Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Teriyaki Pizza

Yeah, that's right!  Might sound like a strange type of pizza, but it's pretty great if you like teriyaki meat and veggies.  This recipe is pretty long, but it's not that difficult to make.  If you get the toppings and sauce prepared ahead of time, you can have this ready to eat in an hour or less.

SAUCE

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
3 tsp. white sugar
1/8 cup water
1 tsp. vinegar
1/8 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. cornstarch

Combine all ingredients except cornstarch in saucepan and mix well.  Set aside 5 - 6 Tbsp. of the mixture. Add cornstarch to saucepan and stir. Cook over medium heat until bubbling, stirring frequently.


TOPPINGS

1 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 lb. of meat)
1/2 a medium sized onion, thinly sliced
1/2 a green or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
5 - 6 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce (no cornstarch)
shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut chicken breast into small chunks or thin strips.  Place in a container or plastic bag with teriyaki sauce and let sit for 15 minutes to 1 hour.  Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and sauce.  Stir fry until chicken is cooked through, and remove from heat.


CRUST

2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. honey
1/8 tsp. ginger
2 - 4 cups flour
2 tsp. sesame oil
4 tsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Combine yeast, water, honey and ginger in large bowl.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Add 2 cups of flour and the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well, adding more flour (1/2 cup at a time) as needed until a soft dough forms.  Knead the dough several times, adding small amounts of flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Coat the dough with a little olive or sesame oil and place in a large bowl.  Cover and let rise for 15 to 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Roll dough out into a pizza crust shape.  Spread on several tablespoons of thickened teriyaki sauce, and add other toppings.  Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbling.


VARIATIONS & FUN TIPS

- You can sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the pizza, or mix a few tablespoons of them into the crust for some extra flavor and crunch.

- The sauce can be thickened in a microwave.  If you use this method, don't leave the sauce unattended because it can burn easily.  Mix the ingredients in a microwave safe container, and cook on high power for 20 - 60 seconds, or until it starts to bubble.  Take it out and stir it.  If it hasn't thickened enough, microwave it until it bubbles again, then stir it.

- Once the chicken is cooked and has cooled for about 5 minutes, push it to one side of the skillet.  Put the onion and pepper in the skillet, keeping them separate from the chicken and each other.  Toss them around a bit to coat them with any leftover sauce in the pan.  Keeping the toppings separate makes it easier to layer them on the pizza.  I tend to put them on in this order: onions, peppers, chicken.  If you don't care about this, then feel free to mix the toppings together.

- Leftover sauce and toppings can be saved for another pizza, or served on top of rice or noodles.