Hawaiian Pizza with Hot Honey and Slow-Roasted Pineapple

Take 500 g of ready-made pizza dough out of the refrigerator, divide it into two 250 g balls, and leave them, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cold dough tears rather than stretches, so let it relax fully before shaping.

Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Toss pineapple chunks with 15 ml olive oil and a pinch of salt, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and roast for 20–25 minutes until the edges are golden and caramelised and most moisture has evaporated. Set aside.

While pineapple roasts, combine hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, minced garlic, oregano, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens noticeably and holds a line when you drag a spoon through it. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.

Raise oven temperature to its maximum setting, ideally 280°C or above, and place a heavy baking steel or pizza stone on the top rack for at least 45 minutes to preheat fully.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch each dough ball by hand into a 30 cm round, working from the centre outward and allowing gravity to help — avoid a rolling pin, which deflates the air bubbles.

Transfer one dough round to a floured pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. Spread half the tomato sauce thinly to within 2 cm of the edge, then scatter half the mozzarella evenly over the sauce.

Distribute half the roasted pineapple and half the torn ham over the cheese, then scatter half the jalapeños across the top.

Slide the pizza onto the preheated steel or stone and bake for 7–9 minutes until the crust is deeply charred in spots and the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown. Repeat with the second pizza.

Remove from the oven, drizzle immediately with hot honey, and scatter fresh basil leaves over each pizza before slicing and serving.