Fall Harvest Pizza with PumpkinHead Dough, 16”

Ingredients:

• 1 large Pumpkinhead pizza dough

• 1 ½ C butternut squash, peeled, seeded, medium dice

• 4 oz slab/5-6 slices thick sliced  North Country Smokehouse bacon

• 1 C Ricotta cheese

• ¼ C dried cranberries

• Small handful baby kale

• 6-7 leaves fresh sage, chiffonade

• ¼ small red onion, sliced thin

• Pinch Salt, sea salt or kosher

• Pinch Pepper or fresh grind

• 1/3 C sharp cheddar or blue cheese, diced or shredded

• 1 T Maple syrup

• Pinch Cinnamon

• Pinch Cumin

• Olive oil

• Flour

• Corn meal           

• Grated pecorino Romano
  **16” + diameter pizza stone

Instructions (To Do Ahead Of Time):

1. About an hour to 90 minutes before baking place pizza dough on counter in a warm place so it can warm and begin to rise

2. Place pizza stone in oven, if you have one, and Pre heat oven to 475º

3. Cut bacon into small chunks and par cook, about 6 minutes. Cook about 2/3 thru, drain and set aside

4. Toss squash with dash of olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, cumin and a pinch of salt & pepper.   Spread on a lined baking sheet and cook about 6 minutes until it just starts to become tender.  Set aside for pizza assembly

5. Placed dried cranberries in a small bowl and just cover with hot water to soften

To Assemble and Cook Pizza:

1. Sprinkle a tablespoon of corn meal on a pizza peel or pizza pan

2. Pat hands with a small amount of flour and gently remove soft dough from the bag.  Be careful to not deflate the dough. Do not fold it back onto itself.  If the dough is sticky dust it lightly with a small amount of flour and then begin to stretch the dough either in hand or on a flour-dusted counter or board. Avoid handling the edge of the dough to maintain a nice edge crust. When dough is fully stretched turn it out onto the cornmeal dusted peel or pan

3. Top pizza with a spread of ricotta, butternut squash, cranberries, bacon, kale, red onion, sage, salt & pepper and finally with cheddar and a drizzle of olive oil, (or the bacon fat)

4. If you have a baking stone in the oven, shake peel to loosen the pizza and slide it onto the preheated stone in the oven
   * If you are not using a pizza stone place the pizza pan into the oven

5. After 2-3 minutes – or when the pizza is cooked enough to slide without tearing – spin the pizza on the stone.  Without a stone – slide pizza off the pan, directly onto the oven rack

6. Cook pizza until fully cooked, 7-11 minutes depending on your oven, thickness of dough, and amount of toppings

7. Remove pizza with peel or spatula, brush crust with olive oil, dust with grated Romano, cut and serve… and Enjoy!