Hawaiian Pizza with Ham and Pineapple

Dough

1. Make a yeast pizza dough from 2 cups of wheat flour (260 g). Stretch the dough over a pizza pan, cover with a towel and let it rise so the base is nice and puffy, 2.5-3 cm thick.

   

Tomato sauce

1. Many say Hawaiian pizza should only be made with white sauce. Maybe so, but I’ve only once tried pizza with white sauce, apparently made of mayonnaise, garlic and spices. Every other time it was pizza with a normal tomato sauce, and it was extremely tasty. So don’t torture yourself.

2. While the dough rises, make 2-3 tbsp of good homemade tomato sauce.

   

   Remove the seeds and skin from one ripe tomato. Blend it with 1 garlic clove, a pinch of salt and a little grated nutmeg on the tip of a knife. Salt to taste and, if you like, add a pinch of Mediterranean herbs (oregano, basil, savory).

3. Pour the puree into a skillet heated with 1 tbsp of olive oil and simmer over medium heat until the sauce is about as thick as ketchup.

Topping and assembly

1. Canned pineapple is usually sold as rings or chunks. By and large, it doesn’t matter how the pineapple is cut. But purely for looks, I suggest buying pineapple rings.

2. Cut the pineapple rings into quarters. For a 34 cm pizza, 5-6 rings are enough. Go by your own taste, though. Cut the ham. Any size will do, but I suggest cutting it to match the pineapple pieces.

   Although Hawaiian pizza is made with bacon, we’ll go with ham. Ham is cured pork leg, sold in pieces or thinly sliced. Thin slices are perfect for a Hawaiian pizza topping. Instead of ham, you can use bacon or smoked chicken.

   

4. The dough stretched over the pan has risen and become quite puffy. If it seems too puffy, press it down a little with your palms to make it thinner. Prick it with a fork in several places and spread the tomato sauce over the dough.

   

5. Spread the ham pieces evenly, mixed with the pineapple pieces.

   

   Sprinkle with 1-2 pinches of dried oregano and drizzle with olive oil. Coarsely grate the mozzarella and spread it evenly, so that bits of ham and pineapple peek out from under the cheese here and there.

   

   As an optional extra, you can add thinly sliced tomato or a few halved cherry tomatoes. In that case, sprinkle the tomatoes with a little Parmesan.

Baking

1. Bake the pizza in an oven preheated to 200°C. It bakes for up to 20 minutes. Since ovens differ, start checking the dough after 15 minutes by lifting its edge in the pan.

   

   As soon as the dough is nicely browned, the pizza is definitely done.

Serving

1. If you like (many people do this), once the pizza has cooled a little and is no longer piping hot, scatter a few small green basil leaves over the topping. Cut the finished Hawaiian pizza into 6-8 slices with a pizza wheel and serve.