Chatham, Ontario · 1962
Hawaiian
Ham and tinned pineapple, and no, not from Hawaii
Scale the dough for thisSam Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant running a diner in Chatham, Ontario, opened a tin of pineapple in 1962 and put it on a pizza to see what happened. He named it after the brand on the tin. Sixty years of Italian outrage later, the thing to know is that tinned pineapple is not a compromise here, it is correct: the syrup pack is less watery than fresh, and fresh pineapple carries bromelain, an enzyme that digests protein and will turn your mozzarella grainy.
The build
- Drain the pineapple properly and pat it dry. Standing water is the only real fault in this pizza.
- Sauce, cheese, ham or back bacon, then the pineapple in an even scatter.
- Jalapeno if you want to make it good rather than merely famous.
The bake
Oven275°C527°F
Time10-12 minutes
Hot enough to caramelise the pineapple sugar at the edges. Pale pineapple is just wet fruit.
On top
- Sauce
- Plain tomato.
- Cheese
- Low moisture mozzarella.
You got it right when Browned, slightly shrunken pineapple, and no pool of juice anywhere on the pie.