With a crisp and soft deep homemade deep dish crust, this Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Candied Bacon is inspired by everyone’s favorite party snack. Topped with gooey cream cheese, spicy jalapenos, and sweet candied bacon, this deep dish pizza is perfect for snacking or dinner.
I still remember the first time I made this Deep Dish Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Candied Bacon. It was probably 4 or so years ago, and we were headed over to a friend’s house to watch football, and obviously we needed some tasty snacks. When talking about ideas, we thought maybe deep dish pan pizza or bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. Then it hit us, we should combine the two! With that this Jalapeno Popper Pizza was born. And it was a huge hit!
However, I also remember that while the pizza was delicious that first time we made it, it was also way hotter than any of us anticipated.
That summer I had grown some jalapenos in my garden, and thanks to an unusually sunny, hot, and dry summer, the jalapenos were super fiery hot. We are talking bright red with those brown cracks or heat lines all over them. The jalapenos were delicious, but they were almost too spice to enjoy. Nevertheless, we gobbled up that pizza one fiery bite after another, and this Jalapeno Popper Pizza became a favorite.
Using a crust similar to my favorite deep dish pizza dough (as used in this Philly Cheese Steak Pizza), the crust is perfectly crisp on the bottom, with soft, light bubbles and air pockets throughout. This pizza is topped with not one, not two, but three cheeses, making it extra gooey and cheesy. Finally, the crispy candied bacon is sweet and savory, making it the perfect complement to the spicy jalapenos.
After having learned from that first mistake, now when I make this pizza, I make sure to test how spicy the jalapenos are before using them, so I can adjust accordingly. If your jalapenos are really hot or you want to tame the heat, just remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos when slicing.
You can also skip the pepper jack cheese and substitute monterey jack or just us all mozzarella if you want this even less spicy.
How Do I Make Homemade Deep Dish Pizza Dough for this Jalapeno Popper Pizza?
To make this Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Candied Bacon, the first step is making the homemade deep dish pizza dough. While the process takes some time for the dough to rise, it is basically a really simple process. For this no-knead deep dish pizza dough, you just measure out the ingredients, mix them together until just mixed, and then cover with plastic wrap and let the yeast do its thing. The dough needs to rise for at least 8 hours up to 24. At this stage, the dough may look wet and sticky, but that is OK.
After rising, your transfer the dough to a well floured surface, divide the dough into 2 even pieces, and form it gently into a ball. Place one ball of dough into a 10 inch cast iron skillet or round cake pan, cover with plastic, and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours before cooking.
This recipe makes enough dough for two deep dish pizzas. If you are only cooking one, you can transfer one ball of dough to a sealed zipper top bag or container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage. When ready to cook the dough (thaw in refrigerator if frozen), then continue with the next step by adding it to the pan and letting it sit at room temp.
After the dough rests, you are ready to top, and bake in a super hot oven. Then enjoy!
This Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Candied Bacon is definitely one of my favorite splurges for pizza night. Plus it’s quick and easy, making even great for a quick weeknight dinner (as long as you are on top of things enough to remember to make the dough the night before, which I wish I can say I always am).
If you aren’t into spicy jalapenos but are looking to mix up your traditional pizza night, try my Philly Cheese Steak Pizza that uses a similar easy homemade deep dish pizza dough topped with tender steak, peppers and onions, and gooey, melty cheese. What are some of your favorite twists on a classic pizza?
Deep Dish Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Candied Bacon
Ingredients
No-Knead Deep Dish Pizza Dough
- 2 ½ cups bread flour + extra for sprinkling
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground chipotle pepper
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tsp olive oil + extra for drizzling
- 1 cup + 3-4 tbs warm water
Jalapeno Popper Pizza with Candied Bacon
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 4 strips candied bacon (see recipe link in notes)
- 1 - 2 jalapenos (thinly sliced, seeds and membranes removed if desired)
Instructions
- About 8 – 24 hours before you are ready to eat, make the dough by combining dry ingredients in a very large bowl and stirring to combine. The bowl should be at least 4 – 6 times the volume of the dough to allow for rising. Add 2 tsp olive oil and water to dry ingredients and stir with hands or a wooden spoon. Stir until no dry flour remains, the dough should be somewhat wet, you may need a little more or less water.
- Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature (no hotter than 75°) for at least 8 hours, up to 24. After resting, the dough should rise dramatically. It will also look pretty wet and sticky on top, that is OK.
- Sprinkle flour liberally over your work surface and hands, then transfer dough on to surface. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, by gently tucking the dough underneath itself and rotating until it forms a tight ball.
- Pour 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the center of a 10 inch cast iron skillet or round cake pan (see note), and add one ball of dough to skillet. Use a flat palm to gently press the dough into the pan, flattening it slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature an additional 2 hours. See note for saving the remaining ball of dough.
- About 15 – 30 minutes before dough is done resting, preheat oven to 550° (If your oven does not get that hot, set it to the highest temperature. You may need to adjust cooking time slightly).
- After 2 hours, the dough should be mostly filling up the pan to the edges. Using your fingertips, press the dough around the pan until it fills to the edges. Pop any large air bubbles that you see, careful not to poke all of the way through the dough. If necessary, lift the edges of the dough to let out any air bubbles that are trapped underneath.
- Microwave cream cheese about 15 - 30 seconds until it is hot and melted, this will make it easier to spread.
- With a spoon, spread cream cheese gently over the dough. Top with both shredded cheeses, thinly sliced jalapenos, and candied bacon.
- Bake on center rake in a preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is bubbly and hot. If the bottom of your pizza does not get quite crisp enough, you can set the cast iron pan on the stove over medium heat and cook for a couple of minutes, moving the pan around to ensure it doesn’t burn in one spot.
- Remove from pan, slice, and enjoy!