The Ultimate Caramel Apple Pizza

 

 

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."

 

 -Pamela Vaull Starr

 

 

 

It's officially Autumn, next week.  So bring on the fall foods! Even if it is 80 degrees outside.

 

 

If you have an apple corer, it comes in handy for slicing apples

 

I love apples. We have apple trees, and could even use a few more. I love to make apple jam and apple butter with my bounty. It's just a wonderful time that I am reminded of natures abundance.

  

 

 

Since I love finding new ways to use the fall fruit, when I saw the recipe for Candied Apple Pizza from Guy Fieri in this months Better Homes and Gardens, I knew I wanted to  make my own version of it.

 

I sauteed the apples, but I don't recommend it, when I make this again, I will use them raw.

What is so great is that this pizza dough recipe makes 2 balls of dough, so you can use the second portion to make a savory pizza and have a good old fashioned pizza night!

Mascarpone, down.

Or you could double the recipe and make 2 apple pizzas, (or one apple pizza, and freeze the other one) and use a double portion to make a big ole fat thick crust pizza like we did. Wow, was that good.

 Apples, down.

I love making my own pizza dough because I think it just tastes better. Plus we like to really over do it on the cheese, and when making your own, you have control in that department.

 

Streusel, down.

 

Speaking of over doing it, I call this the Ultimate Caramel Apple Pizza because I just piled on the yummy. First there is a layer of mascarpone cheese. Then a layer of tart apples, then comes the nutty streusel to bring some crunch and cinnamon and brown sugar flavor. Drizzled on top is salted caramel, and to top it off, a white chocolate drizzle, since I love a caramel apple dipped in white chocolate.

 

Caramel, down.

This pizza is so delicious, I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing in one sitting. (Well, maybe not the whole thing, but almost.)

 

White chocolate, down.

 

 Make your family happy by whipping up a pizza for dinner with their favorite toppings and this Ultimate Caramel Apple Pizza for dessert! I think they will love you for it, mine sure did.

Right out of the oven, gooey goodness.

This is the savory thick crust pizza I made with a full recipe of dough, double the amount that is called for in the apple pizza.

The Ultimate Caramel Apple Pizza

adapted from Guy Fieri's Candied Apple Pizza in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

To make it easier on yourself you can purchase a ball of pizza dough, (Trader Joe's sell them for a dollar-ish), and you can buy premade caramel, if you do, buy one of quality, and add a little salt if you wish to make it salted caramel.

To make a savory pizza, make the dough as instructed, top with sauce and your favorite toppings and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-22 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

This dough recipe makes enough for 2 thin (or regular) crusts. Use the second half to make a savory pizza to have a pizza night. I doubled the recipe below and made a thick crust pizza by using a full recipe of dough, (or both halves.) And then I used half of the other portion to make this apple pizza, and froze the other portion.


Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough

This dough recipe makes enough for 2 apple pizzas.

Also note the pizza dough has a rising time of an hour and a half, so keep that in mind when planning.

2 1/2 cups (250 g.) flour

1 tsp. salt

1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast (or 2 packets)

2 tsp. sugar

2 Tablespoons of olive oil, plus more to grease bowls

1 cup (8 oz) (237 ml.) water, warm to the touch


For Pizza Topping

2-3 tart apples, sliced thin

1 cup, 8 oz. (226 g.) mascarpone cheese

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

about 1 cup (8 oz.) (237 ml.) Caramel Sauce - either homemade, I used the caramel recipe from my Vanilla Cinnamon Poached Pears with Spiced Caramel Recipe, or good quality store bought


For the streusel

3 Tablespoons flour

1/3 cup (60 g.) packed brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup (90 g.) chopped pecans or another type of nut

1  cup (200 g.) good quality white chocolate chips, melted according to package directions OR use good quality white chocolate, chopped - optional


Directions

Start by making dough.

Stand Mixer directions: Dissolve the sugar in warm water in the bowl of the stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let stand for 10 minutes till foamy. Add olive oil and salt to the yeast mixture then use the dough hook to mix in the flour. Mix until the dough comes together, add more flour as needed to allow the machine to knead the dough until smooth. (At this point I needed to add more flour to make the dough come into a ball.) When it's come together and not too sticky, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 2 minutes more, the dough should not be sticky at this point.


By Hand: Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle yeast on top, let stand 10 minutes until foamy. Stir in the flour, add more if needed, it shouldn't be sticky, and knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes, until the dough is springy and not sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat surface, cover bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place till it's doubled, about an hour.

Turn dough onto a floured surface again. divide in half and form into 2 smooth tight balls. Place each ball in its own bowl and let rise, covered for a second rise for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, in a small bowl mix the mascarpone cheese with the vanilla and the powdered sugar, set aside.

In a large bowl place the sliced apples with the lemon juice and toss to coat.

Make the streusel. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Stir in pecans.

When ready to use, press one ball of the dough with fingers to flatten as much as possible. Drape dough over hands, stretching to desired size and thickness. (Mine was about a 12 inch pizza) Place dough on floured pizza peel or cutting board (I just prepared my pizza directly on my pizza stone.) The other ball of dough can be used for a savory pizza, or another sweet pizza, or you can wrap it well and freeze it.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, 230 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 8.

Parbake the pizza crust by cooking it in the preheated oven for about 6-8 minutes with no browning. When done, set aside to cool a bit. When the pizza crust has cooled, spread the mascarpone mixture evenly onto the crust. Top with thinly sliced apples, then top with streusel, then caramel. Melt the white chocolate chips according to package directions, (or alternately, use chopped white chocolate and sprinkle it on the top.) Drizzle the melted white chocolate onto the top (if using.)

Bake on a pizza stone or on a baking sheet for about 10-12 minutes, until the crust is lightly brown and everything has melted nicely.