A few weeks back, as we worked on a story about popular local chef Luigi Sferrazza and his Wood Fired Pizza Risto food truck, he mentioned plans he had to unveil a fall pizza. Well, it’s after Labor Day, and Sferrazza was kind enough to share his recipe for a creation that not only celebrates the flavors of the season but hits all those important “I’m eating pizza!” notes.

Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to create this Autumn Pizza in your own kitchen — and nuance those pesky details on making the perfect dough the way Luigi does it.

— Rick Koster

Autumn Pizza To make the dough Ingredients:

3 ½ cups all purpose flour/high gluten 12 oz warm water (110 degrees) 1 packet active dry Fleischmann’s yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)

1 tbs Kosher salt

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil Directions:

Add the yeast to the water and stir well to dissolve. If yeast gets foamy and smells like bread, it’s active and good to go (if desired, use a mixer and a dough hook).

Add olive oil and stir, then fold into flour and salt.

Place the dough in tightly-closed Tupperware container or deli container.

Let the dough rise (45 minutes room temperature, 2 hours in a refrigerator).

Finished dough will weigh about two pounds.

Divide into four equally sized balls.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and stretch it out.

Lean into the dough with the palms of your hands, pressing down on any air bubbles.

Massage in a circular motion and crimp around edges to leave a small crust.

Pick up the dough by the crust and spin in circles — like you seen on TV or in a pizza parlor! — and let gravity do the work. Any ears or thin spots can be nuanced by folding dough over. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Apply coating of olive oil to dough in a circular motion, then place on olive oil-coated baking stone, pizza screen or pizza pan. Toppings and prep

2 lbs of butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, diced and oven roasted. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

2 oz crumbled goat cheese

1 medium red pepper, roasted ¼ thinly sliced and caramelized Spanish onion

2 cups baby arugula

2 teaspoons local honey

½ thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, roughly chopped and slightly crisped

2 cups diced Mozzarella

Place squash, caramelized onion, pepper, Mozzarella on the dough with equally spaced dollops of goat cheese. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Take out of the oven and add the honey and arugula.

Happy Autumn!