Roasted Pumpkin, Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza with homemade tomato sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Dough base

1. 1
   Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
3. 3
   Cover and Let rise 1½ hours in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 4
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 5
   In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt.

   Bowl
3. 6
   Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
4. 7
   Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 20 minutes, until the edges brown.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

For the Wine Sauce

1. 8
   In a small pot, boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar and reduce over low heat about ten minutes, until about a third remains. The balsamic keeps thickening as it cools.

   StoveSmall saucepan

To assemble

1. 9
   Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F), with an inverted baking sheet inside.

   Oven

   💡A home oven doesn't reach the heat of a professional pizza oven, but you can get close: preheat the oven to its maximum temperature (250°C+) with a pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet inside for at least 45 minutes before baking.
2. 10
   Roll out the dough (or stretch it by hand) into a thin round on a floured surface and transfer to parchment paper.

   Rolling pinParchment paper

   💡Pizza dough that doesn't shrink: when the dough shrinks back as you roll it, let it rest covered for 5 minutes. The gluten needs to 'relax'. After that it will roll out easily.

   💡For crisp homemade pizza dough: after rising, don't roll it out with a rolling pin but stretch it gently by hand. Stretching by hand keeps the air bubbles formed during rising and creates an authentic bubbly crust.

   💡Let the pizza dough rise for 24 hours in the fridge (a long cold rise) — the dough develops a deeper flavor and an airy texture with big bubbles.

   💡3 cups of flour (about 400 g) make 2–3 thin pizzas: divide the dough into balls before rolling, rather than stretching it all into one thick pizza.

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
3. 11
   In a bowl, mix the tomatoes with the salt. Don't cook it: the sauce cooks on the pizza in the oven.

   StoveSmall saucepan

   💡Spread cooled sauce on pizza: hot sauce softens the dough even before baking.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 12
   Spread the tomato sauce in a thin layer.
5. 13
   Scatter the mozzarella, goat cheese and onion over the top.
6. 14
   Scatter the squash cubes over the top.
7. 15
   Slide the pizza on its paper onto the hot baking sheet and bake 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cheese bubbles.

   OvenBaking sheetParchment paper
8. 16
   Scatter the arugula over the hot pizza, drizzle some of the balsamic over the top and slice.