How to Make BBQ Pizza at Home
- Make the dough
- Add the toppings
- Bake and Enjoy!
Pizza Dough
Store bought pizza dough can be a good option for a quick weeknight dish. Just make sure you grab the actual fresh doughs near the bakery and not the pre baked dough.
To make your own, you only need a few simple ingredients and while it can seem intimidating, once you do it, you will get better and better at it. I love knowing I can make pizza any time because dough is easy to assemble. If you don't have a stand mixer, just use your hands, but it'll take longer!
I like to make 2 recipes and freeze one for next time. You can freeze it unbaked and just pull out the dough the morning of the day you plan to use it. It should thaw and rise again by dinnertime.
I normally try for whole wheat products, but honestly, pizza dough is one of those things I simply don't enjoy in it's whole wheat version. If you have a whole wheat recipe you love, I am happy to try it, but so far, it just doesn't add up for me. I would rather pair 1 slice of pizza with a large salad to get the fiber boosts and enjoy my slice all in one!
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Equipment
- meat thermomter to measure temp of water
- pizza stone 12 inch
- parchement paper
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 Cup Warm Water 90-120 degrees
- 2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
- 21/4 Cups Flour All Purpose
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Pizza
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 Cup Chicken Cooked and Shredded
- 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
- ¼ Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Jalapenos , fresh, sliced, optional
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Start with your 1 cup of warm water. For yeast to do it's job, the water should be between 90-120 degrees. Hotter or cooler and it may not make it. Use a meat thermometer to get your water to the right temperature and then sprinkle the 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast on top. Set aside for about 2 minutes. You'll know it's working when you see a slight foamy appearance and start to smell it.
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour and salt. If you have a dough hook attachment, use that one. A whisk won't do.
- Add the foamy yeast mixture and turn on low speed until it starts to come together. Then, Turn up the speed to around medium and mix for about 5 minutes. You'll know it's ready when it starts to pull away from the sides and is soft, forming a ball of dough. I like to add a drizzle of olive oil here while it's coming together.
- If the dough is too sticky, add extra flour but only 1 tablespoon if needed.
- Coat a glass bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour. Dough should almost double in size.
- Place the pizza stone in the oven and preaheat the oven to 500 degrees. My oven takes about 20 minutes to get to 500 degrees, but yours may be different. *See not if no pizza stone or 500 degrees.
Build the Pizza
- Grab a large sheet of parchment paper* and lightly flour your rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about 12 inches or whatever size your pizza stone or pan is. If you need to make smaller pizzas, you can simply separate the dough into even pieces before rolling.
- Once the dough is rolled out, spread the BBQ sauce evenly on the dough. Top with the mozzarella cheese, and chicken.
- Before adding the onions, dry them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Any additional moisture will result in a less crispy crust. Once dry, add them to the pizza and the jalapenos if you're adding them.
- Carefully transfer the pizza to the pizza stone. To do this, I carefully slide the parchment paper onto the hot stone. You'll get a crispier crust with this hot stone and oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes and slightly rotate the pizza in the oven. Bake for 7 more minutes or until pizza crust is browned and ready.
Notes
