Ham and Pineapple Pizza on a Sweet Potato Crust

Last week, after I made Sweet Potato Garlic Knots, Neil was chomping at the bit to try the same dough out in a pizza crust. So on Sunday, after spending nearly the entire weekend in the kitchen working on our Pom Wonderful Dinner Party (post coming tomorrow!), we decided to drag ourselves in there one last time to make this awesome Ham and Pineapple pizza on our newly minted Sweet Potato Crust. Sure the pizza itself is nothing groundbreaking, but we couldn’t help but try out a new crust, something we’ve been meaning to do for-e-VER.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
1/2 cup sweet potato puree (canned or fresh)
2 tablespoons olive oil (I used an herbed variety)
1 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3 ½ cups unbleached bread flour (I used ½ bread flour, ½ whole wheat flour)

Our toppings (you can obviously do whatever you like):
2 cups shredded cheese (we used Monty Jack)
¾ cup tomato sauce
¾ cup chopped pineapple
¾ cup ham, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Pepper
Basil
Oregano
Garlic Powder

Directions:

1. To make sweet potato puree: Wash and peel sweet potato and cut into 1-inch squares. Place in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 20-25 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and drain into a colander and return to pot. Mash and allow them to sit while you prepare your other ingredients.
2. Pour warm water into a medium bowl and slowly whisk in yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes, then add honey, olive oil and mashed sweet potato. Whisk until thoroughly combined and smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt. Slowly stir in wet ingredients and continue to stir until it becomes impossible. Then use your hands to continue mixing and slowly start kneading your dough, adding more flour to your hands to keep it from sticking.
4. Once you’ve created your nice dough ball, add olive oil to the bottom of your bowl and roll the dough ball in it until it is coated. Cover with saran wrap or damp towel and store in a dry place (I use my microwave) for one hour.
5. Around the last 15 minute mark, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Flour your hands and roll dough onto a pizza stone or pizza dish. Fold over edge to create a raised outer edge around the crust. Brush crust lightly with olive oil and place in heated oven, baking for 5-8 minutes alone (without toppings).
6. Remove and cover crust with a layer of tomato sauce and the rest of your toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool, then slice and enjoy!

Verdict? The dough makes an AWESOME pizza crust. Lightly sweet and soft, it made an awesome pizza. We were apparently so confident before even tasting it that we went ahead and made two batches, meaning later this week we’ll make another type of pizza.

Any topping suggestions or requests?