Apple & Goat Cheese 'Za

This pizza is a close cousin to the Apple & Cheddar 'Za I posted about last month. Remember that? Actually, I just checked, and it was EXACTLY one month ago... Weird pizza coincidence.

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APPLE AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

Here's the pizza dough recipe my family always uses. I'm not sure where it came from originally but we've used it for a long time. Many, many pizzas.

INGREDIENTS:

1 envelope active dry yeast or two teaspoons

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

at least 1/4 cup olive oil

PREPARATION:

Put warm water in large mixing bowl; sprinkle yeast over water and stir in sugar. Let yeast stand for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to bubble.

Sift flour and salt into the large bowl and start mixing until a stiff dough is formed. As it starts to mix, pour in the olive oil. If you're using a stand mixer, just keep it going until the dough pretty much forms a ball and the bowl is clean.

If not, turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Add extra flour as necessary to keep from sticking to hands and board.

Place in a large bowl greased with olive oil; turn dough over to coat the other side. Cover with towel; let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, for about 1 hour. Dough will be double in bulk. 

Do you want to make one big pizza or two smaller ones? Punch dough down and divide in half if you want two. Grease one or two 14-inch pizza pans and grease hands lightly. (I use my silicone baking mat, which I do not grease.) Place half the dough in each pan and stretch to fit bottom and up sides of pan. Keep dough slightly thick around the edges. Fill with favorite filling and toppings and bake according to pizza recipe directions, or about 15 to 20 minutes at 450°. 

TOPPINGS:

About 2 tbsp olive oil
About 2 tbsp mustard, preferably grainy
About 1 tbsp honey
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed and minced
2 medium onions
1 apple, sliced
4 tbsp goat cheese
Dried oregano and basil

This time I spread out the dough, poured some olive oil, mustard and honey on there along with some crushed, minced garlic and spread it all around with my fingers. Good base for a white pizza!!! Then I just laid out the onions, apples and then the goat cheese. I topped it off with some dried oregano and basil. It baked for 25 minutes at 450.