Fruit Pizza (Austria)

World-Bites (50) / Fruit Pizza

Lunch is traditionally the main meal of the day in Austria and most people have only smaller meals for dinner (light meals, sandwiches, essentially things you would have for lunch in the Anglo-American sphere). Snacks and fast food are common (like in all countries) and often regionally distinct. The most popular snack, especially as lunch snack for school children, is Fruit Pizza.

Ingtrdients

Topping:
1 cup (250 g) cream cheese
1 Tbsp (15 ml) honey
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
1 banana
3 kiwis
Cluster of red grapes or in-season fruit
2 Tbsp (30 ml) apricot or peach jam
1 Tbsp (15 ml) water

Pizza dough:
2/3 cup (165 ml) butter
1 cup (250 ml) honey
1 free-range egg
1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) pure almond extract
1 1/2 cup (375 ml) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
Butter, to grease pan

To make the pizza crust: Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a pizza stone (or flat bottom of a springform pan) with butter, using wax paper to spread the butter.

Using a hand mixer, mix cream butter and honey in a mixing bowl. Add egg and beat until smooth. Mix in the almond extract. In a separate bowl, mix flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter-honey mixture, then knead with hands to a smooth dough. Spread pizza dough onto greased pizza pan and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.

To make the topping: Place cream cheese, honey and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, cream them to a smooth spread. Cover pizza crust with the spread. Peel and slice the banana and kiwis. Decorate the pizza crust with the banana, kiwi and grapes (or other seasonal fruit). In a small pot, heat apricot or peach jam with water until jam dissolves, stirring with a wooden spoon. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush this mixture over fruit. This prevents the fruit from becoming brown and unappetizing.