There's the pepperoni pizza, full of red sauce, Italian spices, and rich, stringy cheese. There's the alfredo pizza with spinach, garlic, and sausage. There's even the macaroni pizza -- an alfredo pizza topped with cheesy macaroni.
But have you ever tried apple pizza?
A buttery crust, thick and flaky, layered with a thin layer of brown sugar cream cheese and apple pie filling, and then topped with crumbled streusel. A sweet, delicious masterpiece. It's a pretty involved process, but the results are 100% worth it.
Ready to bake?
You'll need:
Crust:
1/2 c. warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
3 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Apple Pie Filling
3 c. sliced apples, peeled
3 T. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. flour
Cream Cheese Spread
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. honey
Streusel Topping
2/3 c. flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter
To make:
First, make the crust. Pour the warm water into a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Let the yeast dissolve for ten minutes, creating a foamy mixture.
While the mixture is foaming, combine the salt and flour in another bowl. Add the butter and combine together, crumbling the butter into the flour until it resembles a sandy consistency.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Knead together for about five minutes, creating a smooth, stretchy dough.
Let the dough rest 15 minutes. If not using immediately, place in the refrigerator until 30 minutes before baking.
Next, make the apple pie filling. Melt the butter in a pot on the stove and add the apples, sautéing for four to five minutes, or until the apples are soft. Add the sugar and cinnamon and sauté for two minutes more.
Lastly, add the flour, mixing constantly until the mixture thickens, about two minutes. Remove from heat.
To make the cream cheese spread, warm the cream cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and honey and mix until you achieve a smooth consistency.
Lastly, create the streusel topping. In another bowl, mix together the flour and sugar and crumble the butter into it, until the butter is in pea-sized clumps.
Thirty minutes before you're ready to bake, pull the pizza dough out of the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 400 F and grease a 12 inch pizza pan.
Press the dough onto the pan, creating a raised crust around the outer edge of the dough.
Spread the cream cheese over the dough.
Add the apple pie filling, creating a layer on top of the cream cheese filling.
Finally, crumble the streusel on top of the pizza, equally distributing it over the entire crust.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
Not all pizza has to be savory! Give this sweet apple pizza a try! Be sure to stop by our orchard for some apples that will work perfectly with this recipe.