As far as I can recall, I’ve always loved bread, any kind of dish that involves bread making gets me excited! I am a true breadaholic (if such a thing exists), which is why some members of my family say I could live off the stuff (they’re not wrong there either). And that’s really what I think a pizza is, a flat piece of bread with yummy things on top, lol! Ok, so maybe I’m over simplifying it a tad, but you get the gist of it. Not only do I love eating dough based foods, I love the whole baking process – the waiting for the dough to rise, knocking the air out of it and the smell after it’s been baked, it’s all just so exciting, and this Chicken Tikka and Jalapeno Pizzas should definitely hit the spot as the base is super fluffy and light and beats anything store bought.

My pizzas have been widely tasted by my family and friends and everyone says the same thing, they’re always amazed at how soft the base is. I put this down to the use of milk powder, which helps to create a very soft dough. There is actual science behind this which is why if this if your first time baking a pizza base with the use of milk powder, you will notice the difference. So if you were planning on skipping the milk powder because you don’t usually have it at home, here’s where I tell you that that’s a bad idea, don’t skip it!

The recipe itself isn’t complex but you do need to allow yourself enough time to create the different stages of the pizza. The lengthiest part of the recipe is making the pizza base, once that’s done everything else is pretty much straight forward.

I have divided this recipe into three stages; the first stage shows you how to prepare the dough, in the second stage we make the pizza sauce and the third and final stage is creating the chicken tikka strips for the topping. You can chop and change the toppings for whatever you like and if you can’t get hold of passata, you can always use canned tomatoes, just whizz them in the blender beforehand.

Because everything within the recipe is made from scratch, including the pizza sauce, I have tried to use ingredients which save time ie. use garlic powder instead of prepping fresh garlic and using passata instead of canned tomatoes, to save having to puree the pizza sauce afterwards to make it smooth. Even the chicken tikka isn’t a lengthy chicken tikka recipe like the one here, as it’s going on top of the pizza with other ingredients, it doesn’t need to be very complex.

My children adore homemade pizzas and get really excited when I make this for dinner, I really hope that those of you who have been eagerly waiting for this recipe are pleased with it too and that it delivers all that you expect it to!

Serves 4 -6

You will need: for Chicken Tikka and Jalapeno Pizzas

For the pizza dough (makes 2 pizza bases):
1 cup + an additional 1/2 cup of warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried yeast
500g plain flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp dried milk powder
2 tbsp oil

For the tomato sauce:
500g passata (I used a whole carton and stored the remaining sauce in the freezer for use later)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

For the topping:
300g chicken breast (approximately)
1 tsp tandoori powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
red food colouring (optional, I used about 1/4 tsp)
1 small sliced red onion
grated cheddar cheese (as required)
jalapenos (as required)

Method:

Start by measuring 1 cup of warm water and add 2 tsp of sugar.

Note, you need to use an ACTUAL measuring cup and not a random cup. Also, the water should not be hot, as this can kill the yeast and will prevent the dough from rising.

Stir to dissolve the sugar and add 2 tsp of dried yeast, mix again and leave to one side for 10 minutes till frothy.

In a large bowl measure 500g of plain flour, add 1 tsp of salt….

….4 tbsp of dried milk powder and 2 tbsp of oil.

If you are using your stand mixer, attach the dough hook and start to mix the ingredients on low. Alternatively you may use a wooden spoon to start off with and then take over with your hands.

Once the yeast is frothy it is ready to add to the the bowl.

Whilst mixing on low speed, add the yeast mixture gradually to the bowl.

Measure an additional 1/2 cup of warm water and slowly add to the mixing bowl, keep mixing on this speed till the ingredients start to form a ball of dough.

Increase the speed, you will see the dough slowly start to pull away from the bowls, beat for 2 – 3 more minutes.

The top left photo shows you what the dough should look like, don’t worry if the dough doesn’t look completely smooth, it will be smooth by the end of the next few steps.

The dough is meant to be slightly sticky, note how the dough sticks to my hand in the top right photo. This ensures you have a super soft pizza base and crust instead of something dense and chewy.

Now is the fun part! You know when you’re feeling aggressive (can’t just be me that feels that way!) but can’t take it out on anything? Well now you can!

Take the dough and lift it up and SLAP it down HARD on the counter, and I mean be as aggressive as you want! Lift and repeat for 15 – 20 more times, or as many times as needed till the dough feels elastic and smooth.

Kids may enjoy this part, just make sure the dough doesn’t hit the floor or ceiling, lol!

Pull the dough over itself, it should look like the top left photo.

Lightly oil the mixing bowl, place the dough inside and coat with the oil.

Leave covered with a cloth to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.

To make the easy pizza sauce place 500gm passata in a bowl and add 1 tsp of oregano….

….1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt.

Mix the ingredients and leave to one side till needed.

Take the chicken breast and slice it into strips about 1cm thick.

Add all the spices – 1 tsp tandoori powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste) and red food colouring (optional, I used about 1/4 tsp).

Add 1 tbsp of oil and mix the ingredients together, ensure all the chicken pieces are coated evenly.

Heat some oil in a frying pan and once hot, fry the chicken tikka slices for 2 – 3 minutes either side.

Don’t overcook the chicken as they will cook further when baked on the pizza in the oven.

Don’t overcrowd the pan to ensure you get nice even browned pieces of chicken, cook them in batches.

Once all the chicken is cooked, leave to cool to one side till needed.

Take two pizza trays and line with greaseproof paper.

Once your dough has doubled in size (top left photo) you are ready to stretch it out.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knock out the air, then cut your dough into two pieces….

….and place the dough on the pizza trays.

Using your hands and fingers, stretch the dough….

….pushing from the centre outwards, making sure the dough is level and even as you do so, till it reaches the edges of the pizza pan.

Next create a rim for the pizza bases; using the tips of your fingers create some indentations around the edge of the pizza bases (bottom left photo), this will stop the sauce from spilling over.

It should look like the bottom right photo once you are done. Do this for both pizza bases.

Once both pizza bases are shaped I usually let them prove for another 30 minutes, this gives the bases a super fluffy texture. This is not necessary if you are rushed for time.

Prepare any other extra toppings you may want to add to your pizzas, for this recipe we are using sliced red onion and jalapenos. Don’t forget to grate the cheddar also if you are using block cheese (cheese is not pictured as I used  ready grated cheese)

Spread the tomato sauce made earlier over the pizza bases, be generous, using the back of a spoon or ladle makes this easier.

Add red onions to the top of the pizza followed by some grated cheddar, not too much.

Then arrange the chicken tikka slices and pour over any juices from the chicken on top too. I crammed all my chicken pieces onto one pizza because I kept the second vegetarian.

Add more grated cheddar and lastly top off with jalapenos.

Bake the pizza in a preheated oven, gas mark 5 for 25 – 30 minutes till the pizza is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Serve with your favourite sides and enjoy homemade pizza that tastes better than the pizza place!

Bon Appetit!

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