Apricot, Red Pepper and Prosciutto Pizza

Recently, Broders Pasta Bar here in Minneapolis has had a peach, red pepper & goat cheese pizza as a special on their menu. We keep meaning to order it (yes, we eat at Broders much too often) but always seem to end up being drawn to something else. Matt suggested we just go ahead & make our own version at home.

That inspiration was really just a starting point because in the end the only same ingredient on our pizza was the roasted red peppers. We decided to use apricots instead of peaches because we had bought a bunch of local ones over the weekend. They were the star of the this pizza thanks to the sweet, slightly tart flavor they got when cooked. Add that to the smokiness of the roasted pepper, the saltiness of the prosciutto, the bite of the red onion & the creaminess of the fresh mozzarella & you've got one heck of a flavorful pizza. The ingredients also create a beautiful palette of colors & we eat first with our eyes, right?

Apricot, Red Pepper & Prosciutto Pizza

Crust

3/4 t yeast
1/2 c warm water
1 T olive oil + extra for oiling the bowl
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 - 3/4 c all-purpose flour

Put the yeast in a medium bowl. Add the water & olive oil & stir. Stir in the salt & 1/2 cup of the flour. Knead in a little of the remaining flour at a time until you have a smooth, elastic dough, 5 - 10 minutes. Put a little oil in a bowl & roll the dough in it to just coat. Cover with a dish towel & let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Assembling the Pizza

4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 apricots, pitted & sliced (you could also try peaches or nectarines)
1/2 of a roasted red pepper, sliced
1/4 c thinly sliced red onion
2 slices prosciutto, cut into strips

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Grease a baking sheet. Use your hands to spread the rising dough out on the pan. We get a pizza that is about 18" x 12". Place the mozzarella around the top of the crust. Top the cheese with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for about 13 minutes until the crust is golden brown on the bottom. I then put the pizza under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese a little more but that is completely optional.

Makes 1 pizza, 2 servings for us.

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