Catfish Out of Water

I'm in a pizza-making mood. I even managed to plan it ahead of time. You can quick proof dough in six hours, but you're going to get a greater depth of flavor if you let the dough slowly proof in the refrigerator for 1-3 days. I did have the forethought to make Barbecue Pizza Dough w/ All-purpose Flour two days ago. I've also spent all morning roasting Kuri Squash Slices, Autumn Crisp Apple Slices, Shallots, and Roasted Garlic Sauce w/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Hence, the Pizza w/ Spinach, Roasted Kuri Squash, Apples, & Garlic.

Autumn Crisp Apples

I went apple picking the other day and now have a multitude of apples to go through. Today, I'm using Autumn Crisp apples. Autumn Crisps are a cross between Golden Delicious and Monroe apples. They're both a crisp and juicy apple that are known for being on the sweeter side. This makes them good for both slicing and baking and ideal for either salads or pies. You can see all of the apples and recipes in this series in my full article on Apple Picking & What to Cook All Fall Season.

Gallery

Variations of Roasted Squash Pizza

Most homenade pizza doughs are going to make 2-3 pizzas, depending on how thin you stretch the dough. I made a pretty similar pizza with roasted Kuri squash and apple slices. I really enjoy the depth of flavor and balance of sweet and savory, that isn't pineapple. Although you can mix and match your own favorite ingredients or what you have on hand. Pizza is a great recipe to have fun with and play around with your own combination of ingredients. Half of the time I'm looking at recipes, I'm looking more for inspiration than at the actual recipe.

Pizza w/ Roasted Kuri Squash, Apples, & Fresh Mozzarella

Refried Beans, Wild Rice, Apples, & Crema Pizza

Pizza w/ Avocado, Spinach, Roasted Potatoes, & Fresh Mozzarella

Pizza w/ Spinach, Roasted Kuri Squash, Apples, & Garlic

This Roasted Squash Pizza consists of spinach, roasted garlic, Kuri squash, apples, shallots, fresh mozzarella, and gruyère cheese.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Latin American

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• Oven (or Barbecue)
• Griddle (optional)

Ingredients

  

Pizza Dough

• 222 g. warm water ~100°F (1 c.)
• 7 g. instant yeast (2¼ tsp. or 1 package)
• 7 g. honey (or 2 tsp. granulated sugar, maple syrup, or brown sugar)
• 300 g. all-purpose flour (2½ + 1 tbsp.)
• 15 g. olive oil (1 tbsp.)
• 6 g. salt (1 tsp.)

Roasted Produce

• 1 head garlic
• 1 Kuri squash peeled & sliced (or similarly dense squash or pumpkin)
• 1½ apples cored & sliced (I used Autumn Crisp)
• 1 shallot sliced
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 tbsp. olive oil

Pizza

• 1/2 pizza dough
• 1/2 c. spinach
• roasted Kuri squash
• roasted apples
• roasted shallots
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella
• 6 oz. gruyère (optional)

Instructions

 

Proof Dough

• Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let rest for 15 minutes, or until the yeast begins to bubble.
• Meanwhile, whisk together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in a large bowl.
• After the yeast has proofed, stir yeast mixture into the flour. Mix until roughly incorporated and the dough has a shaggy appearance.
• Add in the olive oil and mix until all of the ingredients are combined.

  In a mixer with a dough hook attachment, this only takes a minute or two. By hand, this takes about 5 minutes. It's a no-knead bread recipe, so you're not necessarily looking for soft and pliable dough. Really, you just want all of the ingredients to be mixed thoroughly at this point! Which does make it a great recipe to make by hand if you prefer or don't have a mixer.
• Cover dough and let proof for 6 hours, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, place in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.

  A quick pizza dough proof can be done in about 6 hours. Ideally, the dough is made 2 days ahead of time and proofed in the refrigerator for that time. However, I almost never know that I'm going to make pizza 2 days ahead of time! And 6 hours is perfectly adequate.

Roast Produce

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove excess skin off of the head of garlic and cut off the top. Place face-up in a garlic roaster or center of enough aluminum foil to cover completely. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. And cook in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until soft and golden brown.
• Meanwhile, mix all of the spices and the olive oil together. Set aside.
• Peel the squash, scoop out the innards & separate the seeds, and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
• Core the apples, slice, and cut into 1/2-inch slices.
• Cut the shallot into 1/4-inch slices.
• Coat the squash slices, apple slices, shallot slices, and squash seeds in the spice mixture and place evenly across a baking sheet.

  Roast the squash, apples, and shallots for 25-30 minutes. Make sure to stir or flip all of the produce halfway through to get an even cook on all sides.

Cook Dough

• Preheat the barbecue to medium-high heat.

  Alternatively, you can do what I did today and cook the pizzas on a griddle in the oven. Preheat the griddle in the oven at 550 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half. Lightly flour a large, flat surface and roll out each dough until roughly 1/4-inch thick.

  It can help to let the dough proof for another 15 minutes. Although this is entirely optional. It will make a fluffier, rather than a crispier crust. If you want something more like a flatbread pizza, cook immediately. You can even spritz it with a little bit of oil for a little extra crunch.
• Carefully pick up the dough and drop it onto the grill or griddle. Grill until the dough just begins to char and grill lines begin to form. This takes about 1-2 minutes on the barbecue and 3-5 minutes in the oven.
• Once the garlic is roasted, squeeze out the cloves, and mix in with another 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.

Cook Pizzas

• Spread garlic sauce across the pizza. Then, top with spinach, squash, apples, and shallots.
• Top with fresh mozzarella and gruyère.
• Return to the oven and cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown.

  Since the crust has already been cooked slightly, make sure that it doesn't burn on the bottom before the cheese melts. If there is any doubt, look to the crust to determine doneness.
• Sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For more tips and tricks, I also have entire articles on the following ingredients:
  • Barbecue Pizza Dough w/ All-purpose Flour
  • Roasted Kuri Squash Slices
  • Roasted Autumn Crisp Apple Slices
  • Roasted Shallots
  • Roasted Garlic
  • Roasted Garlic Sauce w/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil