Apple Dessert Pizza

I love sweet pizzas. We went to CiCi's the other night and I ate a slice of their apple crumb pizza and thought to myself, "I can make this at home. Better." Saturday afternoons are usually lazy afternoons and I find myself gravitating to the kitchen to bake. My aspiration today was to create an Apple Dessert Pizza that could stand up to CiCi's or Pizza Hut's any day. I think I succeeded.

Apple Dessert Pizza
Donald's & Sarah's rating:
★★★★★

Homemade Pizza Crust:

1. Dissolve 2 TBSP of sugar and 1 TBSP yeast in 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water. Add 4 TBSP of softened butter.
2. In your kitchen aid mixer (or by hand if you desire), add 3 cups of bread flour and 1/2 tsp of salt. Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients and kneed them using the dough hook for five minutes. The dough will be really soft, even sticky, and that's ok!
3. Let rest for 10 minutes. Place the dough onto pizza stone (or baking sheet) and press into circular shape. Prick the dough liberally.
4. Cook the dough in your oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
   

While your dough is cooking, prepare the pizza toppings.

Apples:

1. Open one can of Lucky Leaf apple pie filling and chop apples finely.

Streusel Crumb Topping:

1. Mix together 4 TBSP of softened butter, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, 2/3 cup of bread flour. Mixing with a fork, or even your fingers, works best.
   

Sugar Glaze:

1. Mix 1 TBSP of milk, 1 tsp of butter, and 2 cups of confectioner's sugar together over low heat. Keep the heat low and stir often. You may add a little more milk if needed.
   

Assemble the pizza:

1. Remove pizza crust from the oven.
2. Spread the apple pie filling evenly over the crust.
3. Cover the apple pie filling with a thin layer of cinnamon.
4. Sprinkle the Streusel Crumb topping over the layer of cinnamon.
5. Return to the oven at 350 degrees and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Finish the pizza:

1. Remove the pizza from the oven after 10-15 minutes and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Drizzle the sugar glaze over the entire pizza and let stand for an additional 5 minutes.

I hope you enjoy the pizza! The homemade pizza crust can also be used to make homemade bread or breadsticks. Just switch the sweet ingredients for some Italian herbs and brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes.