Pumpkin Pizza Base

Butternut Pumpkin Pizza Dough

Potato and Leek

Garlic Sauce

I had a half a butternut pumpkin I needed to use...  at first I thought I'd whip up some pumpkin scones,  but then I thought "I wonder how this would go in a pizza dough?!?!"  I asked my friends at the Thermomix forum and it seemed it was possible...  and the result was just lovely.  I used the basic pizza dough recipe and added the pureed pumpkin, then added flour to bring it back to the right consistency. Depending on how much pumpkin you have and how wet the puree is,  have a bit of a play.


Ingredients:

• 1/2 Butternut Pumpkin*, (about 400g) peeled and diced
• 100g water
• 280g water
• 7g dry yeast (1 sachet)
• 20g oil
• 2 tsp salt (cooking or salt)
• 500g Bakers Flour
• Up to 200g Bakers Flour extra

Method:

• Put pumpkin and 100g water into TMX and cook at 100degC, 20 minutes, Speed 1-2)
• When finished, puree by slowly turning dial up to Speed 6 for about 8-10 Seconds
• Scrape puree out of TMX bowl and set aside to allow to cool
• Don't wash out bowl
• Place 280g water, yeast and oil into TMX bowl.
• Mix 5 seconds on speed 3
• Add flour, pumpkin puree and salt
• Mix 6 seconds on speed 8 to combine
• Set dial to 'closed lid' and knead dough for 2 minutes on Interval speed
• If still too sticky to handle,  add about 100-150g plain flour and knead for another 30seconds or so until well combined.

• Transfer dough to floured bowl and let dough to rise to double its size 
(about 30 minutes)
• Break dough into 4 pieces, gently roll into balls and let rise again for 15 minutes.
• Form your pizzas  and add you favourite (Failsafe) topping.
• Bake in hot oven (200-220ºC) until cooked (Time depends on toppings used)

Verdict:
Today we used Potato and Leek and Garlic Sauce.  I was so surprised to find these just rose so much in the oven.  They became quite thick pizzas!  I've no idea what that was about,  perhaps the pumpkin 'fed' the yeast a bit more than usual.  That meant a little extra cooking time to make sure it wasn't doughy in the centre.  The kids all loved the pumpkin pizza base.  I didn't bother with a whole lot of vegies tonight as it was just the kids and me and I knew they'd only shove it off.  I consoled myself that it as at least the much healthier version of the regular pizza we have had in the Pre-Failsafe days.

Tweeks:
I have to wonder if I'll get a thick pizza again... I'll let you know.  Any topping would suit this as it is not a powerful flavour that needs to be matched carefully.
* Moderate Salicylates