Why didn’t I think of this? During my  4+ years of blogging and testing/perfecting/sharing well over 500 recipes, it never occurred to me to put apple on a pizza. And I’m the pizza queen. (You can find 30 variations in the index.) Bacon makes a regular appearance. And slinky-sweet caramelized onions are one of my favorite toppings. But bacon + onion + apple + cheese. The best idea I never had.

On the topic of cheese… I couldn’t make up my mind. Cheddar or gouda? Apples and cheddar just go together. But smoked gouda is always good. So I split the pizza in half, hoping to try them both and then decide. (You can tell- the left half was shredded gouda* that didn’t melt as well as the cheddar on the right.) But both halves were so delicious that I am refusing to pick a side. I’ll leave that up to you. Although, the best pieces were the ones where the cheddar and gouda collided. So why not use them together?

*I used Trader Joe’s smoked gouda that is tasty and inexpensive, but doesn’t melt exceptionally well. If you can afford to spend a little more, Whole Foods sells an applewood smoked gouda that is incredible and much creamier.

Apple, Bacon, and Onion Pizza

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe pizza dough
1 red onion, thinly sliced
drizzle olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and roughly chopped
1 large or 2 small honeycrisp apples, cored and thinly sliced
fresh sage, chiffonade
2 cups sharp white cheddar or smoked gouda (or a combination of the two)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare dough according to recipe directions.

2. While dough is rising, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F.

4. Top prepared crust with caramelized onions, bacon, apple slices, sage, and cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven on pizza stone for about 10 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Slice and serve.

Makes 1 large pizza.

(Adapted from How Sweet it Is)