Fresh fig pizza

To answer your additional question, I put the rack fairly far from the heat source (the top broiler), in the bottom third of the oven. That way it doesn't get totally blasted/burnt but still bakes crisply and quickly.

Thanks to everyone for the additional input - I love this about the Hotline!

*Sigh*...rolling out the dough, not "doughy".

I like my figs very caramelized on pizza, so I usually par bake them at around 425 for 10-15 (cut in halves). Then I cut them a little smaller and finish them on the pizza. I do the par baking while rolling the doughy, so the extra step is fairly time-efficient.

I also bake my pizzas as hot as my oven will go (around 575 F.) the prosciutto might get a bit crisp around the edges, but the fresh figs will do just fine. My pizzas generally don't take more than 8 minutes to bake.

I think it was I who suggested the combination. Sorry I didn't see your later question, but I only figured out on Sunday how to be notified when someone else posts in a thread.

I bake pizza much as Quinciferous suggests, but do not broil it. I crank the oven up to 250 C, which is 500+F. I let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes (I am in Germany and the ovens are considerably smaller than the oven on a US stove) AND I preheat some cast iron skillets in the oven. I use a standard pizza dough recipe, but add a tablespoon of olive oil, which gives the dough a good texture and make individual sized pizzas. I roll the dough with a rolling pin--the base should be quite thin. then, I put a bit of olive oil in the cast iron pan and toss in corn meal. I add the dough base, spread a bit of olive oil on the dough and then quickly add the toppings, which I have prepared before hand. Pop the pan back in the oven and bake until done. This doesn't take long, perhaps 7 or 8 minutes.

You can substitute peaches or nectarines for the figs, or as we move into the autumn, use pears, Gorgonzola, and walnuts. Carmelized onions would be appropriate for any of these combinations!

That sounds delicious, jacksonholefoodie!

Fresh figs are hard to get in my neck of the woods, so I smear fig jam on a thin crust of dough and top it with fresh mozzarella. I cook it on a pizza stone in the bottom of my oven at full tilt. When the pizza is done, I layer on room-temperature piles of prosciutto, and top with olive oil and lemon juice tossed arugula. It's sort of a half-baked pizza, but I like the contrast of the soft prosciutto and fresh, cold greens with the hot pizza.

Thank you both for your responses! Quinciferous, since you're using the broiler, how high in the oven do you place the rack?

I bake pizza really quite differently. I use a pizza stone, and preheat the oven as hot as it will go (the knob says 500, but I know it runs cool) for an hour. I toss a lot of cornmeal or flour onto the pizza peel, then load up my crust complete with toppings, and turn on the broiler. 2-3 minutes, turn 180 degrees, 2-3 minutes. The quick bake time means I tend to use slightly thinner/parcooked toppings, so for this application I'd slice the figs fairly thinly -- 1/4 inch thick, maybe? I also don't use a ton of sauce. In this application I think I'd brush on olive oil but not use another sauce base.

The way I do it, the pizza is thin and cooks fast in a hot oven from the top, and from the hot stone from the bottom. My pizzas are never, ever, ever soggy.

For what it's worth, this is my go-to pizza dough:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/Thin-Crust-Pizza-101

The key is cooking your crust first. I pre-bake my crust for 8-12 minutes and then brush with olive oil so it doesn't get soggy. Then I bake the toppings - usually between 400-425. Watch the cheese after about 8-10 mins - when its melted to your satisfaction, then you should be done. Check out King Arthur Baking's website for pizza tips - they have never steered me wrong.

Thank you, Morgan, I will give that a shot (and subscribe to your blog, while I'm at it!).

I typically cook my pizzas around 375-400. I typically pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes add the toppings and cook for another 15. I have used both goat cheese and prosciutto and they work fine at those temperatures. I would think figs would only benefit from a little caramelization.