Jalapeño Popper Pizza

Jalapeño Popper Pizza
If you’re a fan of jalapeño poppers of the bacon wrapped variety, this pie is for you. This pizza has a cream cheese sauce, cheddar cheese, freshly sliced jalapeños, bacon, and flecks of cream cheese.
Equipment
- pizza pan or pizza stone
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe or half off thin crust
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 oz cream cheese divided
- 6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 large jalapeños thinly sliced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk. Cook for 2 minutes.

- Pour in the milk and whisk out any lumps. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened.

- Whisk in 2/3rds of the cream cheese. Turn off the heat.

- Roll out the pizza dough to your desired thickness. Spread out the cream cheese sauce, leaving a 1/4” edge of crust.

- Layer the cheddar cheese across the pizza, followed by the bacon and jalapeños. Place tsp flecks of the remaining cream cheese all over the pizza.

- Bake the pizza in a 475° oven for 12-15 minutes.



Pizza Dough
For the last 8 months, I’ve been trying to perfect the perfect standard pizza dough. Through lots of trial and error, I think I may have done it. This recipe is basic and straightforward, yielding what I consider a really good medium thickness crust for a 14” pizza. If you divide the dough into two, you will have 2 – 12” thin crust pizzas. Once assembled, these pizzas bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes depending on the crust thickness and the type of pan or pizza stone you use. This dough can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can also be frozen.
Equipment
- upright standing mixer with dough hook attachment
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour plus extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast and sugar. Dissolve in the warm water and let activate until bubbly; about 5 minutes.

- Mix the flour and salt in an upright standing mixer for 30 seconds on low. Pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.

- Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will pull away completely from the side of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.

- Gently flour a clean surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour the top.

- Using either your hands or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough to your desired thickness.


