Pretzel Crust Pizza with Chorizo Sausage

A homemade pretzel pizza crust topped with a homemade pizza sauce, homemade chorizo sausage, and mozzarella cheese.

servings: 4

total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

recipe by: Frankie

Ingredients

THE PRETZEL DOUGH:
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 cup warm water
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
THE SAUCE:
1 pound roma tomatoes
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
THE CHORIZO:
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
FINISHING THE PIZZA:
olive oil
2 cups water
1 TBSP baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

CONVERSION CALCULATOR

Directions

START THE PRETZEL DOUGH:
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and water then stir in the 1 TBSP of olive oil, and the flour, and the 1/4 tsp salt until well combined.
Knead the dough while in the bowl by hand for 10 minutes then form into a ball.
Drizzle the dough with 1 tsp of olive oil then flip the dough around to coat in the oil.
Loosely cover the bowl and put in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
Use a sharp knife to cut a shallow X mark on the bottom (the opposite side of where the stem would be) of each tomato.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and boil for 1 to 2 minutes or until you see the skins of the tomato begin to peel away.
Drain the tomatoes and rinse under cold water then peel off the skins and discard.
Roughly chop the tomatoes then add the chopped tomatoes and remaining SAUCE ingredients (oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper) to a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, breaking up the tomatoes as they cook, until the tomatoes begin breaking down, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low then cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat, occasionally stirring and breaking up the tomatoes, for about 10 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan and continue to simmer the sauce without the lid, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 more minutes.
Take the sauce off the heat and set aside.
MAKE THE CHORIZO:
Mix together the CHORIZO ingredients (ground pork, smoked paprika, onion, oregano, garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon) until well combined.
Cook the pork mixture in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Take the chorizo off the heat and set aside.
FINISHING THE PIZZA:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Lightly oil a large pizza pan or 18x13-inch baking sheet then stretch the dough to fit inside the pan all the way to the edges.
Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Take the water off the heat and stir in the baking soda until dissolved.
Brush the top of the pizza dough all over with the water mixture until the dough is well saturated, especially around the edges (you wont use all the water mixture, but you should use a good amount of it).
Sprinkle the kosher salt around the edge of the pizza dough then place the dough in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes.
Take the dough out of the oven then spread the sauce on top, not quite to all the way to the edge, just about up to where you sprinkled the kosher salt. Now sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly on top of the sauce, and sprinkle the chorizo sausage evenly on top of the cheese.
Place it back in the oven and bake for about 15 more minutes or until the crust is browned and cheese is melted.