my favorite pizza combo: pepperoni, pineapple, jalapeño & black olive.

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hey, it's my 100th post!  and i've only had this here blog for 4 years. 

hahah...sad. i'm the worst.

i was really going to throw in the towel on this blog sometime last year, and didn't post anything at all for months and months.  i'm super glad that i revived this baby and started talking about all my food creations.  you know...the most important things in life.

no surprise that my 100th post goes out to the pizza of my dreams.

soooo romantiq.

forewarning: i made this pizza on a weeknight, aka in the evening, so most of the light in the photos is sub-par to my liking but i wasn't about to let this pizza go undocumented.

forewarning #2: i made this pizza on a weeknight when peter was out of town...soo, a strange candlelit romantic pizza photo shoot ensued once the 'zaw emerged from the oven and it was dark outside (and there was nobody around to give me weird looks).  our kitchen light is this god awful fluorescent elementary school classroom style light that makes your skin look really scary and in turn makes your food look less delicious...so i tried not to use it. anyhoo.  enough excuses about these photos. 

let's talk about homemade pizza!

this is what the yeast & water combo should look like once it has had time to get all bubbly, about 15 minutes.

this is what the dough will look like after it has risen for almost two hours.

the waiting is the hardest part

.  if you're into planning ahead, you should make a couple batches of dough to have at the ready for the moment your pizza hunger strikes.

once the dough has risen, the rest is just so easy!

if you know what's good for you, you'll shove some freshly chopped garlic and sea salt into the crust.

for me, the origin of pepperoni and pineapple pizza was one day in college when i was studying with my friend jason.  he ordered a pepperoni and pineapple pizza.....i was like, "whuuuutttttttttttt? you're weird."

then i was like, "oh. nope. you are a genius and you've just changed my life forever."

i grabbed pepperoni & pineapple by the hand and i never looked back.

jalapeños and black olives slowly made their way onto this pizza after years of rigorous taste-testing and experimentation at various pizza establishments.

oh, pizza.  you're the greatest gift. 

this seriously looks like a cartoon pizza.  don't be laughin.

or like one of those gross gummy pizzas. get outta here!

if there was one thing i would change, i would have rolled out the crust even thinner than i did.  it got pretty thick and chewy while it was baking.  that's totally ok, but there could have been moooore pizza...you get what i'm saying?  less than 1/4 of an inch thin probably would have been a good thickness (/thin-ness?) to build the pizza on.

oh look, here's cartoon pizza still looking cartoony in the scary classroom kitchen lighting.  but, you know what a pizza looks like.  i'll do better next time.

best combo evarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Homemade Pepperoni, Pineapple, Jalapeño & Black Olive Pizza

Makes 1 medium sized pizza

Pizza Dough:

(inspiration from my girl jessica from

how sweet eats

.  i like how she uses honey instead of white sugar like most dough recipes you might see.)

  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 1/2 TB honey
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) active yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat, etc.)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 TB olive oil

Pizza Toppings and Things:

  • 2 cloves freshly minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • tomato/pasta sauce of your preference
  • 1 thinly sliced jalapeño, seeds removed
  • sliced black olives
  • freshly chopped pineapple
  • pepperoni
  • mozzarella cheese
  • romano cheese for grating atop

Instructions-

Combine the water, honey, and yeast packet in a bowl and whisk until combined.  Let sit for 15 minutes, or until frothy and bubbly.

Add the flour, olive oil and salt to the yeast mixture.  Mix and knead with your hands.  Add one tablespoon of extra flour at a time if the dough is too sticky.  You don't want it to stick to your hands at all. 

Lightly oil a medium sized bowl.  Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp washcloth.  Let the dough rise for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough gently for a couple of minutes on this surface.  It should then look like a delightfully poofy ball of happiness, and pizza time is nigh. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet, using a rolling pin or even your hands will do. Take your chopped garlic and salt and gently roll it under the crust.  Spread a layer of tomato sauce onto the dough.  I used some sort of pasta sauce that wasn't too sweet, more savory/earthy tasting.

Add the sliced mozzarella, pepperoni, jalapeños, olives, and pineapple.  Put the pizza in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and all the toppings and crust are beginning to get crispy, but not burned. 

Then...... you've got yourself a mighty fine pizza!  Aren't you excited?

qp