Friday Night Pajama Party - Pizza dough and BBQ Chicken Pizza

About a year ago we started a weekly tradition in our house. Every Friday night we get in our pajamas, make pizza and watch a movie picnic style on our basement floor. I have been through numerous pizza recipes in search of the best one. So far I haven't found the perfect recipe but a few have been pretty good. This one is a good one because it is very quick.

In the picture, I did a BBQ chicken pizza. I don't like a lot of cheese on my pizza so feel free to add more to yours. I have included the recipe below.


Fast and Easy Pizza Dough

3 c. flour, more or less (I like to use about 1/2-1 c. whole wheat flour and the rest all purpose flour)
1 Tbsp. honey, heaping (I am not sure how to do a heaping tablespoon of honey so I just add a little extra)
1 Tbsp. olive oil, heaping (Same as honey, just add a little extra oil)
1 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Additional olive oil and garlic salt to spread on dough

Preheat oven to 475. If you are using a pizza stone, let stone heat in oven for at least 30 minutes before baking the pizza. If you are using regular baking sheets, lightly spray with non stick spray.

Mix all ingredients together except the flour. I like to let it sit for a few minutes to make sure the yeast is dissolved and activated. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and combine. Slowly add in the remaining flour until you have a dough that barely sticks to your fingers. You can do this in your stand mixer or just in a bowl. Once all the flour is added, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Just a minute or two should do. At this point I like to let the dough sit for about 10-15 minutes but you don't have to. You can either shape your pizza into a large pizza on a stone or pan but we like to make our own individual pizzas. To do this, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-7" circle. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with non stick spray.

Brush a small amount of olive oil over the dough. Lightly sprinkle with garlic salt. Pierce several times with a fork to avoid bubbling. Bake in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and add sauce, toppings and cheese. Return to oven for about 7-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

BBQ chicken pizza

The ingredients are enough for 1 pizza, so adjust to however many pizzas you are doing.

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
BBQ sauce (Bull's eye tastes the best)
1 tsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
Mozzarella cheese (a blend of mozzarella and Gouda is also very good)

Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. In a non stick skillet over medium high heat, cook chicken until no longer pink. Place cooked chicken in a small bowl. Add about 1 tbsp. of BBQ sauce and stir, coating the chicken.

Spread the desired amount of BBQ sauce over pizza dough and top with chicken and cheese. Bake at 425 for about 7-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

You can also top your pizza with red onions.