So, in case I haven’t made it clear
yet, I love pizza. To be honest, in the
past two weeks, I think I have had pizza four times. One of them, that I had at Pizzeria Paradiso
in Alexandria, Virginia, is what inspired this pizza.
It incorporates two of my favorite
things: pizza and fall flavors. And even
though the temperature is supposed to hit 80 degrees this week (a big ol’ WTF
to that!), the CSA’s and grocery stores are full of pumpkins and squash, and
this is a different way to use them.
This pizza is also weight watchers
friendly, unlike some of the pizzas I have posted about in the past (see gyro pizza and Indian inspired pizza). One of my big things with pizza is that I
will pretty much eat however much is put in front of my, so I had to come up
with a recipe for dough that wouldn't break the bank, points-wise. In order to
make it work, I make this crust very, very thin. The dough is almost translucent when it is
stretched out. I prefer a thin crust
pizza anyway, so this doesn't bother me at all, but if you prefer a thicker
crust you can use the same amount of dough and just stretch it out less. Scott,
my official pizza dough stretch, can make this dough cover our entire 14 inch
cast-iron pizza pan.
Homemade Pizza Dough
1 cup white flour
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bread machine yeast (I use this instead of a packet because I go through a decent amount of yeast, and this will be fine in the fridge for a while)
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or a
food processor fitted with a dough blade, put the flour, salt and yeast. Stir together. Pour in the olive oil, and then slowly
drizzle in the water with the machine on low.
The dough will start to come together, and when it pulls away from the
sides and forms a ball you know it will be good. If it is very sticky you may have to add more
flour, but this could increase the points depending on how much you need.
At this point, let the mixer or processor run for about 4-5
minutes to knead the dough. Put the
dough in a bowl coated with olive oil spray, turning the ball of dough to coat
it, and cover with plastic wrap. Let
rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. I like to par-bake my pizza dough because I find
it get crunchier this way. Stretch your dough
to the desired size. If you stretch this
size dough to cover a 14 inch pizza pan, bake it for 7-8 minutes until the top
has a nice crustiness. If you make it
smaller and thicker, you will have to bake it for longer. Once your pizza crust is par-baked, you are
ready to top it. Then you bake for
another 7-8 minutes until done.
Serves 2, 14 points
per serving
One serving of pizza dough
1 small acorn squash
1 small onion
¼ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices of bacon
3 ounces of cheese, shredded
Olive oil spray
Once your pizza dough is rising, you can get your other ingredients
together. Preheat oven to 450
degrees. Cut the squash in half, scoop
out the seeds and put on a baking sheet. Peel and quarter the onion and put on
the baking sheet. Spray both with olive
oil spray. Roast until the squash is soft about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, dice the bacon and sauté until crispy, then drain
on paper towels. Reserve for later. Once the squash and onion are done, let rest
until cool enough to handle, then scoop out the flesh into a measuring cup or
food processer along with the onions, salt and pepper, and water. You can also throw in some red pepper flakes
for heat if that is your thing. Use a immersion blender or food processor to puree
until smooth.
Bacon getting crispy |
Once your pizza dough is ready, par-bake as described in the
first recipe. Once half cooked, pull
from the oven. Spread the squash puree
on the dough, then top with the cheese and bacon. Cook for another 7-8 minutes until dough is
crispy and cheese is melted.
I hope these pizza recipes have inspired you to branch out
and try something completely different!