Wholemeal Sweet Chilli Chicken and Spinach Pizza

Nothing beats the satisfaction that comes from making homemade pizza. The aroma that fills the kitchen and savouring the first bite make the work all worth it! This here is going to be a bit of a long recipe as we are going to prepare everything from scratch, i.e our dough, base sauce and topping. We’re going to start our preparation in that order.

Note: To julienne is to cut vegetables or meat into short or long strips (of more or less the same size) which can be thick or thin depending on application and preference.

Equipment

• Bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring scale
• Measuring jug
• Wooden spoons
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Medium sized pot
• Frying pan
• Grater
• Pizza Pan

Instructions

1. Get your ingredients together. These includeFOR THE DOUGH350g brown Flour
   1 tbsp granulated sugar
   2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
   2 tbsp vegetable oil
   250ml warm water
   4 tbsp brown flour (extra

   FOR THE BASE SAUCE

   2 tbsp vegetable oil
   Tinned Onion and Tomato Mix
   2 tsp fresh origanum, chopped
   2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
   3 cloves garlic, chopped
   ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
   ½ tsp Red Seal salt

   FOR THE TOPPING

   3 tbsp vegetable oil
   250g chicken breast, julienned
   ½ tsp salt
   2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
   ½ medium red pepper, julienned
   ½ medium green pepper, julienned
   ½ medium green pepper, julienned
   3 cloves garlic, chopped

   BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

   Wholemeal Pizza Dough
   Tomato and Onion Base Sauce
   Chicken and Spinach Topping
   200g mozzarella cheese, grated
   2 spinach leaves

2. To prepare the dough, put your brown flour into a bowl, excluding the extra 4 tbsp. Add sugar and mix. Add the yeast and mix again.
3. Make a hole in the middle. Add the oil and warm water. Mix until a sticky dough is formed.
4. Lightly flour your working area with the extra brown flour. Knead the dough for about 15 min or until it’s smooth and stretchy. This is to ensure the gluten forms which will aid in raising the dough.
5. Lightly grease the same bowl you were using with a bit more oil. Put your dough into the bowl lightly brush it with more oil on the top.
6. Cover the bowl with cling wrap or a slightly damp dish towel. Place the bowl in a warm place until the dough doubles in size (about 1 hr). After which, knock the air out of the dough, knead it for 5 min and it’s ready to use.
7. As the dough is rising, you can prepare the base sauce. Put oil in pot. Add garlic, basil and origanum. Fry on low heat for 3 min, stirring regularly. The low heat helps the oil to adopt the flavour of the herbs.
8. Add the tinned tomato and onion mix and increase heat to medium-high. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow the base sauce to cook for 5-10 min, again stirring regularly. Allow to cool completely before using on the pizza.
9. As the base sauce is cooling down, prepare the topping.  Heat oil in pan, add garlic and chicken breast strips. Fry until it’s beginning to brown.
10. Add salt and sweet chilli sauce. Fry for 2-3 min, stirring as you go. Add the peppers and fry for another 2 min. Set aside and allow topping to cool down completely before using on pizza.
11. Now all our elements are ready. We will now assemble the pizza. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ Gas Mark 3.
12. Divide your dough into almost equal parts (about 65:35 ratio) Lightly flour your working area with a bit more brown flour. Roll out the dough into a thin-medium circular shape. Lightly grease your pizza pan with  vegetable oil.
13. Using your rolling pin, roll the pizza dough onto the pizza pan. Prick the dough with a fork so the pizza base won’t puff up when baking in the oven.
14. Spread the base sauce evenly over the pizza base. Add your chicken topping evenly on top of the base sauce. Break the spinach leaves on top of the chicken.
15. Finally, add the grated cheese as the final topping. Bake in preheat oven for 8-10 min or until cheese has melted and pizza base is cooked. Enjoy!