Let's make pup-friendly pizza!
I originally made this recipe for Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, honoring ‘National Pizza Day’ on February 8th. Check it out here.
This recipe will make 12 “dog” pizzas per boule of dough, which is perfect for pup parties or doggy dates. Moderation is key, so treat sparingly!
Note: Do not feed dogs raw dough, or you risk bloat or gastrointestinal upset that can be super serious!
SERVINGS: 12 per dough
TIME: 1 – 2 hours after dough has risen & been kneaded
SAUCE:
Peel 1 sweet potato (can be white or orange), chop into large chunks
Boil for 20 minutes (or until soft)
Cool
Mash until you get a pizza sauce-like consistency
If you don’t have a sweet potato, you can use plain pumpkin or applesauce. Check the ingredients and use only the plainest of the plain - do not use anything with xylitol!
TOPPINGS
If your dog can have poultry, bake 4 strips of turkey bacon at 400°F for 10 minutes. Because these are going back in the oven on the pizzas, avoid overcooking to crispy.
Remove and cool, then crumble or chop into small pieces.
DOUGH
We used homemade dough with the salt and sugar reduced (since our dogs don’t really need extra salt and sugar for taste, it is only used to help the yeast rise).
Homemade dough recipe (yields 4 doughs and 48 mini-pizzas – 12 per dough):
2/3 tsp active dry yeast
1 2/3 c warm water (85 to 100 degrees)
¼ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 c all-purpose flour
2 c bread flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Put the warm water in a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and let sit for 15min to activate. After 15min, add the olive oil.
Meanwhile, in a medium to large-sized bowl, whisk together flour, salt and sugar.
Add the warm water/yeast/olive oil to the dry ingredients bowl.
Begin to knead by pinching, mimicking the look of a dough hook machine with your hands. If the dough seems dry, give it some time, it will release more moisture as you knead it. If the dough is too wet, add a tbsp of flour at a time early on in the kneading process.
After the ingredients have thoroughly mixed, begin to knead properly and pulling the dough around itself until you have a big ball of dough.
Put the big ball in a lightly olive-oiled stainless steel or glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and keep in the fridge for 12 hrs (up to 16). Overnight does the trick pretty well.
After it’s risen overnight, you’re going to take the dough and let it warm up to room temp for about 30 minutes. Proceed to knead again, then divide into 4 even quarters. Shape those into their own smaller balls (boules). You’ll only be using one boule for 12 servings, so take the three extra and freeze them. Leave the one you’re going to use out, and let it rise again until it doubles in size.
PIZZA CONSTRUCTION
Starting kneading the dough and then smooth out with a rolling pin. You’ll need to shape it (or cut) to the desired size. For larger dogs, baking the dough in a muffin tin works great; for smaller ones, try a mini-muffin tin. You will have to brush the tin with olive oil or use cupcake liners. You can also make individual pizzas and cook on a stone as well.
After shaping, top with a layer of the sweet potato/applesauce/pumpkin sauce. Then, sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella and top with the turkey bacon.
BAKING
Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes. If not done, put ’em back in for 5 minutes. Cool completely before serving.