I was in the mood for comfort food today. You can’t get any closer than a slice of your favorite pizza. So versatile and easy to make; you just can’t lose. You can throw together any sauce and toppings you like and you are good to go! I didn’t have ready made dough so I made some myself. It wasn’t hard at all and it went fast and smoothly. This is one of the best crusts I have ever achieved – and I have tried a lot! I didn’t use whole wheat flour because I ran out and all I had was white all purpose flour. I don’t have this often so I am not stressing out about it.
This is a Tex-Mex version with BBQ sauce, corn, red onions, chicken, mozzarella cheese and coriander for garnish. I didn’t put any jalapeños on it because my husband can’t eat them. But if you can, feel free to slap some on there. Hope you enjoy!
INGREDIENTS – PIZZA DOUGH
- 250g all purpose flour
- 1/2 packet dry yeast (one package yields for 500g flour-hence half)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm water (250ml)
PIZZA TOPPINGS
- 2-3 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 200g chicken strips (cooked)
- 2 tbsp sweet corn
- 120g thinly sliced fresh mozzarella (low fat) – pressed to reduce the liquid when it melts
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- Chopped coriander for garnish
- Optional – Jalapeños!
Pour the dry yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl. Mix and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Until the yeast begins to foam.
In a large bowl mix flour, salt and olive oil. Add yeast mixture and stir together. Combine into a small ball. Cover and place someplace warm for a minimum of 30 minutes to rise. It should double in size. I had preheated my oven to a low temperature and simply turned it off, covered the dough with a towel and placed it inside for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 250°C/480°F. We need the oven very hot for this baby! (I gave myself a manicure earlier today. In case you were wondering about my lovely sweet candy pink nails..lol)
When you are ready to make the pizza uncover the dough and give it a good couple punches to release the built up air. Sprinkle some extra flour and knead it a little bit forming it into a ball.
Use as much flour as you need if the dough is still too sticky as you form the dough on your parchment covered baking sheet. You can also go pro and use some cornmeal instead of the wax paper but I didn’t have any and didn’t want to risk the dough sticking to the tray. Use a roller if you need to. Some dough can be a little stubborn.
The fun begins! Spread a couple tablespoons of the BBQ sauce all over the pizza dough. Don’t be too generous with this as you want the pizza dough to bubble out as it cooks. Trust me, less is so much more! The crust will come out crispy this way. But if you like mushy pizza, well spread it thicker but extend the baking time by a few minutes. Top off with the other ingredients but hold off with the coriander until after the pizza comes out of the oven.
This step is important if you want a crispy crust: For the first 6-10 minutes place the pizza at the very bottom of the oven. Directly on the hot platform. Within a few minutes you will begin to see the dough fluff and expand. After this place the pizza in the middle rack and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so. Once the cheese begins to brown and the crust looks golden your pizza is done!
Garnish with the chopped coriander, slice into 6 slices and serve!
This pizza makes 6 generous slices. Each is around 300 calories according to my ingredients.
Till next time..cheers! -Kari
Tags: bbq pizza, counting calories, dinner, dinner ideas, easy dinner recipes, easy meal, food, food portions, healthy choices, healthy food, healthy meals, healthy-living, nutritious food, pizza, pizza dough, pizza recipe, recipes, tex mex pizza
another small victory..check!
