learning to read dough is more useful than memorizing a fermentation time.

STEP 5: DIVIDE AND BALL THE DOUGH

Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and divide it into four approximately equal portions.

Shape each portion into a tight ball, creating tension across the surface without tearing the dough.

Place the dough balls into lightly oiled individual containers or a covered dough tray.

Refrigerate for approximately 24–48 hours.

This cold fermentation is where patience begins paying you back.

The dough continues developing flavor while becoming easier to handle.

STEP 6: BRING THE DOUGH BACK TO TEMPERATURE

Several hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Keep the dough covered and allow it to relax at room temperature.

Cold dough is tight and difficult to stretch.

Properly tempered dough should feel soft, aerated and extensible.

Handle it carefully.

Those gases developed during fermentation are exactly what will help create the light, blistered crust we're looking for.

MAKE THE TOMATO SAUCE

The sauce should be simple.

Crush the whole peeled tomatoes by hand or pulse them very briefly.

Add the olive oil, a little salt and torn basil.

That's it.

Don't cook the sauce beforehand.

The tomatoes will cook on the pizza, and keeping the sauce simple allows their freshness and acidity to remain present against the richness of the cheese.

If the tomatoes are exceptionally watery, drain away some excess liquid before crushing them.

Pizza is about controlling moisture as much as flavor.

PREPARE THE MOZZARELLA

Fresh mozzarella contains a considerable amount of water.

That is wonderful until the water ends up in the middle of your pizza.

Drain the mozzarella thoroughly.

Tear or slice it several hours ahead if possible and allow it to drain in the refrigerator on a rack or paper towels.

This small step can make a substantial difference.

We want melted mozzarella.

We don't want a puddle.

PREHEAT THE OVEN

For pizza, heat matters.

If using a conventional home oven, place a pizza steel or stone inside and preheat the oven at its maximum temperature for at least 45–60 minutes.

If your oven has a broiler, it can be useful during the final stage of baking to develop additional color across the crust.

If you're using a dedicated pizza oven, heat it according to the manufacturer's instructions and manage the flame carefully.

Regardless of equipment, the objective is the same:

Cook the pizza quickly enough to develop color while preserving moisture inside the crust.

SHAPE THE SOURDOUGH PIZZA

Lightly flour the work surface.

Place one dough ball onto the flour and gently press outward from the center using your fingertips.

Leave approximately an inch around the perimeter untouched.

That edge will become the cornicione.

Turn and stretch the dough gradually.

Don't use a rolling pin.

A rolling pin removes the gas you've spent the last day or two developing.

Allow gravity and your hands to do the work until the dough reaches the desired size.

If it repeatedly springs back, stop.

Give it a few minutes to relax and continue.

TOP WITH RESTRAINT

Transfer the stretched dough to a lightly floured pizza peel.

Add a thin layer of tomato sauce.

Then distribute the drained fresh mozzarella across the pizza.

Don't completely cover the surface with cheese.

Good pizza needs space.

You should still be able to see tomato between the pieces of mozzarella.

This also helps control moisture and allows the individual ingredients to remain identifiable.

BAKE THE PIZZA

Launch the pizza onto the fully heated stone or steel.

Bake until the base is crisp, the mozzarella has melted and the cornicione is deeply golden with blistered areas around the edge.

Rotate the pizza if necessary for even cooking.

The exact baking time depends entirely on your oven.

A dedicated high-temperature pizza oven may cook it in minutes.

A conventional home oven will take longer.

Watch the pizza.

Not the timer.

THE BURRATA GOES ON AFTER BAKING

Remove the pizza from the oven.

Now add the burrata.

Tear it gently and distribute several pieces across the hot pizza.

This creates one of the best contrasts in the entire dish.

Hot tomato sauce.

Melted mozzarella.

Blistered sourdough crust.

Cool, impossibly creamy burrata.

Putting the burrata into the oven would sacrifice much of what makes it special.

Some ingredients become better with heat.

Others are better protected from it.

Knowing the difference is part of cooking.

FINISH WITH BASIL, OLIVE OIL AND CASA DE FUEGO

Add fresh basil leaves.

Drizzle lightly with good extra-virgin olive oil.

Then add a light pinch of Casa de Fuego across the pizza.

This is the final seasoning.

The burrata and mozzarella already contribute richness and some salinity, so restraint matters.

Casa de Fuego brings brightness, aromatic complexity and layered heat that cuts through the richness of the cheese.

Add a little.

Taste.

Then decide whether it needs more.

Our guide When Should You Add Finishing Salt? explains why adding a complex finishing salt after cooking preserves more of the characteristics that make it interesting.

WHY BURRATA AND CASA DE FUEGO WORK TOGETHER

Burrata is extraordinarily rich.

Its outer mozzarella shell contains a soft center of stracciatella and cream, creating a texture that is almost sauce-like when torn open.

Rich ingredients benefit from contrast.

That is where Casa de Fuego earns its place.

The salt sharpens.

Brightness lifts the palate.

Chili provides warmth.

Aromatic and savory elements create another layer underneath.

The objective isn't to make the burrata spicy.

It is to prevent all that richness from becoming monotonous.

This is the same principle used constantly in professional kitchens:

Richness needs balance.

WHY SOURDOUGH MAKES THE PIZZA MORE INTERESTING

The crust shouldn't simply be transportation for the toppings.

It should taste good on its own.

Long sourdough fermentation creates a dough with significantly more character than a crust designed only to rise as quickly as possible.

The exterior develops color.

The interior remains light.

Fermentation contributes aroma and complexity.

That means the final pizza isn't simply tomato and cheese sitting on bread.

The crust becomes one of the principal ingredients.

This philosophy mirrors Why Exceptional Seasoning Begins at the Source.

The quality of the finished dish is determined long before the final garnish is added.

Every component matters.

WHY MORE TOPPINGS DON'T MAKE BETTER PIZZA

Pizza makes restraint visible.

It is tempting to keep adding.

More cheese.

More meat.

More vegetables.

More sauce.

Eventually, the pizza loses its structure.

The center becomes heavy.

The crust struggles to crisp.

Individual flavors disappear.

This is exactly the principle behind Why Most Spice Blends Taste Flat — And What Makes a Great One Different.

Complexity doesn't come from adding everything.

It comes from creating relationships between a smaller number of ingredients that each have a purpose.

Here, the sourdough brings fermentation and texture.

Tomato brings acidity and sweetness.

Mozzarella melts.

Burrata brings cool richness.

Basil provides freshness.

Olive oil adds fruitiness.

Casa de Fuego provides the final contrast.

Nothing else is necessary.

THE CHEF'S APPROACH: CONTROL THE VARIABLES

Great pizza looks effortless when it reaches the table.

Behind it are dozens of small decisions.

Was the starter active?

Did the dough ferment enough?

Did it ferment too far?

Is the mozzarella too wet?

Is the oven sufficiently hot?

Is there too much sauce?

Has the dough been handled gently?

Does the finished pizza actually need more seasoning?

Professional cooking is often less about complicated techniques and more about controlling these variables consistently.

The final taste is simply the result of all those decisions working together.

THE FINAL TOUCH

When the pizza comes out of the oven, it is already almost complete.

That's exactly when tasting becomes important.

The mozzarella has melted.

The crust has blistered.

The tomato has concentrated.

The burrata has been torn across the surface.

Now you decide what the dish needs.

Casa de Fuego isn't there to rescue the pizza.

Everything before it should already have been done properly.

It is there to provide the final adjustment.

Our guide How to Use Finishing Salt explores the same principle across meat, seafood, vegetables, eggs and pasta.

DISCOVER CASA DE FUEGO

Casa de Fuego by Spicerie is a small-batch finishing salt built around bright citrus, layered heat, aromatic complexity and deep savory character.

On sourdough pizza with mozzarella and burrata, it provides contrast against the richness of the cheese while allowing the fermented crust, tomato and dairy to remain the focus.

Make the dough.

Give it time.

Use good ingredients.

Bake it hard.

Then finish it properly.

Shop Casa de Fuego.

Because the final touch matters.