Burrata contains a soft filling
Burrata has a mozzarella shell filled with strands of cheese and cream. It therefore behaves differently from grated low-moisture pizza cheese. Opening it releases the creamy centre; one closed ball does not automatically put cheese on every slice.
You can place it in the middle and open it at the table or distribute portions over the pizza. Small pieces are particularly useful when several people are sharing. For a vegetarian version, choose a suitable burrata; milk remains an ingredient in the topping.
Bake the base before adding the cheese
Finish baking the pizza with its planned tomato base and any other toppings. Transfer it to a serving plate, then add the drained burrata. A few basil leaves and a little olive oil are enough to complement it when you want its flavour to remain prominent.
Burrata can also appear in recipes specifically designed to bake it. Adding it afterwards is therefore a recommendation for this method, not a ban on other approaches. Here, the intention is to keep it fresh and creamy rather than bake it for a long time as a conventional cheese layer.
Control moisture and quantity
Lift the burrata from its packaging liquid and briefly let the liquid on the outside drain away. Do not squeeze the filling dry. Avoid pouring the packaging water over the pizza: a wet centre quickly softens a base that has already baked.
A modest amount spread across several slices can be more practical than a large ball only in the centre. If you are also baking mozzarella on the pizza, reduce its quantity as appropriate for the recipe rather than adding two full cheese toppings. The final amount depends on pizza size, other ingredients and the portion you want.
Keep refrigerated and serve promptly
Store burrata refrigerated according to its packaging and prepare only the quantity you need. Leaving it on the counter for a long time is not a necessary preparation step. Take it out shortly before finishing the pizza and use clean utensils.
Serve the topped pizza promptly while the base is still warm. If opened burrata remains, cover and refrigerate it promptly and follow the instructions for use after opening. One general number of storage days cannot reliably cover every product and cooling history.