Hawaiian Pizza

Name: Hawaiian Pizza
Ingredients: 400 g flour; 250 ml water; 2 tbsp vegetable oil (preferably olive); 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp dry yeast (instant/fast-acting); 2 tbsp tomato sauce (or 1 tbsp tomato paste); 1/2 tsp oregano (optional); ≈150 g ham (or cooked chicken breast); ≈120 g canned pineapples; ≈150-200 g cheese (preferably firm mozzarella, or Colby, Edam, etc.)

When I asked my husband what kind of pizza to make, he said pineapple. I wasn't surprised — I knew it was his all-time favorite. Pizza with pineapple is called Hawaiian (Pizza Hawaii), and while it has American origins, it actually has nothing to do with Hawaii :-) As everyone knows, the best pizza is one loaded with cheese, so don't skimp on the toppings — you're making it for yourself, after all. Each pizza should have at least 150 g of cheese, and 200 g is even better. For the crust, I used the simplest bread dough. I don't think any enrichment is needed here — no eggs, no milk, nothing like that. The dough needs to be stretched quite thin to get a thin-crust pizza. It's best to make enough dough for two pizzas at once, since one might not be enough. I made one pizza with ham and pineapple and another with chicken breast and pineapple. Both were great, though the ham version was probably a little tastier. This recipe makes two 28 cm (11-inch) pizzas.

Ingredients:

Dough for 2 pizzas:
400 g flour
250 ml water
2 tbsp vegetable oil (preferably olive)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast (instant/fast-acting)
Topping for 1 pizza:
2 tbsp tomato sauce (or 1 tbsp tomato paste)
1/2 tsp oregano (optional)
≈150 g ham (or cooked chicken breast)
≈120 g canned pineapples
≈150-200 g cheese (preferably firm mozzarella, or Colby, Edam, etc.)

How to cook Hawaiian pizza

Make the dough. Combine most of the flour (350 g), sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a bowl and stir together.

Gradually pour in warm water (about 35°C / 95°F — it should feel just slightly warm to the touch).

Mix by hand until the dough comes together, then begin kneading. Add the oil and mix it in.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface (dusting with some of the remaining flour). Continue kneading thoroughly for at least 5–7 minutes, gradually incorporating the rest of the flour. The dough should stop sticking to your hands while still remaining soft and pliable — it should not be stiff. You may use slightly more or less flour; I used 400 g total.

Return the dough to the bowl and place it somewhere warm to rise (I set mine in a pot of warm water).

The dough should double or triple in size, which takes about 1 to 1½ hours.

Prepare the toppings. Cut the ham into pieces.

Shred the cooked chicken breast into pieces.

Cut the pineapple into pieces.

Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.

Divide the dough into 2 portions. Knead the first portion briefly, then roll it out with a rolling pin into a circle.

The dough is very elastic and soft and may spring back as you roll it. I finished stretching it by hand, holding it in the air. If you're feeling confident, you can even toss it high and spin it like they do in pizzerias :-)