Cheddar-Bruschetta “Irish” Pizza for St. Patrick’s Day

My husband has very strict definitions of what counts as pizza. He questions the notion of a “dessert pizza” because, to him, pizza must have tomatoes and cheese. In fact, such an intense debate once arose among our group of friends about whether a “dessert pizza” counted as pizza that we walked to a corner store and asked the proprietor, who was known for having very strong opinions, to settle the matter for us. He grilled us with questions to pinpoint the exact nature of a dessert pizza.

“Does it have a crust?”

“Yes! Cookie dough!”

“Does it have sauce?”

“Yes! It could have some kind of fudge or chocolate sauce.”

“Then… it is a pizza!”

Such debates would probably not arise about the “Irish pizza” I made recently. After all, it has a crust, tomatoes and cheese. They’re just a little different from usual.

The first topping is not sauce but a layer of cheddar cheese. You throw the cheddar-topped dough in the oven until it is golden brown. Then you pull it out and add a generous topping of bruschetta, top it with Parmesan or more cheddar, and your pizza is served! It’s a fun pizza to serve guests around St. Patrick’s Day, since cheddar is a staple of the UK, and traditional cheesemaking is on the rise again in Ireland… hooray!

And, since our friend the corner store proprietor says that crust is essential for pizza, I recommend making your own using King Arthur Flour’s recipe. I’ve tried many recipes in the past, and this one is easy, delicious, and yields a cooperative dough.