Happy Monday!  This week is a super busy week for me!  We have Parks' follow up doctors appointments for his kidney (please say prayers that everything is healing just the way it should) and I have so much to do before leaving to go to Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Book Festival to do my first ever cooking demo and book signing!!  I am excited and nervous...and more excited. In addition to this week being super busy, the weather has shifted and it no longer feels like fall...whomp whomp.  Don't worry though, to keep myself in the fall spirit, I am cooking with all the fall flavors I possibly can!  My apple, bacon, and pumpkin pan pizza with caramelized onions is seriously so delicious and screams fall in the best way!

A good pizza is always about the crust if you ask me, and one of my favorite crusts happens to be a pan pizza crust!  It reminds me of when I was little and would get a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  You know what I am talking about!  Well let me tell you it is just as delicious when you make it at home also!

This pizza has a pumpkin sauce that gets smeared all over the crust, topped with gooey cheese, smokey bacon, caramelized onions, and sweet apples to create a dynamite combination on top of a perfectly crisp crust!  You will never look at pizza the same again!

Ingredients:

For the Crust-

• 1 Packet Dry Active Yeast
• 1 Cup of Warm Water
• 2 Tsp. Honey
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt

**Alternatively you could use pre-made dough from the store!

For the Toppings-

• 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Clove Minced Garlic
• 1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Tbsp. Milk or Cream
• 2 Tsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 2 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp. Red Chili Flakes
• 1 Onion, Sliced Thin
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 6 Slices of Bacon, Diced
• 1 Apple, Cored and Sliced Thin
• 2 Cups of Gouda or Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Tsp. of Cornmeal for Dusting

Directions:

• For the crust, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp of honey in a stand mixer.
• Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast is bubbly.
• Slowly add half of both flours along with the olive oil, remaining honey, and salt into the yeast mixture using the dough hook attachment.
• Add in the rest of the flour at this time.  Turn the mixer to a medium speed and let dough come together for 5 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until a smooth ball forms.  
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover for 30 minutes in a warm location to rise.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large skillet add the 1 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 tbsp. of butter and heat over medium heat.  Add sliced onions and 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp. of black pepper and sauté, stirring ever so often for about 15-20 minutes until onions are caramelized and golden in color.  Set aside.
• While the onions caramelize, add pumpkin, garlic clove, chicken broth, thyme leaves, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook for about 5 minutes and then turn off heat and whisk in milk.  Set aside.
• In a large skillet cook bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
• When the dough has risen, oil a 12" cast iron skillet lightly and then dust with cornmeal.
• Roll out dough slightly on a floured surface and place in the skillet while pressing out with your fingers until the bottom of the skillet is covered with dough.
• Spread the pumpkin sauce over the dough and sprinkle with red chili flakes.
• Top with cheese, and layer the caramelized onions, bacon and sliced apples.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until crust is golden.
• Serve immediately.

I hope you love this pizza as much as I do!  It's so delicious!  And if you are in Baton Rouge, come see me this Saturday, October 29th at 12:15 so we can hang out at the Louisiana Book Festival!