Pear, Blue Cheese & Cranberry Pizza

Some things just go together: fish and chips, peanut butter and jelly and pear, blue cheese and cranberry. Perfect for a picnic in the park or a long lunch with friends, you can’t go past this delicious flavour combo.

Method

1. For the dough: Place the yeast in a small bowl and add 175 ml of the warm water. Stir briefly and set aside for 5 minutes, stirring in 1 tbsp of the sugar after 2 minutes.

2. Combine the remaining sugar with the flour and salt in a separate mixing bowl and stir well.

3. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Start to mix and then gradually add the remaining warm water to the bowl, mixing until a rough dough comes together.

4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until almost smooth.

5. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with an oiled piece of clingfilm, and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

6. After rising, preheat the oven to 230°C (210° fan) | 450F | gas 8. Turn out the dough and punch it down.

7. Divide into four and roll out on a lightly floured surface into approximate 15 cm | 6" wide rounds.

8. Arrange between two floured, rimless baking trays and cover loosely with more oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

9. After rising, preheat a barbecue to a moderately hot temperature.

10. For the toppings: Spread the tops of the dough with the crème fraîche. Top with the pears, red onion, cranberries, and blue cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper.

11. Once the barbecue is preheated, brush the grates with some olive oil.

12. Carefully slide the dough onto the barbecue. Cover with a lid and let cook for 2 minutes until the bases are starting to brown.

13. Remove the lid and check the undersides of the dough; they should be starting to brown. If not, cover again and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

14. Once browned, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes further until the blue cheese is starting to melt and the cranberries are starting to burst.

15. Carefully remove the pizzas from the barbecue and let stand briefly before serving.

---

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 300 ml warm water, at ~43° C | 110F
• 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• 450 g | 3 1/4 cups strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling

• 4 tbsp crème fraîche
• 3 large Williams pears, cored and cut into wedges
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 125 g | 3/4 cup cranberries
• 175 g | 1 cup blue cheese, e. g. Stilton or Roquefort, cubed
• freshly ground black pepper

5 Pizza Topping Ideas for Every Occasion