APPLE PIZZA

APPLE PIZZA 

Quinn and I made this recipe for lunch yesterday. We all enjoyed it. The pizza dough recipe is different than the one I normally use. It was very soft so I added a little extra flour to the dough while kneading it.

Children love this recipe, partly because it's "silly," but also because it tastes so good. And they love to help prepare it!

Make the pizza dough at least an hour ahead of time, so it has time to rise.

SHORTCUT NOTE: Use the slicing attachment of the food processor to cut the apples in seconds flat. Just core them and feed them into the machine. Then, without cleaning the processor in between, switch to the grating attachment for the cheese. Presto!

Corn meal for the baking tray (if using Homemade Pizza Dough)
Half a batch Homemade Pizza Dough (recipe follows), or a 12-inch Boboli pizza shell (thin variety)
1 cup medium-sharp cheddar cheese
3 to 4 medium-sized tart apples, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (depends on the apples)
1/2 cup maple syrup or apricot jam

1. Preheat the oven to 400ªF. Liberally sprinkle a baking tray with corn meal. Stretch and/or roll half of the risen pizza dough to a 12-inch circle, and gently arrange it on the tray. Bake it by itself for about 8 minutes in the lower half of the oven, until the bottom of the dough is light brown and the top is dry. (If using the Boboli shell, skip this step. Just set the shell on a baking tray without the corn meal.)

2. Remove the tray from the oven. Sprinkle the dough with the cheese. (If using the Boboli, begin here with the cheese.)

3. Arrange the apple slices on top of the cheese in a spiral pattern. Sprinkle with sugar to taste.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the apples are beginning to brown around the edges. Remove the pizza from the oven, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

5. While the pizza sits, heat the syrup or melt the apricot jam, and brush the top surface of the pizza with the warm syrup or melted jam. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, cut into wedges. If this is a light lunch or high tea, you can serve it with additional cheddar cheese.

HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH

Preparation time: 1 1/2 hours (about 20 minutes of work)
Yield: Enough for 2 12-inch pizzas

This is more accessible than you think.

Please note that this recipe makes enough dough for 2 Apple Pizzas. You can go ahead and make a double batch of pizzas, or use the other half of the dough for something else.

* This can be used for Apple Pizza (above) and also for savory pizzas. For Apple Pizza, use the melted butter option. For anything savory, use olive oil.
* For easy freezing, just seal the dough in a heavy-duty plastic bag and freeze for up to a month. Defrost thoroughly before using.

1 cup lukewarm water (wrist-temperature)
1 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter - or olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
Extra flour and/or nonstick spray for handling the dough

1. Place the water in a medium-large bowl, and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it stand 5 minutes, or until the yeast is dissolved and it begins to bubble.

2. Stir in the butter or oil, salt, and 1 cup of the flour. Beat in the flour with a whisk.

3. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. (Switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon as the dough thickens.) The dough will be very soft.

4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured or nonstick-sprayed surface, and knead for several minutes. You can flour or nonstick-spray your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Clean out the bowl, spray it with nonstick spray, and add the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk. This will take about 1 hour at room temperature.

5. After the dough has risen, punch it down to deflate it. It is now ready to shape, with no additional kneading necessary! It will be very supple and stretchy. Use a little more flour or nonstick spray to handle it, if necessary.