The inspiration for this baked peach pizza was an Elizabeth David recipe for a fruit galette with a yeasted base. The fruit is baked with the base, so it’s very different from the fruit pizzas where fresh fruit is arranged on a pre-cooked base.
Any stone-fruit will work, but sweet peaches or nectarines are particularly lovely and fragrant. European stone-fruit season begins in May, but you could also use frozen fruit if you preferred (just skip the stewing part).
This recipe uses a Barese-style crust which includes potato and is softer than other pizza crusts. As long as the fruit is sweet, you only need to add a little maple syrup, and there’s no added fat, which makes this a healthier alternative to a Danish pastry for breakfast or morning coffee.
You will need a large baking dish for this recipe – ideally a round, shallow, 30cm/12″ lidded casserole – but an open flan dish or pizza pan will do.
Baked Peach pizza…
Ingredients
- 120 g potato (peeled weight)
- 2 large peaches or nectarines
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 240 g white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1/2 tsp instant baker’s yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method
- Sprinkle the yeast into a medium sized bowl then add 120 ml water, two tablespoons of maple syrup and the flour. Stir with a metal spoon until the mixture has come together into a ragged dough. Cover and set aside for at least half an hour while you prepare the potato and fruit.
- Peel, cook and drain the potato, then add the salt and mash thoroughly.
- Cut the peaches to remove the stones, then slice each half into four or five wedges. Places these in a pan with two tablespoons of maple syrup and stew lightly for 4 or 5 minutes until the peaches are softening but not starting to lose their shape. Set aside.
- Remove the dough to a floured board and knead for a few minutes until it is starting to feel smooth and elastic.
- Add more flour to the board, and roll the dough or press with your hands until it is less than an inch thick. Spread the mashed potato (which can be warm but not hot) around the centre of the dough, fold, flatten, and fold the dough again, then knead until the potato is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth. This will take several minutes. Add as much flour as you need to stop it sticking to the board.
- Lightly oil a large round dish (30cm/12″ is ideal). Roll the dough to roughly the right size with a floured rolling pin and press it into the dish.
- Arrange the fruit slices on top, pressing them lightly into the dough. Reserve the syrup for glazing.
- Place the lid on the dish, or cover with foil or clingfilm, and leave it in a warm place for three hours. (On a warm summer’s day, two hours may be enough.) The dough will puff up around the fruit.
- If you have more than a couple of tablespoons of syrup left from the fruit, reduce this by simmering gently in the pan.
- Set the oven to 200°C/400°F and once it is up to temperature, transfer the dish to the oven. Keep the lid on, or cover the pizza with foil. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the type of dish you are using, but after 20-25 minutes remove the dish from the oven and remove the lid/foil.
- Lightly brush the syrup over the whole surface, then return the pizza to the oven for up to ten minutes until it is a rich golden brown (see pictures).
- The baked peach pizza can be eaten warm or left to cool, and is still good the following day.
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