Texan BBQ Pizza

Texan BBQ Pizza

We genuinely cannot stop making this one. A smoky, sticky Texan BBQ pizza with all the bold American BBQ vibes you love, but totally plant-based and honestly better than any takeaway. The base is crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and loaded with that deep smoky BBQ sauce, tender toppings, and just the right amount of char. It's the kind of pizza that makes everyone at the table go quiet for a minute because they're too busy eating. If you've got 90 minutes and want to absolutely nail a Friday night dinner, this is the one.

Cook: 90 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Pizza stone or very large baking tray
  • Mixing bowl
  • Rolling pin
  • Large spoon
  • Press tofu for 15-20 minutes before cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 250g strong white bread flour
  • 250g wholemeal flour
  • 325ml lukewarm water
  • ½ x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp low-sugar BBQ sauce
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tbsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 140g smoked tofu
  • 200g Shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 80g canned sweetcorn
  • chilli flakes to taste
  • 3 spring onions

Method

1

First, make the pizza dough

  • Combine the flours and salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Create a well in the centre of the mixture
  • Add the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar to a jug
  • Mix well, allow to stand for several minutes, then pour in to the well
  • Using a fork in a circular movement to bring the flour in from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water
  • Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour until the dough comes together
  • If there are still parts of the flour not combining, add a small splash of water so the dough comes together.
  • Tip the dough out on a clean, floured surface
  • Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough
  • Keep kneading for 10 minutes until you have a springy dough
  • Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in sized
2

Meanwhile, prepare your toppings

  • First, press the tofu for 15-20 minutes to squeeze out all the excess liquid
  • Combine the tofu and mushroom rub ingredients in a bowl
  • Cut the tofu into small 1/2 cm cubes and add to the bowl containing the rub
  • Cut the shiitake mushrooms into thin matchsticks, add to the bowl and toss well to coat the tofu and mushrooms
  • Trim, halve, core and cut the pepper into thin 1/2 cm slices
  • Trim and finely slice the spring onions
  • Halve the cherry tomatoes
  • Drain, rinse and dry the sweetcorn
3

To assemble the pizzas

  • Divide the dough into two equal pieces
  • Flour each dough ball, cover with oiled cling film and leave to rest for 12-15 minutes (this technique will make the dough easier to roll)
  • Split the pizza dough into 2 equal pieces and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out, making two pizza bases, both no more than 1cm thick
  • Liberally spread BBQ sauce on the pizza bases with a large spoon
  • Top the pizzas with generous helpings of smoked tofu, shiitake mushrooms, green pepper and canned sweetcorn
  • Sprinkle over chopped spring onions and chilli flakes
4

Cook the pizzas

  • Put one of the pizzas on a pizza stone or very large baking tray
  • Put it in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until the crusts have started to lightly brown
  • Take the pizza out of the oven, cut into slices and serve
  • Repeat the process with the second pizza

Tips & Variations

  • Get the prove right: Don't skip the resting time for the dough. We find a warm spot in the kitchen, even just near the oven, works really well for getting a good rise.
  • Sauce generously: This is a BBQ pizza so don't be shy with the sauce. Henry always adds a bit extra around the edges so every bite has that smoky hit.
  • Char it up: If your oven goes really high, crank it. A super hot oven is what gives you that slightly blistered, restaurant-style crust we're obsessed with.

Why This Works

The trick here is making the dough from scratch and giving it proper time to prove. We know it's tempting to rush it, but trust us, that extra patience gives you a base with real flavour and the perfect chewy texture. Pair that with a proper smoky BBQ sauce and you've got a pizza that genuinely holds its own.