Hawaiian Pizza with Pineapple and Salami

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Instead of ham, this pineapple-topped pie uses Genoa salami. With creamy mozzarella and an oregano-tinged sauce, it's sure to convert any pineapple pizza skeptics.

Hawaiian New York Pizza
Photo: Bella Graves
Active Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Rest Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Chill Time:
8 hrs
Total Time:
12 hrs
Servings:
4

Fresh, homemade pizza can be supremely satisfying, and this Hawaiian pizza recipe from creative director-turned-professional pizza baker Miriam Weiskind turns out a next-level pie.

Frequently asked questions

What tools are needed to make pizza at home?

Beyond your oven, you'll also need a food scale, a pizza peel (Weiskind recommends one with a thin tip for easier launching), baking steel, a mixing bowl, a spatula, a pizza slicer, a pizza screen, and finally, a pizza tray.

What is the trick to good pizza dough?

Great pizza starts with great dough. Weiskind's recipe calls for bread flour (preferably King Arthur), active dry yeast, cold water (ideally filtered, don't use distilled), fine sea salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. The latter helps give the dough elasticity, she says.

Throughout the dough-making process, the dough goes through a few stages of kneading and then rest. The final resting period in the refrigerator lasts anywhere from overnight to five days, During that time, Weiskind explains that the dough "has been forming gas and carbon dioxide," resulting in the bubbles you'll see in the dough, and that it becomes more flavorful as it ages.

What are the ingredients in a Hawaiian pizza?

Pork and pineapple are a dream combination in this homemade salty-sweet pizza. Weiskind's pie starts out with uncooked tomato sauce and Pecorino Romano as the initial layers. Instead of ham, it's topped with Genoa salami, followed by mozzarella, and then finally, pineapple.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

One of the biggest mistakes that home cooks make with pineapple pizza, Weiskind notes, is using chunks of pineapple straight from a can rather than cutting up fresh pineapple. Here, you'll need about a cup of fresh pineapple cut into quarter-inch wedges. Be sure to pat the fruit dry before topping the pizzas.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3 ½ cups (550 grams) bread flour (preferably King Arthur), plus more for kneading and shaping the dough

  • ¾ teaspoon (3 grams) active dry yeast

  • 1 ½ cups cold water, preferably filtered (not distilled)

  • 1 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) fine sea salt

  • 1 tablespoon Italian or Californian extra-virgin olive oil

Pizzas

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, such as Bianco diNapoli

  • Pinch of dried oregano

  • 2 tablespoons water, or as needed

  • 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, halved then cut into ¼-inch thick slices

  • Grated Pecorino Romano

  • 4 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami 

  • 1 cup ¼-inch-thick wedges fresh pineapple, patted dry

Directions

Make the dough

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and yeast. Mound the flour mixture in the middle of the bowl. Add the water to the bowl around the mound of flour. Slowly stir the water while gradually knocking the flour from the pile into the water. It should start to get shaggy. Use your hand to fold and knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a rough ball, adding more water by the teaspoonful if the dough doesn't come together. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes to allow the gluten to bond and activate.

  2. Sprinkle the salt on top of the dough. Gently press into the dough and begin to gently squeeze and knead until the dough no longer feels grainy, about 4 minutes. Add the oil and sprinkle lightly with flour; squeeze the dough and knead it until the oil is absorbed, about 4 minutes. Once the ball is mostly smooth, transfer to a work surface and let rest for 2 minutes.

  3. Dust the dough with a little bit of flour and begin to stretch, fold, and knead it until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. The dough is ready when you can pull a piece and it doesn't break but rather forms a see-through windowpane.

  4. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut the dough into 4 even pieces. Knead each one and form a smooth ball and pinch the bottom edges together. Place each round into a lightly oiled pint-sized plastic container. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or up to 5 days).

Make the pizzas

  1. Bring the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for an hour. Meanwhile, arrange the oven rack about 4 inches from the source of heat, (the top or bottom of the oven depending on what type of oven you have). Place a pizza steel, pizza stone, or a rimless or inverted baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500°F; let it heat up for 45 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl. Using an immersion blender, gently break down the tomatoes (you can also do this with your hands). Mix in a pinch of oregano and up to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to thin sauce. Place the sliced mozzarella in a bowl lined with paper towels to drain the extra moisture from the cheese.

  3. When the oven is fully preheated, proceed with assembling your pizzas. Place a handful of semolina into a medium bowl. Add 1 dough round to the bowl and turn to coat. Sprinkle a work surface with semolina and stretch or roll the dough into a 10- to 12-inch round. Sprinkle semolina flour on a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet and set the dough on top. Top with about 6 tablespoons of the sauce, spreading it over the dough in ever-expanding circles with the back of a spoon and leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with some of the pecorino and top evenly with 1 ounce of the salami slices. Top evenly with 3 ounces of mozzarella and ¼ cup of pineapple.

  4. Carefully slide the pizza from the peel to the pizza stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, rotating it halfway through baking, 6 to 8 minutes. Slide the pizza back onto the peel and transfer it to a cutting board; quickly slice pizza and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining dough, sauce, and toppings to make three additional pizzas.

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