Directions

Other handy items: Electric mixer, 2 bowls, clean kitchen towel, silicone spatula, 12-inch pizza pan, pizza stone

Pizza dough rising…

Arrange one rack in the center of the oven, and another rack at the bottom. Place a pizza stone (if you have one) on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast, and allow to stand a few minutes to activate the yeast. Whisk in eggs and olive oil. Add the pizza crust mix; blend with electric mixer at medium speed for around 1 minute, or until well combined and dough is coming together.

Gather the dough together in a ball using a silicone spatula, and split it in half. Place the second half in a separate bowl. It helps to handle the dough with wet hands – it is sticky. Cover both bowls with a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm place to rise for at least 20-30 minutes. (Near a warm oven is good enough, or you could put the bowls in lukewarm water if the room is cold. Also, I left the dough out for several hours before using it, and it was okay. If you are planning on making only one pizza, after the dough has risen, wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.)

Ready for the oven!

Grease a 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil. Rub your hands with olive oil, and place dough in the pizza pan. Spread the dough out to cover the pizza pan, with more dough at the edges to contain the sauce. You will notice here that the dough does not stretch – you just have to smush it in place. Sprinkle the dough with sea salt and place on the center rack of the oven. Bake the crust without toppings for 7-9 minutes.

Toppings added – it’s starting to look like pizza!

Remove from oven. Spread a thin layer of barbeque sauce over the surface of the pizza (just a few tablespoons). Distribute the desired amount of shredded chicken, chopped bacon, pineapple, and mozzarella cheese over the crust. Slide the pizza from the pizza pan onto the hot pizza stone, and bake for 15-20 minutes until crust and cheese are browned and topping is bubbling hot. If you aren’t using a pizza stone, you could bake the pizza in the pan, or for a crisper crust, bake directly on the oven rack.

Cut the pizza into slices and serve. Don’t be like me and burn the roof of your mouth – let it cool some before shoveling it in!