BBQ Chicken Pizza with Smoked Gouda (Edit recipe)

Notes

Proof the dough: Allow the dough to sit covered, brushed in olive oil, at room temperature for 1-4 hours until soft and pliable. If you're shaping the crust and it keeps snapping back and won't stay in place, it's not proofed enough. Give it a little more time to proof. Form: You can use olive oil or flour to form your pizza crust. Flour is a little more messy but way more fun to work with. Olive oil is cleaner to work with but can stain your clothes. Use parchment paper: One of the hardest things about making pizza is transferring the formed crust to the oven without making a mess and having a complete meltdown. I've seen it many times, and done it many times - it happens to everyone! One of my BEST TIPS is to line a baking sheet with parchment paper (not wax paper and not foil). Once you have formed the crust, immediately transfer the crust to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Make any adjustments to your crust shape after the transfer. Par bake the dough: To ensure the crust and the bottom of the pizza are completely cooked, you want to blind-bake the crust BEFORE adding any toppings, except olive oil. Brush the pizza crust with olive oil and bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes. It's done when small bubbles have formed, no longer looks doughy, but is still pale in color. Don't use too many toppings: Adding too many toppings to your pizza will result in a soggy mess. Leave a little space between each of the toppings making sure some of the cheese is still visible. Cook at a high temperature: Cook the pizzas at 450F - 500F. A high temperature is necessary for a light crispy crust. Move quickly when opening the oven: You need your oven to be hot when cooking your pizza. Open and close the oven as quickly as possible so all your heat doesn't escape. Check the bottom: As you are checking your pizza for doneness, don't forget to check the bottom to make sure it's cooking through, but also to make sure it's not burning. Rotate pizza: Halfway through cooking (with toppings on) rotate your pizza so that the half that was toward the back of the oven is rotated to the front of the oven. this will ensure the pizza will cook evenly. Check the bottom of your pizza at this time.