Deep Dish Fruit Pizza

 Deep Dish Fruit Pizza

Recipe from PioneerWoman

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 cup Shortening (may Substitute Butter)
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 whole Eggs
• 8 teaspoons Whole Milk
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 jars (13 Ounces Each) Marshmallow Creme
• 2 packages (8 Ounces Each) Cream Cheese
• Peaches
• Kiwi Fruit
• Blueberries
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Other Fruit Optional

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, cream shortening (or butter), sugar, orange peel and vanilla thoroughly. Add in eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and mix.

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt), then blend this into the cream mixture. Slightly flatten between two sheets of waxed paper, then refrigerate for one hour (or freeze for 20 minutes).

Press dough into a sheet cake pan OR divide the dough in half and roll each half into a large round, then transfer to pizza pans.

For the crust: Blend sugar, shortening, and vanilla well. Add egg and beat until smooth.  Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk until dough is formed.  Chill dough for 1 hour.  Spray an 13-14 inch pizza pan with cooking spray.  Press dough into pizza pan.  Use a round glass to help even and flatten out the dough.  Bake at 350 degress for 10-12 minutes or until the edges get light golden in color.  Allow crust to cool.

Also need assorted fruits to top the pizza.  Be creative – strawberries, grapes, kiwi, mandarin oranges, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, bananas, peaches, apples, blueberries

For the glaze: Prepare this while the crust cools.  Mix ingredients in a sauce pan and cook for about 4 minutes, just until it begins to thicken.  Allow to cool.

For the topping: In a large bowl, blend ingredients with a mixer until nice and smooth.

To assemble the pizza: Spread the topping onto the cooled crust, leaving 1/2-1 inch of the edge of the crust uncovered.  Arrange fruit over pizza in desired pattern.  This is the fun part.  If using the glaze: take a pastry brush and gently brush glaze over fruit.  This helps to preserve the fruit. Make sure none of it gets on the exposed crust or it will make the crust soggy.  Depending on the fruit you use, you can do this the night before.  I do know the bananas and apples don’t work to make it the night before.

Enjoy!!