Black pizza with chipotle BBQ chicken & mushrooms recipe (2024)

Dough: (make the day before)

• 700 gms strong flour like doppio 00
• 2 Tbsp activated charcoal powder
• 2 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 ¾ cup ice cold water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Polenta or semolina flour for baking

Tomato Sauce: (double if necessary)

• 2 Tbps olive oil
• 1/2 red onion finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 x 410gms tin of chopped peeled tomatoes
• Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
• 2 tsp sugar
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Toppings:

• 2 balls of fior di latte or soft mozzarella, torn into small shards
• 150 - 200 gms Kerrygold Vintage Cheddar grated
• 2 chicken breasts cut into thin strips
• 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1 red onion sliced
• Approx. 200gms mushrooms thinly sliced
• Fresh basil leaves to garnish

• Make the dough the day before. Sift the flour, activated charcoal, salt and yeast into a bowl of a stand mixer. Using a spoon, stir in the cold water and olive oil (or use the paddle attachment on low) until all the ingredients are combined. Once it has come together, replace it with a dough hook and mix for about 5 – 7 minutes on medium speed until you have a smooth and elastic dough that clear the sides of the bowl but will still be sticking to the bottom. It should be soft and springy to the touch.

• Tip the dough onto a floured surface and using a sharp knife or pastry scraper cut into 4 equal balls. You could also make 6 small pizzas which would be easier to handle. Prepare a baking sheet lined with baking paper and give it a light spritz with olive oil spray (if you have). Gently shape and lift each dough ball onto the baking paper and slip into a large plastic bag. Ensure the plastic bag has air inside to prevent it from touching the dough and loosely seal or tuck it under the baking pan and store in the fridge overnight.

• Make the BBQ chicken in advance. Toss the strips with the BBQ sauce and pan fry until golden and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. You can make this the day before too.

• Take the pizza dough out about an hour before you want to bake it and store in a warmish place. Preheat the oven to the highest temperate 250C / 480F and heat a pizza stone in the oven on the lowest third rack in the oven (the position one below the middle). It should take between 45min – 1 hour to preheat the oven and the stone. If you do not have a pizza stone, bake the pizza on the bottom of a turned over baking sheet (but don’t preheat it)

• Make the sauce while the oven is preheating. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sauté the onion until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer on a gentle heat for about 30 – 40 minutes. Use a potato crusher to break down any large pieces of tomato. Set aside for when you are ready to use it.

• The dough is very soft and pliable, and it is difficult to roll. The best way is to flour a surface and your hands and then gently tease out the dough to a more or less round shape. You could place it over your floured knuckles and try to stretch it out that way too but that is fairly difficult for a first-time pizza maker. I find it easiest to place a square of baking paper onto a pizza paddle (peel) and then sprinkle that with polenta (or semolina flour). Then shape the pizza on top of that which ensures it will not stick to the paddle when you slide it onto the pizza stone in the oven. Once the pizza has been shaped and placed on the pizza paddle, let it rest for 5 minutes. It should develop a few bubbles on the surface. This relaxes the gluten.

• When you are ready to bake, spread over some tomato sauce, then the mozzarella, the grated Cheddar and finally the mushrooms, chicken strips and sliced onions. Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes and until the cheese is bubbling and the dough has puffed up around the edges. It should be crispy on the bottom.

• Serve immediately then make the next pizza.