SANDRA'S HOMEMADE HAWAIIAN PIZZA

I created this from an inspiration of a pizza I ate 'and loved'
while vacationing in Maui...

Servings: (6 to 8)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Baking: 25 mins. total + rising time

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

***Dough:
1-1/2 cups warm water
½ teaspoon sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more in other steps
1 teaspoon cornmeal

***Sauce:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (14.5 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

***Toppings:
1 cup smoked ham, chopped
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 green onion, finely sliced

METHOD:

***Prepare the dough:
In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast blooms. Add flour, kosher salt, and olive oil. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, just until the dough is smooth elastic. Spray a medium-size bowl with oil, and place the ball of dough in it, rubbing it around in oil, and then flip over and cover with a clean towel. Place bowl of dough in a warm place until it has doubled in volume, about 1 hr., and place dough on floured surface and roll out into a 12” round, building up the outer edge slightly. Transfer to an oiled pizza pan that has been slightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush the entire top and outer edge of unbaked crust with olive oil. Par-bake the crust in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.

***Prepare the sauce:
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano, and then sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Remove and let cool to room temperature before spreading on pizza crust.

***Prepare the toppings:
Ladle the sauce over the pizza, and then with the bottom of the ladle use a circular motion to spread sauce evenly over crust within ½” of edge. Place the diced smoked ham over the sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, bell pepper, and chopped pineapple. Place pizza on middle rack in oven, and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove and sprinkle with green onions, and cut into slices - Enjoy!

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Tip: Prepare the sauce so it can cool, and other topping ingredients while pizza dough is rising.