If you’re wondering what to do with your stockpile of winter squash from the garden this season, look no further. With a perfect combination of fall flavors to enjoy, this pizza will leave you anxiously awaiting the next growing season so you can plant even more next year!
A Note on the Cheese
This is NOT a cheesy pizza! By using only grated parmesan, the flavors of the other ingredients really shine. However, if you want a dairy-free pizza, this one would definitely work with no cheese at all. Maybe just bump up the other toppings a bit to make up for the flavor in that case.
A Note on Caramelizing Onions
Two things to know about caramelizing onions is that it takes a long time and the onions shrink considerably. So start cooking those onions over low heat before you even preheat the oven. Also, for a 14″ pizza, plan on using at least one very large onion, if not more. Finally, don’t skip this step – caramelized onions bring an amazing flavor that can’t be replicated with shortcuts.
A Note on the Crust
This recipe relies on a homemade sourdough crust. Please note that the recipe does not include the time for the sourdough to proof. If you’ve never worked with sourdough before, you may prefer to substitute your own recipe or buy one pre-made. Even if you have worked with sourdough, you will find that owning a bench knife will be very helpful for this recipe. But just as important as the crust itself is the method you use to bake it. For brick-oven, artisan style pizza, you want to go as hot as you can and use a pizza stone. Preheat your oven to 550F with your pizza stone inside for ideally 60 minutes before baking. This allows ample time for the pizza stone to really heat up. Assemble the pizza on top of a parchment-lined cookie tray and then slide the pizza off the tray and onto the stone to bake for about 12 minutes. The result is a puffy crust with a crisp exterior and soft interior. If you don’t have a pizza stone, that’s OK, just use a cookie sheet for now and put one on your wish list!
Butternut Squash Pizza with Caramelized Onions & Rosemary Recipe
Ingredients
Sourdough Pizza Crust
1/4 cup active sourdough starter
1 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 teaspoons Salt
3 cups bread flour
Pizza Toppings
2 cups cooked buttercup squash mashed (other non-stringy varieties, such as butternut, will also work)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 large onion sliced into rings
2 sprigs fresh rosemary minced
1-2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1/2 pound bacon or ground sausage (choose your preferred flavor - or use unflavored sausage and add salt and Italian spices), cooked
Instructions
Making the dough
The morning you plan to bake, add all ingredients for the pizza dough into a large bowl and combine well using hands. Cover and let sit on the counter throughout the day, returning to fold the dough whenever you are able - ideally four times. To fold the dough, simply grab the dough, pull it up to stretch a bit, and then fold it over on itself. Rotate the bowl and do this about three times.
30 minutes to an hour before baking, scrape the dough onto the counter top, shape into a loose ball by folding it over on itself, and let rest for about 10 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
After the dough has rested, shape the dough into a boule: Dust the surface of the dough with flour and using a bench knife, flip the dough onto its floured surface. Pat it gently into a disk shape, and the gently pull each side out and then over onto itself - bottom, left, right, top. Flip the dough over again and use your hands to turn and shape the dough into a tight ball. Let rest 10 minutes.
Dust your dough ball with flour and pat into a disk, spreading with your hands to about 7" in diameter. For a bubbly crust, try not to disturb the outer edge of the dough. It might help to use your fingers to make an impression about 3/4" from the edge all the way around the disk to mark out the crust.
Dust the disk with flour and using a bench knife, scoop up the disk and flip it over onto your two fists. Work your fists around the outer edge of the dough to stretch into a large circle, depending on how thick you'd like your crust. This takes some practice! When complete, lay the dough onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Don't worry, no matter how sticky or deformed your dough is as this stage, it will not stick to the paper, and will turn out delicious.
Making the pizza
About an hour before baking, place your pizza stone in the oven and pre-heat to 550F. Then place your sliced onions in a non-stick skillet with some olive oil and cook over very low heat, turning once browned.
To top your pizza, spread a thin layer (about 1/8"-1/4") of squash over the dough. Then top with the grated parmesan, caramelized onions, cooked sausage (or bacon), sliced garlic and minced rosemary.
Keeping the pizza on the parchment paper, slide it off of the cookie sheet and into the oven on the pizza stone. If you do not have a pizza stone, place the entire cookie sheet with pizza in the oven. Bake at 550F for 12 minutes. After removing, lightly sprinkle with coarsely ground sea salt. Enjoy!