Caprese flatbread is a fast dinner or straightforward appetizer recipe, staring the traditional mixture of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil!
Is there something higher than that traditional mixture of tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella? Right here’s a enjoyable dinner concept or straightforward appetizer that riffs on the traditional Italian salad: Caprese Flatbread! It’s a flatbread pizza that makes use of naan bread as a base: or any sort of flatbread you’ll find. Layer it up with mozzarella, tomatoes and recent basil, and the important thing ingredient: a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It’s heavenly for dinner, or we served it as a enjoyable summer time appetizer (it really works room temperature on a platter!).
What you want for Caprese flatbread
Caprese flatbread is actually a pizza based mostly on the favored Italian salad, Caprese salad (aka, “salad from Capri” in Italian). This Italian mixture of recent mozzarella, ripe tomatoes and a sprinkle of recent basil stems again to the 1920’s, and right now it’s recognized around the globe. Cooks and residential cooks have made infinite spins on these ingredient mixtures: like a Caprese Sandwich, Caprese Pasta Salad, Caprese Skewers and extra. Right here’s what you’ll want for this straightforward pizza topping:
- Naan breads (or different bought flatbread)
- Recent mozzarella cheese
- Simple Pizza Sauce or bought pizza sauce
- Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- Cherry tomatoes
- Basil
- Balsamic discount or glaze (bought or selfmade)
For the flatbread: use naan or different
A flatbread pizza is a pizza made with a dough base that’s already baked (like naan or one other sort of flatbread) as a substitute of pizza dough. The best technique to make Caprese flatbread is with bought bread, however after all you should utilize selfmade flatbread should you desire! The distinction with a normal pizza is that the pizza dough is uncooked if you make a pizza, however with flatbread pizza the dough is already cooked. Listed here are some favourite choices for the flatbread base:
- Bought naan is the best! It needs to be straightforward to seek out within the bread aisle at your native grocery retailer. We even have a selfmade naan recipe should you’d wish to make it selfmade.
- Or, search for different forms of bought flatbread. You’ll need it to be roughly as thick as naan (about 1 inch). You may also use selfmade flatbread.
- Replace the “pre-toasting” timing accordingly. You’ll toast the naan or flatbread within the oven first till it’s calmly crisp. The timing for an additional sort of flatbread could be barely totally different than naan, so keep watch over it and regulate accordingly.
Ideas for working with recent mozzarella
Recent mozzarella cheese is ooey, gooey and stretchy: good for topping a margherita pizza or Caprese flatbread. However bear in mind: the sort of cheese comprises quite a lot of water: rather more than a typical shredded mozzarella cheese! Listed here are a number of ideas for working with this type of cheese:
- Reduce into items and permit to sit down quarter-hour on a paper towel. Slice the mozzarella cheese into ¼-inch thick items and let it sit on a paper towel to take away moisture when you put together the pizzas. Dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to take away any extra moisture earlier than utilizing it.
- After baking, dab the flatbread with a paper towel if vital. Generally recent mozzarella might be watery after baking, relying on the model. If vital, use the nook of a paper towel to dab on the moisture.
For the balsamic discount
Take Caprese flatbread excessive with a balsamic discount or glaze! That is merely balsamic vinegar that’s been cooked (or diminished) till it types a shiny, candy tart liquid that’s best for drizzling on salads and pizza. Caprese salad is commonly served with a balsamic discount in America, although that’s not the traditional Italian technique to do it. But it surely’s a enjoyable technique to serve this pizza because it seems gorgeous and offers it a pleasant tangy increase in taste.
It’s best to purchase balsamic discount or balsamic glaze: a number of manufacturers promote it in a tall bottle that you should utilize to squeeze proper onto the flatbread. Usually we purchase it, since there’s not a lot of a taste distinction with selfmade. However should you like, strive making balsamic discount at residence: it’s enjoyable and satisfying!
How one can serve Caprese flatbread
This Caprese flatbread is all about presentation! We served it as a straightforward appetizer recipe and it labored nice. A number of issues to notice about serving:
- Add basil after baking. By no means prepare dinner a pizza with basil within the oven: it turns brown! Add the basil afterwards.
- Slice into triangle shapes, if potential. We like the best way that naan seems when sliced into triangles: it’s extra appetizing than the squares you get on an oval base (like this).
- Serve heat or at room temperature. This Caprese flatbread tastes nice at room temperature, making it an excellent appetizer to set out on a platter.
Extra Caprese-inspired recipes
Searching for extra with this powerhouse trio of substances? Attempt the next recipes:
This Caprese flatbread recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Description
Caprese flatbread is a fast dinner or straightforward appetizer recipe, staring the traditional mixture of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil!
- 4 bought naan breads (or different bought flatbread*)
- 8 ounces recent mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Simple Pizza Sauce or bought pizza sauce (or omit for an easier flatbread)
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 giant handful basil leaves, thinly sliced
- Balsamic discount or glaze (bought or selfmade)
- Preheat the oven to 450 levels Fahrenheit.
- Slice the mozzarella cheese into ¼ inch thick items. Permit it to sit down on a paper towel to take away moisture for about quarter-hour when you put together the pizzas, then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to take away any extra moisture.
- Make the pizza sauce (time saving tip: you can too stir collectively the substances in a bowl as a substitute of mixing them!).
- Place the naan bread instantly on the oven grates. Bake 3 minutes. Flip and bake one other 2 minutes till calmly crisped on the surface and toasted.
- Fastidiously take away the naan from the oven grates and place them on 2 baking sheets. Unfold every with a skinny layer of pizza sauce, then add the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
- Place the baking sheets within the oven and bake till the cheese melts, about 7 to eight minutes. Take away from the oven. (You could discover some additional moisture after baking: you may dab calmly with a paper towel as vital.) Slice the flatbread into items and high with thinly sliced basil. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve. This works as a foremost dish or an appetizer (might be served room temperature on a platter).
Notes
*Use bought naan or another sort of flatbread you’ll find (roughly as thick as naan, about 1-inch thick). The timing for toasting the flatbread in Step 4 will range based mostly on the model, so regulate accordingly. You may also use selfmade naan or selfmade flatbread.
- Class: Fundamental dish
- Methodology: Baked
- Delicacies: Italian impressed
- Eating regimen: Vegetarian
Key phrases: Caprese flatbread
