Roasted squash and maple glazed bacon balance salty cheeses, peppery arugula, ricotta, and garlic oil on a crisp homemade crust.
Butternut Squash and Maple Bacon Pizza
Julie Kinnaird · Oct. 24, 2026, 1:45 p.m. EST
This pizza’s appeal is in the balance: sweet roasted squash and maple glazed bacon meet salty cheese, peppery arugula, and a crisp crust. Kinnaird says the idea came from her travels in Italy, where seasonal combinations made pizza feel less predictable. Garlic infused oil flavors the crust; after baking, ricotta and crisp garlic chips add coolness and crunch alongside the arugula. Mozzarella and fontina bring the familiar stretch of melted cheese.
Homemade dough takes some work, but the payoff is a crust you can build around whatever toppings you like. Kinnaird prefers mixing and kneading by hand, though a mixer can do the job. Shaping may take practice: use a rolling pin or stretch the dough by hand. Once you’re comfortable with it, pizza makes an easy project to share.
What you’ll need
The recipe calls for 00 flour, whose fine grind and relatively high protein content help develop gluten. It’s more widely available in the U.S. than it used to be; bread flour can stand in, though the crust will be chewier and less crisp. The dough also uses rapid rise yeast, warm water, sea salt, and olive oil. More olive oil is infused with garlic to brush onto the crust and use as a topping.
For the toppings, gather a large butternut squash, thick cut smoked bacon, maple syrup, and shallots. Shredded whole milk mozzarella and fontina go on before baking; add whole milk ricotta and baby arugula afterward, tossing the greens with a little olive oil.
Make the dough
1. Combine the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, yeast, and 1½ teaspoons of salt in a large bowl.
2. Mix in the liquids
Add 1 cup of warm water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir until the mixture comes together in a shaggy dough.
3. Knead until smooth
Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes.
4. Shape the dough
Form it into a ball.
5. Let it rise
Set the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and leave it at room temperature for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven
While the dough rises, heat the oven to 425°F.
7. Prepare the squash for roasting
Roast the squash, then build the toppings
The squash needs time in the oven before the pizza goes in. Coat the cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, then arrange them in one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast the squash
Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the cubes are tender and beginning to brown. Set them aside. The slight browning matters: it gives the squash some concentrated sweetness before it meets the salty bacon.
Make the garlic oil and maple bacon
Warm ½ cup olive oil with the sliced garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Watch it closely as it colors; once the garlic is golden, strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Keep both parts. The chips add crunch, while the oil carries the garlic flavor onto the pizza.
Get the oven and dough ready
Set the oven to 500 F with a pizza stone inside. While it heats, punch down the dough, divide it into two equal portions, and roll each into a smooth ball. Cover and leave them for 30 minutes so the gluten can relax and the dough is easier to shape.
Build the first pizza
The toppings go on in layers, but leave room for the crust to do its job. Stretch one dough ball into a 10-inch round and set it on a floured pizza peel. Brush the surface with half the garlic oil, then scatter on half the mozzarella and fontina, stopping about ½ inch from the edge. Finish with half the roasted squash, maple bacon, and shallots.
Bake, then finish with fresh toppings
Transfer the pizza to the hot stone. Give it 8 to 10 minutes, watching for browned, charred spots on the crust and bubbling cheese. That combination is a more useful cue than the timer alone.
Use the baking time to prepare the finishing touches: whisk or fork the ricotta until light and spreadable, then toss the arugula with olive oil.
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