Chicken, Bacon, Tomato Ranch Pizza

It happened folks. I made my first pizza dough from scratch and lived to tell you about it. Remember, I was nervous/worried/freaked out on Saturday about this dough. It didn't seem to be rising at all. I waited more than 3 hours to see what would happen. If I told you what I did to see if I could get it to rise, you'd probably never take me seriously again. Let's just say it all worked out somehow and I am so happy to be sharing this with you!

I followed the directions for this dough to a T (except for allowing the dough to "rise" for more than three hours). After punching it and waiting another 30 minutes I rolled it out on the counter. My jaw dropped when I discovered how easy it was to roll out. I thought it was going to be sticky and stick to the rolling pin or be super tough. Neither one happened. It rolled out smoothly, gliding across my counter effortlessly. I was in shock.

I decided to go with one of my favorite pizza recipes for the topping. I topped it with chicken, bacon, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and ranch dressing. Ranch, you say? Yeah, I thought it was weird too- but it's SO GOOD!

I was all giddy as it was baking up in the oven. I had to resist the urge to pull open the oven door 2324 times. The kitchen smelled amazing.

Sadly, I don't own a pizza stone (one of the many items I don't have in my kitchen!) so I set it on a cutting board to slice.

Oh sweet Jesus.

The hubbs and I settled on the couch with our slices to watch Megamind. Super cute, funny movie. Have you seen it?

For the dough
Source: How Sweet It Is

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, honey and oil, mixing with a spoon to form into a ball. Continue mixing with your hands and kneed for about 60 seconds. Lightly oil bowl and add dough back in. Cover and let rise for 2-3 hours.

After 2-3 hours, remove from bowl and punch down. Roll back into ball and let sit for 30 minutes.

Lay on lightly floured surface and roll very thin. Top with toppings and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For the Toppings
Source: adapted from Buon Appetito

1/2 ranch dressing, or enough to cover the dough
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
6 cherry tomatoes (1/2 can of diced tomatoes works too)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I omitted it this time, but have topped it with onions in the past)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread ranch dressing over dough. Top with cheeses, chicken, bacon, and tomatoes. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?