Capsicum
Originating from New Zealand, this Capsicum (Chili Peppers) pizza is a scrummy pizza worth eating.
Pizza in New Zealand
Naples-style pizza is very popular throughout New Zealand, with a crunchy, crispy crust with a selection of toppings that are local from New Zealand, as well as imported Aged Cheeses and Meats.
Take a look at some of the other pizzas from New Zealand here.
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Type | Vegetarian |
| Sauce | Chili Sauce |
Capsicum Pizza Recipe
Below we’ve put together a recipe for you to make your own homemade Capsicum Pizza whether it be in your wood fired pizza oven or using a pizza stone.
| Dough | 2 hours |
| Assembly | 10 minutes |
| Baking | 12-20 minutes |
Capsicum Pizza Ingredients
Choose enough of the toppings that you will need for the amount of pizzas you plan to make. The dough and sauce are designed for 3-4 medium sized pizzas, so scale up or down, based on your requirements.
Simple Pizza dough
- 7 grams (2 tsps) dried yeast
- 250 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water
- 2 2/3 cups (400 grams) 00 fine flour
- 2 tsps salt
- 1/4 cup (3 tbsp) olive oil
Capsicum Pizza Toppings
Toppings used in this pizza recipe, are;
- Mozzarella
- Chili Peppers
Chili Tomato Pizza Sauce
- 6 oz (170gms) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tsp. fried red chilli flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
- salt to taste
Want to try a different sauce? See our article on the different types of pizza sauces.
TIP
You can click on any of the tags at the bottom of this page, to find other pizzas besides Capsicum Pizza, that use that topping.
Pizza Dough Method
Either make your own pizza dough following the simple steps below, or buy a premade pizza base at your local store.
- Whisk yeast and lukewarm water in a jug. Leave sitting for roughly five minutes.
- Add flour and salt in a large bowl. Create a well in the centre of the flour. Pour in the liquid yeast mixture and the oil.
- Using dough mixer or hands, gently mix dough until smooth. Place pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface and then knead by hand for five minutes.
- Lightly oil a bowl, and place mixture in and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size.
- Pour dough mix out onto a clean, floured surface. Now hand knead gently for another five minutes.
- Divide dough mixture into equal sized balls. Hand stretch or roll out the bases to the expected size.
- Spread some flour on kitchen bench before rolling, in order to prevent sticking.
TIP: We have other dough recipes if you would like to try your hand at sourdough, poolish or more.
Chili Sauce Method
You can either make your own pizza sauce following the simple steps below, or you can purchase a pizza sauce at your local store.
- Stir in all ingredients in glass jar.
- Place in fridge for at least 3 hours.
- May be used after this time, or keep in fridge.
- May freeze up to 3 months.
You can swap tomato for BBQ sauce and more. There’s plenty of options.
Preparing Capsicum Pizza
Preheat your kitchen oven to approximately 500 degrees.
Roll out the dough to either slightly smaller than your pizza stone (if you have one) or on a metal tray for the kitchen oven.
Alternatively, if you have a pizza oven, roll out to be smaller than your pizza peel.
First, spread the sauce around. This pizza calls for Chili Sauce. Spread the Chili Sauce evenly using the back of a large spoon or the blunt side of a knife.
You should start by adding the largest ingredients, then work your way down. The last is any cheese topping, such as Mozzarella, which you should evenly cover the other toppings with, and then finally any herbs.
The toppings to include on this pizza are;
- Mozzarella
- Chili Peppers
This pizza is mouthwatering as is, or you could make some homemade garlic bread as well?
Cooking
Put the Capsicum pizza on the middle shelf in oven, and wait ten minutes.
After approximately 10 minutes, open oven door and check on pizza.
The pizza should be done within roughly 15 minutes. Always cook to personal tastes.
About Mozzarella
Fresh Mozzarella is typically white, however when seasoned it can change to light yellow, depending on the animal’s diet. Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day after it is made, however it can be kept in brine for a week, or even longer if packaged well.
Mozzarella was first cited in an Italian cookbook in 1570. Nowadays, Mozzarella can be twisted to form a plait, and called Treccia. You can also buy it as a smoked cheese, called Affumicata.
Pizza Tools
When making Capsicum Pizza, I always recommend that you use what you have available, without spending lots of money. My basic pizza tool list is…
Pizza Stone
A pizza stone is a great way to up your pizza game at home. Read more about cooking with a Pizza Stone.
Pizza Steel
Very similar to a pizza stone, a pizza steel is made of, you guessed it, steel. It’s a great modern method to heat pizza well in a normal oven.
Glass Measuring Jug
A good quality, heavy glass measuring jug with clear marking for various measures to me is a must. I hate taking chances with portions, so it’s an important tool for me.
Capsicum
Capsicum is a type of flowering plants that are cultivated worldwide for their bell pepper or chili pepper fruit. In many countries, Capsicum is interchangeable with Bell Peppers for the name of the fruit.
Capsicums are very nutritious, full of antioxidants that may reduce inflammation, protect cholesterol and fats from oxidative damage and decrease cancer risk.
Pizza Facts
Thesse facts will interest you.
We love maths
There is a mathematical theorem named after pizza cutting. The pizza theorem is so called because it mimics a traditional pizza slicing technique. It states that the equality of two areas that arise when one partitions a disk in a certain way.
Largest pizza delivery
The largest pizza delivery was organised by Pizzas 4 Patriots (USA), who sent 30,000 pizzas with DHL Express to the United States Armed Forces, in Kandahar Airfield, Bagram Airbase and Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on 4 July 2012. The 12 inch pizzas were made by Great Kitchens, Inc. in Illinois in June 2012.
Salami in space
Pizza Hut made history when they sent a 6-inch salami pizza via a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachov munched on the treat and even took marketing photos.
Pizza making FAQ
Want to know how to make great pizza at home? Here are some helpful answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Can I use Baking Powder instead of yeast?
I don’t recommend using baking powder as a replacement at all. Baking powder is a chemical leavener. It isn’t the same as yeast at all. Yeast is an organism that enables pizza dough to develop richer flavors and texture. Types of bread that are made with chemical leaveners are a totally different texture than pizza.
Can I use durum wheat flour for pizza dough?
It depends; if it’s fine enough, yes. Durum wheat is a variety that is usually ground down to make semolina, which is used to make pasta. If it is ground into a finer flour, it can be used to make pizza dough and breads.
Should I double every ingredient when making pizza dough?
Not typically, no. If a pizza recipe states that, it may be inferring that to get twice the dough you need twice the ingredients. See our baker’s percentage guide on why we should use baker’s percent rather than fixed ingredient amounts. It makes a lot of sense!
Have you made Capsicum Pizza?
Let us know what you think of Capsicum Pizza! Tag us on our Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you thought of it! I’d love to know.
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