We know you aren’t one of those people who think that pizza is red sauce and mozz. Instead, you, being a scratcher, are one of those people who look in the refrigerator, see a few dried apricots, and think, “those would be good on pizza.” And, if you didn’t think about it before, you’re now thinking, “apricots, on pizza, why not?” We can’t really take full credit for this pizza, because it was inspired by a pizza they served up down at Falora here in Tucson (we happen to think it’s one of the best places in town for pizza). But, just inspired.
The pizza we’re referring to is the Figaro, topped with Brie, figs, Brussels sprouts, walnuts, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar; it has only the walnuts and Brie in common with ours. But, we did think it up soon after eating the Figaro.
Apricot, Walnut, and Brie Pizza with Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 pound easy wheat bread dough (see note)
- 1/2 cup pistachio pesto
- 1/4 cup about 6 to 8 dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 4-5 ounces Brie diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Place baking stone into oven to preheat.
- On a piece of baking parchment, roll dough into a 16-inch circle. Spread pesto on top in an even layer. Sprinkle on apricot pieces, followed by Brie, then the walnut pieces.
- Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until crust is browned and cheese bubbly.
Notes
Ingredient discussion:
Since we make bread about once a week, we have no trouble having pizza just about any time we want. If you don’t make bread too often, you can buy one of those bags of dough for pizza from the market and start there. Feel free to use any type of pesto; we’ll be writing up the pistachio version tomorrow. Naturally, if you’ve made pesto, you already know the details.
Procedure in detail:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a baking stone on the second from the top rack. We find that the uppermost rack is too hot, so we go with the second one, and that works for us. You should experiment with the placement of the pizza in your oven; it makes a difference.
Roll out dough. We always use a piece of parchment to make it easier to transfer pizza to and from the oven. It makes for an easy clean up. So, tear off a piece of parchment, place the dough in the middle, and roll into a 16-inch circle. You might need to let the dough rest for a few minutes in the middle of rolling; this will let the dough relax and make it easier to roll.
Top. Spread the pesto over the dough in a nice, even layer. This will be the “sauce”, even though it isn’t very saucy. Follow up with those bits of dried apricots; remember, you don’t need too much or your pizza will be sweet. After that, add the cubes of Brie. Brie doesn’t grate well, so we made cubes a little smaller than 1/2-inch on a side. Finally, top with a few walnuts and you’re good to go.
Bake. Slide the pizza, including parchment, onto the baking stone and bake for 14 to 17 minutes, or until the crust browns near the edges and the cheese melts and bubbles.
Stand. We try to let our pizza stand for about 5 minutes — we don’t always succeed, mind you — before slicing. This helps prevent those pizza burns on the roof of your mouth. Do the best you can before serving, or suffer the consequences.
Great combination! The apricots add a touch of sweetness and compliment the walnuts nicely. The Brie melts so well it seems like a perfect match for pizza. But, then, how can you go wrong with hot, fresh, homemade pizza? Five stars.
