Few things go better together than beer and pizza. After all, rarely do you go to your local pizza shop and order yourself a glass of fine wine. There is something about the greasy nature of most pizzas and the sweet, airy feel of beer that just go hand in hand.
However, if you venture beyond just your standard pepperoni pizza and delve into the unknown world of specialty pizzas and get a more healthy recipe and as the the best 2019 superfoods you will find that there is an infinite number of possible pizza toppings which can be really natural and organic to have a healthy pizza if you like as well, and don’t forget also an equal number of beer pairings.
For today’s recipe we bring you a BBQ Bacon and Leek pizza. Don’t be shy; bacon and leeks go together just as well as beer and pizza, especially when you cook the leeks in the bacon fat! And, we decided to go beyond your standard marinara sauce here and do a sweet and tangy bbq sauce.
BBQ sauce is one of those things that many of us just pick up off of our grocery store’s shelves without evening thinking about it. We hope that after making sweet habanero bbq sauce your eyes will open to the simplicity of making bbq sauce at home, as well as the flavor profile that you can build in the sauce with ingredients that you most likely already have sitting around the house. The sweet habanero bbq sauce brings just the right amount of heat to the pizza while the honey provides a sweet touch that keeps you wanting more.
Again, most any beer can go with pizza. But, the bbq bacon and leek pizza is not just your everyday pizza. For that, please refrain from pairing it with your everyday beer. For this pizza we chose to pair it with 90 Shilling from Odell Brewing Company. This ale has its roots in the tradition of Scottish ales and is by far one of our favorites in this category. 90 Shilling has just a touch of bitterness but brings a large malty punch that helps tone down the spice from the habaneros. Pick one up today to enjoy with your bbq bacon and leek pizza!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (100° to 110°F)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dry instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons (plus a little extra for coating the dough) olive oil
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 1 leek, dark green parts removed, halved and then sliced
- 1/2 lb smoked provolone cheese
- 1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 habanero pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- kosher salt
- pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon worchestishire sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon Jamaican allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of cayenne
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 10 ounces of water
Instructions
- Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to be reenergized. You should see some brown foam forming on the top of the liquid. If you don’t this likely means that your yeast are dead and you should start over.
- In a medium bowl (or a stand mixer with a dough hook), and the flour, salt, and olive oil to the water, yeast, and sugar mixture. If doing this by hand, be sure to knead the dough for at least 8-10 minutes or until the dough is elastic and comes together but is still a tad bit sticky. A good way to determine if your dough is good to go is to pull a piece of the dough, pinched between your index finger and thumb until the dough tears. Right before it tears you should be able to see through the dough. If not . . . knead the dough a bit more. Feel free to add some flour to the dough if your dough is too sticky (its going to depend a lot on the humidity where you are). Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl. Pour a small amount of olive oil on the dough, just enough to coat it. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Let sit for 6-12 hours (overnight would be good too if you have the time). After the dough has rested for at least 6 hours, we can begin making the pizza toppings. Preheat the over to 450°F with the pizza stone in the oven.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until most of the fat is rendered out and it starts to become crispy (see the picture). Remove the bacon being careful to leave the bacon fat in the pan. Set the bacon aside for topping the pizza. Add the leeks to the hot bacon grease and cook for just 2-3 minutes or until soft. Be careful not to overcook the leeks.
- To make the pizza, sprinkle some corn meal on your pizza peel and form the dough into a 12-14 inch circle on top of it. You should have a bit of extra dough left that can be use for just about anything (like dough balls stuffed with cheese!). Add half of the bbq sauce to the pizza followed by half of the bacon and leeks and half of the cheese. Repeat this again once more so that all of the toppings are utilize. Slide the pizza off the peel and onto the stone in the preheated oven. Let the pizza cook for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese just starts to brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes so that the juices can redistribute themselves and you do not end up with pizza soup! Now all is left is to slice and serve it with a beer! Here, we recommend pairing the pizza with a 90 Shilling from Odell’s in Fort Collins. While most will argue that just about any beer goes well with pizza, we feel that the sweetness, yet subtle bitterness of 90 Shilling go well with the sweet and spicy pizza.
- For the BBQ sauce, Heat the butter in a skillet. Once the butter has melted add the peppers, onions, and a pinch of salt and beer. Let the onions and habaneros cook until soft (8-10 minutes). Now, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic . . . nobody likes burnt garlic! At this point, you are ready to add the liquid ingredients. Add the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, worchesteshire sauce, mustard, tomato paste, honey, and brown sugar. Stir the sauce well to get rid of any clumps that may have formed. Once the sauce has come together, add all of the dry spices and the water. Bring the bbq sauce to a simmer and cover. Let the sauce sit for at least 30 minutes. If you have to add more water, feel free to do so. The longer the sauce simmers the better. Now, do not let the sauce sit on the stove for a week though as that might turn into a mess.
