How To: Make Pita Bread Pizzas

I like pizza, a lot.  Anything with pineapple and melted cheese is all right by me.  But, pizza ain’t cheap, son!  Even the frozen variety will run you 6-10 bucks at the grocery store.  That’s why I invented Pita Bread Pizza.  Yes, me.  I invented it.  Patent pending.

Now, you may be thinking, how is that cheaper than buying a frozen pizza, Lightle?  True, while it’s not necessarily cheaper, it is more delicious, and you get the satisfaction of knowing you cooked something.  And you get way more pizzas out of 6-10 bucks of ingredients this way.

To start, pre-heat your oven to 350ish.  Use your imagination, it’s your pizza.  I guess in this picture I went with 375.  There are no rules, I’ll explain more about that later.

Next, you wanna choose your ingredients.  In this example, I chose straight up pineapple and ham, but I have been known to include red peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes in the past.  The sky’s the limit!  Whatever’s in your fridge!

You don’t have to arrange your ingredients artfully like I did.  But you can, I won’t judge.  I know, I know what you’re thinking, yes it’s pre-shredded cheese.  It was on sale, and it lasts FOREVER.  Don’t knock it til you try it.

Now to start cooking.  Place your pitas on a baking sheet and slather with the sauce of your choice.

I’m using whole wheat pita bread and BBQ sauce.  A little unorthodox, but here’s the thing: I don’t have pizza sauce, I don’t really like pizza sauce, and BBQ sauce tastes amazing on pizza.  If you ever find yourself with money and time, get the Tropical Chicken pizza with BBQ sauce instead of Alfredo sauce from Boston Pizza.  You will not regret it.

Moving on to my pizza..Throw some ham on that bad boy!  Yes, I left it as a whole piece of ham.  I am lazy, and believe me, it all worked out in the end.  Now goes on the pineapple.  I love pineapple.  I would eat it in every meal if I could.  Technically, I can, but I don’t for fear that I’ll start to hate it.  Either way, a can of pineapple is a joy to behold.  First, you use however much you want for the dish you’re making.  You also get a snack while it’s cooking, and this time, I decided to make a pineapple/vodka cocktail with the juice.  I’ll always use the pineapple juice in some way because it would be a crime to waste it.  CHEESE!

Time to put it in the oven.  Regardless of temperature, it won’t take long, so don’t go very far.   The pita breads are cooked, so you’re really just melting the cheese and warming up the pineapple and ham.

Look, delicious!

Now, I have a slight advantage, because I have worked for numerous pizza companies in my day (Little Caesars, Panago, and the pizza/salad side of East Side Mario’s) so I know a thing or two about slicing a pizza fresh from the oven.

DON’T DO IT!

Cheese turns to liquid in heat (that’s science), add the juice of the pineapple and the sauce, and you’ve got a mess on your hands.  Wait at least 5 minutes before cutting into your ‘za or you’ll end up with a pile of toppings and soggy pita bread.

Put your meal on a plate, grab your beverage, and enjoy!  I ended up watching the Kid’s Choice Awards while I ate my pizza, which I don’t recommend.

~ by lightle on April 18, 2009.