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.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Latin American

Servings 8 servings

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.

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.

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.

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.