How to Make Healthy Hawaiian Pizza

Hawaiian pizza is often a favorite among pizza lovers, but it’s not beneficial to the waistline. With a little tweaking to the recipe, however, you can produce a healthy, low-calorie version that can satisfy the strongest pizza craving. This recipe is sure to leave you feeling guilt-free.

Things You'll Need

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Electric Beaters
• Mixing Spoon
• Set of Measuring Cups
• Set of Measuring Spoons
• Rolling Pin
• 2 Greased Pizza Pans
• 1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 15oz. cans of Low-Sodium Pizza Sauce
• 4 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Package of Low-Fat Deli-Sliced Ham
• Fresh Pineapple
• Oregano
• Italian Seasoning
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Prepare two wheat pizza crusts. See Section 2 for more information.

3. Chop the fresh pineapple into bite-sized chunks.

4. Cube the deli ham. Stack 6 to 8 slices of ham on a cutting board. Make vertical slices about a quarter inch apart, then make horizontal slices.

5. Spread the cans of low-sodium sauce over the hot, half-baked crusts. If you couldn’t find low sodium sauce at the grocery store, you can make your own. See Resources for more information.

6. Put on the pizza toppings. Sprinkle 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese over each pizza. Add the cubed ham and pineapple chunks to taste. Season your pizza with a few pinches of Italian seasoning and oregano. Top the pizza with a small handful of parmesan cheese if desired.

7. Bake the pizza for 15 more minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and bubbly. The crust should be brown.

Making Wheat Pizza Crust

1. Combine 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour with the package of yeast and the ¼ teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl. Stir until the ingredients are blended, then add the cup of warm water. Mix in two tablespoons of olive oil.

2. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer on high speed for three minutes.

3. Stir in as much of the wheat flour as you can using a mixing spoon. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

4. Knead in as much of the remaining wheat flour as needed to make moderately stiff dough. Continue to knead the dough for six minutes until it is smooth and elastic. See Resources for more information.

5. Divide the dough in half, and let it rest for ten minutes.

6. Roll each ball of dough into a 13 inch circle and transfer to the greased pizza pan. Build up the edges of the circles slightly to form the pizza crust and pop them into the oven for 6 to 8 minutes until they are just beginning to lightly brown.

Tips & Warnings

• The cup of water should be around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It should be warm to the touch, but not hot. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast, but if it's too cold the yeast won't activate.

• Always add flour to the dough a little at a time. It usually doesn't take the maximum amount of flour listed in the recipe, so if you dump it in all at once you may end up with more than you need.

• When you are measuring flour, don't pack it into the cups. Flour compacts easily. You could end up adding much more flour than necessary and getting a tough, chewy crust. Instead, spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cup, and level it off with a knife.

Resources

• How to knead dough
• Recipe for low-sodium sauce
• How to select and slice a fresh pineapple