Introduction: Blueberry BBQ Bacon Goat Cheese Pizza

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About: Computer Science, Technology & Engineering, and Mathematics High School Teacher

This is my attempt at remaking a pizza I had at The Cruise in Tichigan, WI. That is not a spelling error.....Tichigan.

This pizza is a monster that comes together beautifully. The BBQ sauce and blueberries complement one another wonderfully. The pizza is made using a BBQ sauce base, with BBQ grilled chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, blueberries, mozzarella, and goat cheese.

I made two versions of this pizza, one with meat and one with a vegetarian meat substitute.

Supplies

Pizza Crust Recipe

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Pizza Toppings

  • BBQ Sauce
  • Blueberries
  • Mozzarella
  • Goat Cheese
  • Caramelized Onions
  • Bacon or Fake Bacon
  • Grilled BBQ Chicken or the Fake Version

Equipment

  • Parchment Paper
  • Cookie Sheets
  • Mixer
  • Oven
  • Basic Cooking Junk

Step 1: Marinate and Grille (looks Fancier Than Grill) Chicken, or Don't

Ingredients

  • Chicken
  • BBQ Sauce

Materials

  • Plastic Bag

Equipment

  • Grill

Procedure

  1. The day before you grille the chicken, marinate the chicken in your favorite BBQ sauce and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. You do not need much sauce.
  2. Grille the chicken
  3. Slice the chicken into bite size pieces.
  4. Coat in BBQ sauce.

OR.........just skip steps 1-2. Buy some already grilled chicken and toss it in the oven. That works too.

Step 2: Bacon Time

Ingredients

  • Bacon

Equipment

  • Skillet vs. Oven

Procedure

  • Choose your own adventure in cooking the bacon - skillet vs. oven. I did this both ways so that the haters cannot give me too much slack about choosing one method over the other [insert your favorite haters song here].

Step 3: Caramelize Those Onions

I start this step before even making the crust. This takes time, but is well worth it. Start this step now so that the onions are ready when the pizza is ready to be topped. Do not rush the onions.

Ingredients

  • Onions (I used two Large Yellow Onions)
  • 3 Tablespoons of Butter
  • 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons of Wine or Balsamic Vinegar

Procedure

  • I am not a master caramelizer of onions, but web searches are a wonderful thing. Here is a step by step guide on how to caramelize onions. Below is an overview because we are all lazy:
  1. Cut up the onions in slices
  2. Heat up the butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat
  3. Add the sliced up onions and sprinkle with salt
  4. Move/turn the onions every once and a while
  5. If the onions are sticking to the pan, de-glaze those suckers with the wine or balsamic vinegar.

  • Now you are a master.

Step 4: Finally.....Making the Pizza Crust

I have been using this recipe for years. It comes out tasty and is easy to work with.

Pizza Crust Recipe

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
  2. In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
  4. Lay parchment paper down on two cookie sheets while the dough rests. If you want to be extra fancy you can dust some corn meal over the parchment paper for funzies.
  5. Split the dough in half to make two pizzas.
  6. Toss the pizza or roll the pizza out.

Advice on Tossing Pizza Like a Boss

  • So you have never tossed a pizza before....Well, your skill set is going to greatly improve and you will automatically become way cooler. You are welcome.

  1. Coat your hands in olive oil.
  2. Work the dough from the center-out with your thumbs to form a disc.
  3. Throw the pizza in the air while rotating your wrists so that the pizza spins in the air. Each time the pizza's diameter will increase.
  4. Next, lay the pizza dough on the parchment paper and patch any holes you may have made. There will be more dough on the edges for the crust, so you can steal dough there and patch your masterpiece.

Advice on Failing Spectacularly

  • Now, if you fail, reshape the dough into a ball and start over. This skill takes awhile to learn. If all else fails, do the following: turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Not as cool, but it's effective.
  • What you do not see in the picture are my dogs by my feet waiting for the dropped dough.

Step 5: Toppings!!! One Vegetarian and One Definitely Not.

Good job, pizza tossing master! Now we move onto the toppings.

Pizza Toppings

  • BBQ Sauce
  • Blueberries
  • Mozzarella
  • Goat Cheese
  • Caramelized Onions
  • Bacon or Fake Bacon
  • Grilled BBQ Chicken or the Fake Version

Procedure

  1. Coat the pizza with BBQ sauce for the base sauce.
  2. Add the cheeses to coat the pizza. I do not measure, but just break off hunks of cheese and carpet the pizza.
  3. Sprinkle on blueberries. I use a fistful or so.
  4. Add the caramelized onions. I use a whole onion on each pizza.
  5. Add the chicken or fake version.
  6. Add the bacon or fake version.

Step 6: Bake and Eat

I coat the pizza's crust with a small amount of olive oil before tossing it in the oven. I just use my fingers. This gives it a nice color and adds crispiness to the pizza. You can get creative here and mix the olive oil with some garlic powder or other ingredients if you want.

Bake the pizza in a preheated (400 F) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.