You know summer has arrived when a regular cheese slice at your favorite pizzeria all of a sudden seems too cheesy, too greasy, too heavy. In an effort to make a lightened-up version of a favorite slice, I stripped it of its cheeses and baked the dough naked. Unburdened by layers of toppings, the dough bakes up with a perfect spring, with a craggy texture pocked with crests and craters: the perfect topography to capture a heavy brushing of herb-and-garlic olive oil.
The beauty is in the simplicity: simply bake the dough, brush with herb and garlic olive oil, and top with the pesto mixture. It’s also very easy to adapt this recipe based on your taste and ingredient availability; change up the herbs, add some spices, throw in some nuts. Blogger and Baking Steel fan Alexandra Stafford, AKA Alexandra Cooks (inventor of the naked pesto. pizza), tops her pizza with a bunch of fresh greens. Whatever you do, this herb-topped naked pizza makes an irresistible summer appetizer or complement to a hearty salad for a full meal.
