I don’t make pizza nearly as often as I’d like. We all love pizza, but my husband tends to be a bit of a pizza snob. His pizza tastes are very particular and usually only met by one of a handful of local pizza places. He enjoys pizza when I make it from scratch, but it’s just not the same.
However, I think tonight’s pizza may have finally changed his mind. The crust has always been the issue with homemade pizzas. This crust turned out to be the perfect blend of taste and crispiness though. We all agreed that I should definitely add this to a regular, twice a month rotation. That is exciting for me!
The barbecue chicken pizza toppings were a hit too, although they weren’t nearly as important as that crust.
Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 tsp yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning, optional
- 4 – 4 1/2 cup flour (I used 3 c. white flour and just over 1 c. whole wheat flour)
For the barbecue sauce:
- 1 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp each – allspice, crushed red pepper flakes, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder
For the toppings
- 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
- 1/2 lb bacon, diced and crisped *optional
- 1 onion, thinly sliced and caramelized (I cooked the onion in 2 t. of the bacon grease.) *optional
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed *optional
- 2 cup shredded pizza blend cheese
Instructions
For the crust:
- Let yeast and sugar dissolve in warm water in a large mixing bowl for about 5 minutes. Add olive oil, salt and optional Italian seasoning. Slowly add the flour until completely combined and dough is no longer sticky. (I used just over 4 cups of flour to get to that point.) Knead for 5 minutes, place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.*Depending on how thin you like your crust, this makes enough for 2 large pizzas plus 2 small pizzas. The extra dough can be frozen.
For the barbecue sauce:
- Add everything to a small bowl and stir until combined. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to blend.
To assemble the pizzas:
- Roll out dough into desired sizes on thickness. Place on a baking sheet or stone dusted with cornmeal.
- Spread barbecue sauce on top of the crust, leaving about 1/2 inch crust all the way around.
- Top with chicken, any other desired toppings and cheese. Bake at 500 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
Notes
Everyone wanted bacon, my two youngest girls wanted lots of corn and my son and oldest daughter just wanted the chicken, bacon and cheese. My husband and I had onions, chicken, bacon and cheese. (I tried a bite of the girls’ pizza with the corn and it was really good!)
