Bacon Blue Cheese Pizza with Onion and Green Apple
We all know pizza is hands down my favorite food and I probably eat more pizza than anything else! The fun part about making homemade pizza is creating unique pizza combinations and you know I believe almost everything has the potential to become a pizza. For this new pizza combination I combined sweet and savory flavors that keep you coming back for more. When most people think of apples pizza is usually not the first dish that comes to mind, but I am telling you, apples and blue cheese bring big flavor to a pizza. So if you like being adventurous with your pizza toppings, you have to try this pizza! This unique pairing combines tart green apples, funky blue cheese, salty bacon, and spicy red onion. Trust me, you are going to love it! Full recipe card below.
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Bacon Blue Cheese Pizza with Onion and Green Apple
I know what you are thinking, “who puts apples on pizza?”, well me! I know the normal combo with crumbled blue cheese is sliced pears, but I personally think green apples are even better! They have more tartness that offset the strong flavor of the blue cheese. Paired with the salt from the bacon and the spice of the red onion, this pizza is full of great flavor! It is truly the best of sweet and savory all rolled into a fancy pizza combo you have to try.
What is Fancy Pizza?
Fancy pizza is one of my favorite things to create but is often misunderstood. Rather than actually being fancy it is simply non-traditional pizza combinations that usually include ingredients outside of the typical pepperoni, Italian sausage, and red sauce. But if you think about it, most dishes contain some element of bread or carbs, so why would it be weird to deconstruct it and add them to the top of a pizza? Food for thought, huh?
Ingredients
Most pizza recipes have a few basic ingredients that are consistent across the board but this unique combo takes pizza making to a whole new level! I will break down what I used and why and give you a few alternatives. Also, I am a pizza enthusiast and take pizza making pretty seriously, but with wine of course! So if you don’t want to do it the same way I do, that’s ok!
Pizza Dough – I almost always make homemade pizza dough. Ever since we got a pizza oven a few years ago, I have been a sucker for homemade pizza crusts. Simply put, it just tastes better. If you have never made pizza dough before, it can be a little nerve racking at first, but I promise it is very easy! There are only a few extra steps and most recipes only require all purpose flour, yeast, warm water, salt, and sugar.
If you decide to go the homemade route, this is my favorite poolish pizza dough recipe recipe but does take about 24 hours to make. If you don’t have that much time, this is the best pizza dough for beginners and has a short rise time. But if you need a quick fix, this is one of my favorite ways to make a fast blue cheese flatbread with a cookie sheet.
Pizza Sauce – Because this is a unique pizza combo, I didn’t think a red sauce was appropriate. For this specialty pie, I used BBQ sauce as my pizza base. Any brand will work here but I think a sweet and smoky flavor is best.
Green Apples – One of the main components in this pizza is the tart green apples. These offset the funky strong flavor of the blue cheese. If you need to substitute these, I would use sweet apples like a pink lady or honey crisp apples. Plain red apples like red delicious are too mild and won’t have enough flavor. You could also use ripe pears for a similar taste. But for best results, stick to the crisp granny smith apples.
Blue Cheese – The other main component in this pizza is the blue cheese. This is the good stuff! A potent, creamy, and tangy cheese, this can add a ton of flavor to a dish and pizza is no exception. This pungent cheese plays off the acidity of the apples in the best way. If you are not a fan of blue cheese, the closest alternative is gorgonzola cheese. And if that is still too much, I would use goat cheese or feta cheese. Both have a stronger flavor profile and a tangy taste.
Red Onion – I chose to use a red onion here since it is raw and doesn’t get cooked. Red onions are the best onion to use in raw applications and have a slightly spicy flavor to them. You can also use caramelized onions if you prefer which can be done with a white, yellow, or red onion. While I love green onions, they are not the best choice for this dish.
Bacon – Who doesn’t love some crispy bacon! My favorite store bought bacon is the maple flavor. It adds a level of sweetness to the saltiness and it makes the whole house smell like pancakes! But feel free to use whatever brand or flavor you want. You can also use turkey bacon.
Cheese – You can use what ever type of cheese you would like here, but I recommend mozzarella to let the flavors of the blue cheese and apples shine through. Mozzarella is a good melting cheese with a mild flavor that won’t overpower the other ingredients.
If making your pizza in a high heat pizza oven, I recommend shredding your own cheese. When cooking at high heat shredding real cheese is better because the melting point of bagged cheese is different since they coat it in cornstarch during packaging. If you have a stand mixer you can use this cheese grater attachment to shred your cheese in seconds!
Dipping – Next to eating the pizza itself, dipping the crispy crust is my favorite! If you haven’t tried it yet, try dipping your pizza crust in Mike’s Hot Honey! It is spicy but oh SO good! Dipping pizza crust in honey is a Colorado thing but I promise it’s not as weird as it sounds. And if honey isn’t for you, creamy ranch dressing or garlic butter are great dippers too!
Pizza Equipment – Being a pizza aficionado, I own a lot of tools and gadgets for pizza making. You definitely don’t need anything more than a pizza stone, pizza pan, or sheet pan to make this pizza, but if you have a pizza oven, you will probably want a pizza peel too. These work well to slide pizza into the oven.
Baking Methods
There are multiple options for cooking pizza. I have made this pizza combo both in my pizza oven as well as in my regular oven in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. For skillet pizza I use this dough recipe and for pizza oven pizza I use this dough recipe. Because pizza ovens cook at higher temperatures, I do not recommend using my skillet dough or store bought dough in a pizza oven but you can make either dough in your regular oven on a baking sheet, pizza pan, or pizza stone.
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Bacon Blue Cheese Pizza with Onion and Green Apple
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 Pizza 1x
Description
Make pizza night your favorite night of the week with this fancy pizza combo full of big flavor! This unique pizza combines sweet, salty, and savory flavors with tart green apples, funky blue cheese, salty bacon, and sweet BBQ sauce taking homemade pizza to a whole new level. Apple blue cheese pizza is the ultimate combination of a classic favorite reimagined. If you like being adventurous with pizza toppings, you have to try this bold pizza combo! You will think you are dining at your favorite pizza joint!
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough (homemade or pre-made dough)
- 1/4 cup BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 Granny Smith Apple sliced
- 1/4 Red Onion sliced
- 2 Pieces Cooked Bacon chopped
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 tbsp Blue Cheese Crumbles
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Cook bacon.
- Pre-heat oven according to pizza dough instructions.
- Slice apples and onion and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, stretch out pizza dough into a circular shape.
- Spoon the BBQ sauce onto the top of the dough and use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly across the whole thing leaving about an inch of dough exposed along the edges.
- Add onion slices, bacon, and mozzarella to the top of the pizza.
- Add apple slices to the top and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.
- Bake pizza in the preheated oven according to pizza dough instructions or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
- Top with cilantro.
Notes
This is enough to make one 10 inch pizza. Cooking time will vary based on what type of pizza dough you use and what type of oven you bake it in.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Pizza Oven
- Cuisine: American
Storage
In the event you have leftover pizza, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you make one of my homemade doughs, use or freeze uncooked dough within 3 days.
When to Make Bacon Blue Cheese Pizza
This is a great recipe for any time of year! It can make delicious pizza for warmer months or hit the spot on a chilly night in. Heck, in my house there are 52 pizza nights a year and I make it several times a year. This delicious pizza makes a fun Friday night dinner the whole family can partake in. Did someone say pizza party? No matter when you make it, it will become a family favorite in your recipe box!
Love blue cheese? Try my fresh spinach blue cheese green apple salad. Looking for more fancy pizza recipes? Try my lemon ricotta pizza, buffalo chicken pizza, garlic white goat cheese pizza, veggie pizza, or my red pizza sauce with tomato paste or garlic white pizza sauce.
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