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this BBQ Pineapple Chicken pizza is what made you click on this post! if you came here to make some homemade pizza dough, i’ll discuss that first. keep reading; i'll list the toppings for this yumminess below 😊.

first things first- let’s get this dough going!

*breathe*

it’s totally not as intimidating as it seems. i don’t have a stand mixer (yet!) so you don’t need one to make amazing, homemade pizza, fit friends.

add the yeast, sugar, and warm water to a bowl. the water should not be boiling as it may kill the yeast. but it does need to be really warm to activate the yeast. let this mixture sit for 10 minutes. if the yeast is fresh and active, the result will be the pic on the right. nice and foamy!

now, sift in all other ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, oregano, remaining water, olive oil) and with a mixing spoon, mix dough until it just comes together. the dough should be sticky, but sprinkle plenty of extra flour on your counter top and the top of the ball of dough.

knead the dough by hand for just a few minutes by pressing your palms into it and folding it over on itself over and over again. don’t overmix; i usually knead the dough for about 45 - 60 seconds straight or so. add more flour if needed!

add the now smoother ball of dough back into that same mixing bowl. drizzle the dough ball with some olive oil.

drape a dishtowel over the bowl and place the bowl in a quiet, dark corner of your kitchen. let the dough rest for at least 1 whole hour minimum. if we’re having pizza for lunch that day, i’ll start on the dough immediately after breakfast so it’s ready to go when i need it later.

see that difference?

the combination of the yeast and the baking powder really makes this dough expand quickly. if you don’t have baking powder, the dough will still rise significantly from the yeast, so don’t worry. at this point, you can split the dough into sections and store them in the fridge until you’re ready for them (up to 4-5 days).

if you’re ready now, plop the dough onto a floured, stable surface (i always use my cleaned countertop) and sprinkle more flour on top.

you can make a gigantic pizza, or again, you can chop the dough into 4 mini doughs. this is what i do for the kiddos so they can each create their own customized masterpiece (see them below!).

using your fingers or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough as thin or as thick as you’d like. take a baking pan and sprinkle about 1 tbsp of coarse ground cornmeal onto it. transfer your stretched dough to the baking pan. now it’s time to add those toppings!

remember, less is more! i have to tell my kids this because they will add a billion toppings to their pizzas and make them as heavy as bricks, ha.

here are the toppings for my lactose-free BBQ Pineapple Chicken Pizza:

Cracker Barrel Vermont White Cheddar (all Cracker Barrel cheese are lactose-free; did you know that!?)
50% fire roasted organic pizza sauce / 50% sweet bbq sauce of your choice
fresh sliced red onion
chicken tenderloin chunks marinated in coconut aminos, low sodium garlic salt, & pepper (see photo below)
minced cilantro
diced red bell pepper
pineapple tidbits (fresh or canned)

i marinate the chicken tenderloin chunks in coconut aminos for about 10 minutes before cooking them up in my favorite wok. add some garlic salt and black pepper and stir them around on high heat for about 7-8 minutes. assemble, bake, and feast your eyes on the delicious end result😍

here’s that recipe! my kids LOVE making homemade pizza and i encourage you to do a fun DIY pizza night with your family too!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Yield: 4 mini pizza doughs

Author: Leah K. Egwuatu

Prep time: 1 H & 10 MCook time: 12 MTotal time: 1 H & 22 M

simple and delicious! this dough is ready to go in just 1 hour.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour + extra for kneading
2 tsp organic cane sugar
1 packet instant yeast
1 tbsp olive oil + more for drizzling
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning or oregano(optional)

Instructions:

add yeast packet, 1/2 cup WARM water, and sugar to a bowl.
let sit 10 minutes to activate yeast.
once yeast mixture is foamy, add remaining ingredients (1 cup warm water, salt, olive oil, flour, baking powder, and optional dried Italian seasoning or oregano).
if using a stand mixer, mix dough until it is just combined; be careful not to over mix. if mixing by hand, combine all ingredients until dough just comes together and releases from the sides of the bowl and form a big sticky clump.
flour a large, flat, working surface (i use my cleaned countertop) and place the dough ball in the center. sprinkle about 2 tbsp of flour onto the top of the dough ball.
roll up your sleeves! knead the dough by using your palms. press them both into the dough and fold the dough over onto itself several times until it becomes noticeably smoother.
add the ball of dough back into the mixing bowl and drizzle it with olive oil (about 1 tbsp). cover the dough with a dish cloth and place it into a quiet, dark corner of your kitchen. let the dough rise for at least 1 hour.
-------
READY? PREHEAT OVEN TO 475 DEGREES.
prepare a dry baking pan sprinkled with about 2 tbsp of coarse cornmeal crumbs. this will keep the dough from sticking to the pan as it bakes.
cut dough into 4 mini doughs and refrigerate until ready to use, or continue with the recipe.
flour your work surface and drop the dough ball into the flour; sprinkle about a tbsp of flour on top.
using your fingers (or a rolling pin) spread/roll the dough as thin or thick as you'd like.
transfer stretched dough as quickly as you can to your baking sheet.
add desired toppings (pizza sauce, cheese, meat of choice etc.) but remember that less is more! be careful not to weight the pizza down.
brush the rim of your dough with olive oil and bake your pizza pies for 11-12 minutes each.