Hawaiian Pizza with Pineapple and Salami

This handmade pizza is a perfect example of the salty-sweet mix of pork and pineapple. Any critics of pineapple pizza will be won over by Miriam Weiskind’s version, which swaps out the ham for Genoa salami and is topped with creamy mozzarella and an uncooked tomato sauce flavoured with oregano.

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 ½ cups (550 grams) bread flour (preferably King Arthur), plus more for kneading and shaping the dough
• ¾ teaspoon (3 grams) active dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups cold water, preferably filtered (not distilled)
• 1 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Italian or Californian extra-virgin olive oil

Pizzas

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, such as Bianco diNapoli
• Pinch of dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons water, or as needed
• 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, halved then cut into ¼-inch thick slices
• Grated Pecorino Romano
• 4 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami 
• 1 cup ¼-inch-thick wedges fresh pineapple, patted dry.

Directions

Step-1: To make the dough:

1. Combine the flour and yeast in a large basin and mix well.
2. Create a mound out of the flour mixture in the centre of the bowl.
3. Put the water in the centre of the flour mountain in the bowl.

Step-2: Using a wooden spoon, gently knock the flour off the mound and into the water while you whisk. You may expect it to grow out and get scruffy. If the dough doesn’t come together, use your hands to fold and knead it in the basin until it forms a rough ball. Resting the dough for 20 minutes allows the gluten to bind and activate, so be sure to cover the bowl with a cloth during this time.

Step-3: Make a salty crust by sprinkling it on top of the dough. Press into the dough and start squeezing and kneading it gently until it is smooth and elastic approximately 4 minutes. When you add the oil and a little dusting of flour, you may compress the dough and knead it for 4 minutes to absorb the oil. After 2 minutes of smoothing, place the ball on a flat surface. Dust the dough with flour and start stretching, folding, and kneading it for approximately 5 minutes or until it is extremely smooth. Rest for 5 minutes with the towel over it. When a windowpane forms when the dough is pulled apart, you know it’s ready.

Step-4: A bench scraper or heavy knife may divide the dough into quarters. Roll them into smooth balls by kneading and pinching the bottoms together. Put each one into a plastic pint jar that has been gently greased. Put in the fridge overnight covered (or up to 5 days).

Step-5: To prepare pizzas, Let the dough sit at room temperature for an hour after taking it out of the fridge. Meanwhile, position a rack in the oven so that it is four inches from the heat source (the top or bottom of the oven, depending on what type of oven you have). Make room on the rack for pizza steel, pizza stone, or rimless or upside-down baking sheet. Has the oven preheated at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes?

Step-6: To prepare the sauce in the meantime: A big bowl is needed for the tomato sauce. In a bowl, carefully mash the tomatoes with an immersion blender (you can also do this with your hands). Add some oregano and water (up to 2 tablespoons) to thin the sauce if necessary. Drain the sliced mozzarella in a dish lined with paper towels.

Step-7: As soon as the oven is ready, you may start building pizzas. Throw some semolina into a big basin. Put one dough disc into the basin and twirl it around to coat it. Spread some semolina on a clean surface and spread the dough into a 10- to 12-inch circle. To prepare the dough, sprinkle semolina flour on a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Place approximately six tablespoons of the sauce on top, spreading it evenly throughout the dough in ever-expanding rings using the back of a spoon and leaving a 1/2-inch border. Spread out 1 ounce of salami pieces and sprinkle with pecorino cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped pineapple and 3 ounces of mozzarella cheese equally over the top.

Step-8: The pizza should be transferred from the peel to the stone as gently as possible. Six to eight minutes until the crust is golden brown, flipping the pizza once. The pizza should be served as soon as possible, so slide it back onto the peel and the cutting board. To create three more pizzas, repeat the previous steps with the leftover dough, sauce, and toppings.

Click here for more articles