Charred Broccolini Pizza with Crème Fraîche & Mozzarella

Plus: A Flour I am Loving

Aug 23, 2024

Pizza Friends, hello!

First, thank you to all who sent along UK pizza recommendations. I pinned each location on a Google map and had high hopes of getting to several of the London suggestions, but after one day of traipsing from relatives’ houses to various museums and sites, I realized I would have to set my priorities aside.

There were 12 of us total, including 8 children, and dining locations were determined by convenience. In the end we ate a lot of Pret A Manger, a lot of pub food including excellent fish and chips, and some of the best Indian food I have ever tasted. And we did get to Borough Market for sausage rolls, which came highly recommend by one of you — thank you!

Today I have two things to share: a recipe for a charred broccolini pizza and a flour I am loving. The recipe for the charred broccolini pizza follows a formula I’ve relied on a lot this summer: crème fraîche + charred vegetable + mozzarella (or other melty cheese). I char the vegetables in the oven as it’s getting up to temperature and as the dough is nearing the end of its room temperature proof. You can replace the broccolini with any vegetable you love that takes well to a little blistering — sun golds or other tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, etc. — and you can do this in your home or outdoor oven.

Find details about the flour below. As always, let me know if you have any questions 🍕🍕

The Video: Charred Broccolini Pizza

A Flour I am Loving

Several months ago, upon being disappointed with the 00 flour I had been using for my outdoor oven pizzas, I reached out to my friend Christy (@realcleverfood on Instagram and a wealth of pizza knowledge), who told me to try Petra. I ordered a few bags immediately (first in 500 gram bags, which are currently out of stock in most places, then in a 27-lb bag), and I have been so pleased with the results: the crust is light and airy, soft and pliable, and most important, so very tasty.

I have only used it in my outdoor oven, where it browns at such a nice pace, and while I think it would perform just fine in a home oven, it’s possible it might not brown as well as something like King Arthur Bread flour. I will be experimenting soon and will report back when I do. I also bought a bag of the Petra 5063 (Special Pizza Flour, AVPN approved… for reasons I cannot explain, I didn’t start my experiments with this flour) and will report back once I’ve given it a go.

The Recipe

For this pizza you’ll need: broccolini (or broccoli or broccoli rabe if you can’t find it), crème fraîche, low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.

You’ll char the broccolini first…

… you can do this in your indoor or outdoor oven (see recipe for details).

Once the broccolini has cooled, you’ll spread it across your dough with the crème fraîche and mozzarella, and you’ll finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt: