©2004 goCrawford.com

  

©2004 goCrawford.com

  

©2004 goCrawford.com

 

I researched many ways of making buffalo chicken pizza. In all, I found 5 different methods for the creation of this pizza. Each method varied by how it used hot sauce and various cheeses. The following is my ideal buffalo chicken pizza recipe based on my analysis of over 20 different recipes.

Base:
1 ½ c Bill’s Neapolitan Sauce
¼ c Hot Sauce (Texas Pete’s)

Toppings:
2-3 Grilled chicken breasts, cubed
½ c Chopped red onions
½ c Shredded Cheddar
1 ½ c Shredded Mozzarella
Blue Cheese dressing (after baking)

Begin by grilling the chicken breasts. I lightly season mine with grilling seasonings to give them extra flavor. Grilling is definitely preferred to boiling or baking for this pizza because of the added flavor you get from a grill. Once cooked, cube the chicken and mix it with a small amount of hot sauce in a large bowl. This can even be done the day before and set this aside.

I use Bill’s Traditional Dough when baking this pizza. It has just the right thickness to hold the chicken and also provides a perfect bite to compliment the toppings. I start by tossing a 12 inch blank. Next, I mix hot sauce with my Neapolitan Sauce for the base. I’ve found this to be the best base for buffalo chicken. Other methods use straight hot sauce which I’ve found to be too harsh. I’ve even seen recipes which use blue cheese dressing for the base, which is certainly not for everyone. Pizza sauce mixed with hot sauce gives the perfect mix of flavor and kick. I used Texas Pete’s, but I imagine that most brands of hot sauce will serve just fine. I will update my recipe as I experiment with this.

Once the sauce mix has been spread on the blank, I circle the outer edge of sauce with cheddar cheese. Next, I spread the grilled chicken cubes and chopped red onions. Onions may also be sliced for aesthetic reasons. Once covered with chicken and onions, sprinkle the pizza with the mozzarella top cheese and bake at 480 for 10-12 minutes. When the pie comes out of the oven and the cheese has cooled, slice the pizza and drizzle it with Blue Cheese dressing. The blue cheese offsets the hot sauce and gives the pizza a balanced taste. Serve sprinkled with fresh chopped cilantro and celery sticks.

1 large can Furmano’s tomato puree (28 oz.)
1 T Sugar
1 ½ t Salt
1 t Basil
1 t Oregano
¾ t Black pepper
¾ t Garlic Powder
1 ½ T Olive Oil
½ t Dried Minced Onions

In a small saucepan, heat tomato puree over medium heat. After 5 minutes, the puree should darken. Add other ingredients and reduce heat to low. Simmer and stir for 5-10 minutes. Makes sauce for 2 12 inch pizzas or one large pan pizza.

1 1/4 c Water (115 degrees)
2 T Olive Oil
1 T Sugar
1 ¼ tsp Salt
3 c Hi-Gluten Flour (Pillsbury)
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp Instant Dry Yeast (flieshmans ADY)

Combine ingredients in order into bread maker bin. Use the dough setting on bread maker to mix dough for about 30 minutes. Remove Dough and roll it into a ball by tucking the edges under the dough ball. Lightly oil the outside of the ball and place it in a zipper storage bag in refrigerator for 5-20 hours.

Once ball has risen, remove from bag and stretch by hand using corn meal beneath if desired for texture, flavor and ease of stretching. Prepare pizza on a peel.

For thinner crust pizza from same dough, cut dough into two balls and allow them to rise separately.

 

  

©2004 goCrawford.com