Paneer Tikka Pizza Recipe (with whole wheat crust)

Paneer Tikka Pizza – delicious homemade pizza with an Indian twist/flavor; spicy paneer tikka with bell peppers and onions as toppings!

Ever since I ate my first pizza at Pizza Hut in US after my marriage, I became a pizza lover for life! You may not believe it, but pizza was always on my dinner menu at least once a week! Of course, I baked my own crust but with store bought pizza sauce available easily there, making homemade pizzas was a breeze!

After returning to India in the 90s, pizza was not common here. I had to satiate my pizza craving and so, as they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”; I ended up making my version of pizza sauce which I follow to date!

Normal pizzas were the way I learnt on my stay there; homemade base, now, homemade sauce, the regular toppings of bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, olives etc. and lots of mozzarella cheese!

Today, my craving was for some paneer and pizza and what best than to make Paneer Tikka Pizza!

Everyone knows what paneer tikka is; chunks of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) are marinated in a spicy yogurt sauce along with veggies like bell peppers and onions and grilled in an oven or on stove top!

Here, we just marinate and the marinated paneer tikka (with veggies) ends up as toppings in this Indianized pizza rather than regular chopped veggies.

My husband was a bit wary about this new version of pizza but ended up gobbling up the hot-from-the-oven baked Paneer Tikka Pizza in no time! Husband approved always ends up on my blog!

We ended up enjoying this delicious, easy to make Indian flavored pizza with a chilled glass of fresh watermelon juice!

Bake up this delicious, Indian spiced homemade PANEER TIKKA PIZZA in your kitchen and I am sure your family will love it!

Enjoy and Happy Baking!

Love pizza? Then you gotta try these too:

Now, let’s get baking this delicious Indian style Paneer Tikka Pizza:

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Paneer Tikka Pizza Recipe (with whole wheat crust)

Yield: Two 12-inch pizzas

Delicious homemade pizza with an Indian twist/flavor; spicy paneer tikka with bell peppers and onions as toppings!

Ingredients

FOR THE PIZZA BASE:

1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour/maida
¾ cup plus a few tablespoons whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil)

FOR HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE:

4-5 large tomatoes
1 large onion
1 green chili/jalapeno/serrano
4 to 5 medium sized garlic cloves
½ teaspoon dry oregano leaves
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Or you can use some Tandoori Masala powder or Garam masala powder instead of the Italian spices
Salt to taste

PIZZA TOPPINGS:

½ cup chopped paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
½ cup cubed green bell peppers
½ cup cubed onion; made into petals
½ cup sliced mushrooms
TO MARINATE THE TOPPINGS:
¼ cup thick yogurt
½ tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder
½ tsp garam masala powder (or Tandoori Masala powder)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp grated ginger
½ tsp grated garlic
1 tsp lemon juice

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

¾ to 1 cup mozzarella cheese or any cheese you like
1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
1 small green chili/jalapeno/Serrano pepper, chopped (optional)

Instructions

TO MAKE THE PANEER TIKKA TOPPING:

First, we have to marinate paneer and other vegetables.
In a bowl, add yogurt, spices and salt to taste.
Mix well with a whisk or spoon.
Now, add the paneer chunks, chopped bell peppers and onions along with sliced mushrooms.
Gently mix to coat everything thoroughly.
Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or best overnight.
TO MAKE THE PIZZA SAUCE:
Blend all the tomato sauce ingredients to a smooth paste and then transfer to a large saucepan.
Add herbs, salt and a dash of sugar, mix well and bring to a boil.
Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the sauce is slightly thick. Let cool.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA DOUGH:

First, we have to bloom and activate the yeast.
In a glass measuring jar or small bowl, add the dry active yeast and sugar.
Heat 1 cup of warm water until hot enough to dip your finger but not feel the burn.
Add to the yeast and sugar, give a good mix, cover and allow to bloom or activate for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, if the yeast is good and active, you will see frothy bubbles at the top. Now, it is ready to be use in any bread like dough!
If it is not showing any activity, discard and start the process again!
In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour and ¾ cup of whole wheat flour. You can use only all-purpose flour too!
Add salt to taste and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Now, gently pour the active yeast mixture over the flour mixture.
Give it a good mix with a silicone spatula or even using your hands; it will form a shaggy dough.
Now, slowly start kneading, adding some more whole wheat flour gradually (as needed) to help in kneading the dough without making it too sticky, at the same time, a sticky enough for a soft and light dough.
I added about only 2 more tbsp of whole wheat flour before the dough came together beautifully without being too sticky. You can flour your hands to help in kneading.
Make sure the dough is soft and light; not a hard dough; the softer the dough, the tender the crust of pizza.
Once the dough comes together, make a ball of it and place in a greased bowl, greasing the top of the dough ball too.
Cover with a plastic wrap and let ferment and rise until double for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending upon the room temperature.
After 1 ½ hours, my dough had risen beautifully!

TO ASSEMBLE THE PANEER TIKKA PIZZA:

When the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate and knead a few seconds.
Roll into a ball again using gentle hands and divide into 2.
We are going to use only one portion of this to make pizza for two. Refrigerate or freeze the other to make pizza another time.
Time to assemble the pizza.
Grease a pizza pan with oil and sprinkle some cornmeal or semolina to get a crisp crust!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Centigrade.
Take one portion of the dough and using some flour; gently roll to about 6 to 7 inches in diameter using a rolling pin.
Transfer this to the prepared pan and using your fingers, gently spread up to the edges, forming a crust.
Prick with fork all over and bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until light brown.
You can choose not to bake the base and directly top with sauce and toppings to bake. But we like a super crispy crust and I found prebaking helps in forming a delicious and crispy pizza base!
Once baked, remove and let cool on wire rack slightly.
Preheat the oven to its highest temperature; mine goes up to 230 degrees Centigrade (450 Fahrenheit).
Slather the base with pizza sauce; as much or as little as you like.
Sprinkle some cheese and half of the paneer tikka toppings.
Top with more cheese, the rest of the paneer tikka toppings, finely chopped green chilies (optional) and chopped tomatoes (again optional) and transfer to hot oven.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more until the cheese is melty, bubbly and the crust has turned to a golden brown color!
Remove from oven and serve hot!
Cut into slices and serve delicious, Indian flavored Paneer Tikka Whole Wheat Pizza with a tall glass of juice or any other drink. We enjoyed it with a glass of fresh watermelon juice!
Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas. If you are making only 1, freeze the other portion or make burger buns or naan or another pizza!

If you are making 2 pizzas, double the pizza topping ingredients.

Use as much of pizza sauce as you like and refrigerate leftovers or even freeze if not using soon.

Add different colored bell peppers for a colorful Paneer Tikka Pizza; I had only the green.

If you cannot find paneer, just marinate veggies or even chicken and bake.

Adjust the seasonings and spices according to personal taste.

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STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE PANEER TIKKA PIZZA:

TO MAKE THE PANEER TIKKA TOPPING:

First, we have to marinate paneer and other vegetables.

In a bowl, add yogurt, spices and salt to taste.

Mix well with a whisk or spoon.

Now, add the paneer chunks, chopped bell peppers and onions along with sliced mushrooms.

Gently mix to coat everything thoroughly.

Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or best overnight.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA SAUCE:

Blend all the tomato sauce ingredients to a smooth paste and then transfer to a large saucepan.

Add herbs, salt and a dash of sugar, mix well and bring to a boil.

Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the sauce is slightly thick. Let cool.

Or, you can use bottled sauce too or even pasta sauce.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA DOUGH:

First, we have to bloom and activate the yeast.

In a glass measuring jar or small bowl, add the dry active yeast and sugar.

Heat 1 cup of warm water until hot enough to dip your finger but not feel the burn.

Add to the yeast and sugar, give a good mix, cover and allow to bloom or activate for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, if the yeast is good and active, you will see frothy bubbles at the top. Now, it is ready to be use in any bread like dough!

If it is not showing any activity, discard and start the process again!

In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour and ¾ cup of whole wheat flour. You can use only all-purpose flour too!

Add salt to taste and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Now, gently pour the active yeast mixture over the flour mixture.

Give it a good mix with a silicone spatula or even using your hands; it will form a shaggy dough.

Now, slowly start kneading, adding some more whole wheat flour gradually (as needed) to help in kneading the dough without making it too sticky, at the same time, a sticky enough for a soft and light dough.

I added about only 2 more tbsp of whole wheat flour before the dough came together beautifully without being too sticky. You can flour your hands to help in kneading.

Make sure the dough is soft and light; not a hard dough; the softer the dough, the more tender the crust of pizza.

Once the dough comes together, make a ball of it and place in a greased bowl, greasing the top of the dough ball too.

Cover with a plastic wrap and let ferment and rise until double for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending upon the room temperature.

After 1 ½ hours, my dough had risen beautifully!

You know when the it is fermented properly by pressing with your finger. If the indentation remains the same, it is perfect. If it springs back, allow to ferment a bit longer.

TO ASSEMBLE THE PANEER TIKKA PIZZA:

When the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate and knead a few seconds.

Roll into a ball again using gentle hands and divide into 2.

We are going to use only one portion of this to make pizza for two. Refrigerate or freeze the other to make pizza another time.

Time to assemble the pizza.

Grease a pizza pan with oil and sprinkle some cornmeal or semolina to get a crisp crust!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Centigrade.

Take one portion of the dough and using some flour; gently roll to about 6 to 7 inches in diameter using a rolling pin.

Transfer this to the prepared pan and using your fingers, gently spread up to the edges, forming a crust. Prick with fork all over to avoid the crust forming any bubbles.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until light brown.

You can choose not to bake the base and directly top with sauce and toppings to bake. But we like a super crispy crust and I found prebaking helps in forming a delicious and crispy pizza base!

Once baked, remove and let cool on wire rack slightly.

Preheat the oven to its highest temperature; mine goes up to 230 degrees Centigrade (450 Fahrenheit).

Slather the base with pizza sauce; as much or as little as you like.

Sprinkle some cheese and half of the paneer tikka toppings.

Top with more cheese, the rest of the paneer tikka toppings, finely chopped green chilies (optional) and chopped tomatoes (again optional) and transfer to hot oven.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more until the cheese is melty, bubbly and the crust has turned to a golden brown color!

Remove from oven and serve hot!

Cut into slices and serve delicious, Indian flavored Paneer Tikka Whole Wheat Pizza with a tall glass of juice or any other drink. We enjoyed it with a glass of fresh watermelon juice!

Enjoy!