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Last Updated on April 10, 2021 by Chenée Lewis
Picture this: it’s pizza night at your house, and you’re in the mood for something different from the same old delivery. But you don’t want the hassle of mixing, kneading, proofing, and shaping pizza dough. On nights like that, it’s puff pastry pizza to the rescue!
The inspiration for this puff pastry pizza recipe comes from a classic Chicago fast food snack, the pizza puff. In Chicago, pizza puffs are a pizza pastry wrapped in a flour tortilla and then deep-fried, making it a perfect late-night craving. And to me, it always had a similar texture to puff pastry! So I thought there had to be a way to recreate that texture with a puff pastry pizza crust! This is the recipe I’m talking about when I say that puff pastry is versatile! It can take the form of a cookie, a pie crust, a braided pastry, and now a delicious pizza! And not just any pizza — this puff pastry pizza has a buttery, flaky, irresistible crust that stands up to your toppings! But you may be wondering:
Can puff pastry be used as a bottom crust?
Puff pastry is known for being delicate, flaky, and light. How, then, can a puff pastry pizza crust stand up to layers of sauce, cheese, and toppings? Simple — we’re blind-baking our puff pastry to make sure that it is fully cooked through and never soggy. Unlike in my pear puff pastry tart recipe, we’ll be baking our puff pastry crust on its own for 10 minutes prior to adding any sauce or toppings. This allows the crust to cook most of the way through, so that when it goes back into the oven with the toppings, it only needs a few more minutes to get nice and golden brown.
Additionally, we’ll add an egg wash to our crust before our blind bake to crease a moisture barrier, so that the sauce doesn’t penetrate our puff pastry pizza crust. That’s how we make sure the pastry stays flaky and crispy, and not soggy!
Ingredients
This puffed pastry pizza recipe is so customizable! You can use veggies, like I did, or any of your favorite pizza toppings! In general, here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- puff pastry sheet – you’ll want to use a frozen puff pastry sheet that has been thawed according to package directions. It should be fully thawed, but still cold.
- egg – we’ll beat our egg with a bit of water to create an egg wash to seal in our puff pastry.
- pizza sauce – you can use your favorite store-bought pizza sauce or pizza sauce recipe.
- semisoft cheese – I used sliced whole-milk mozzarella; feel free to use provolone, cheddar, or any pizza cheese you love! I also grated a little Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of everything because it’s my favorite!
- toppings – I went the veggie route with green peppers, Baby Bella mushrooms, baby spinach, black olives, and basil. You can use any combination of veggies you like. Try not to use overly heavy or watery toppings, but typical pizza toppings will work perfectly.
Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll need a large baking sheet and either parchment paper or a silicone baking liner to bake your puff pastry pizza. You’ll also need a rolling pin to roll out your puffed pastry dough, and a pizza cutter to cut your pizza once it’s done! Here are some more tools that will be helpful:
Tips and F.A.Q.
No! Even though we’re making a puff pastry pizza in this recipe, regular pizza dough is very different. It’s made with yeast, which gives it a more solid rise. Pizza dough is also worked more to activate the gluten, which gives it a chewier bite. This puff pastry pizza crust is lighter, flakier, and more buttery than traditional pizza dough.
Puff pastry comes folded flat, so the only rolling necessary is to flatten creases and to shape it to the desired size and thickness. It’s also best to avoid handling puff pastry too much so that the butter inside it doesn’t melt, so I’d advise keeping it mostly in the square or rectangular shape in which it comes.
We’ll be baking this puff pastry pizza for about 20 minutes. First, we’ll do a blind bake with just the puff pastry crust on its own, and then again for another 10 minutes or so with the toppings added. This two-step process allows the puff pastry underneath to crisp up fully and firmly so that it can withstand the weight of any toppings you add!
One thing I love about this puff pastry pizza recipe is that you can make it your own! Switch out the toppings to make a supreme or Margherita puff pastry pizza! You can also change the sauce to barbecue or buffalo sauce to make a barbecue chicken pizza, or a buffalo chicken pizza — the topping possibilities are endless!
You can also use this recipe, but cut your puff pastry pizza crust into 6-8 smaller pieces before baking and make smaller versions to serve as appetizers and finger food for parties!
Related Recipes
If you’re a fan of puff pastry like me, this pizza recipe is just the beginning! I’ve got a few recipes you’ll want to try out — check out my Puff Pastry Tart with Cranberry and Brie for a perfect appetizer recipe for your holiday gatherings. The cranberry and brie are the perfect flavor combination, and it all is so perfect in that flaky puff pastry crust!
And for dessert, look no further than my Cinnamon Palmiers! They’re incredibly easy to make with just a few ingredients, and so flaky and light! I love making palmers whenever can’t think of what to make, and they’re especially great for company because of their elegant look!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry - thawed from frozen
- 1 large egg - beaten with 1 tbsp water
- ¼ cup pizza sauce - store-bought or homemade
- 6-8 oz mozzarella cheese - sliced or freshly grated
Optional Topping Ideas:
- green peppers - sliced into strips
- Baby Bella (cremini) mushrooms - sliced
- red onions - sliced
- black olives - sliced
- baby spinach
- red pepper flakes - optional
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - grated, optional
- fresh basil leaves - torn
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Open thawed puff pastry onto floured parchment paper. Roll with rolling pin to flatten creases and shape into a 10×15" rectangle.
- Use a sharp knife to score a ¾" border around the pastry. Do not cut all the way through; just cut the top of the pastry.
- Use a fork to pierce holes all over the center of the pastry (the area inside the border).
- Beat egg with 1 tbsp of water. Brush egg mixture all over pastry, including both center and border portion.
- Bake puff pastry in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Spread pizza sauce evenly all over center portion of puff pastry pizza crust.
- Top with cheese and toppings as you like.
- Bake puff pastry pizza again for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and toppings are cooked.
- After baking, top with fresh basil, if using, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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This was the perfect WFH lunch. Made it with the ingredients I had in my fridge and the puff pastry was such a time saver. Love the crispy texture, too!
Awesome! So glad that it worked out for your lunch!
I love a recipe that gives me a great hack! The pizza was flaky and held the toppings well. Easy to put together and the flavour was superb!
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!
I served this at my latest dinner party and everyone was so impressed! This puff pastry pizza takes pizza to a whole new level!
Wonderful! I’m so glad it was a hit!
First of all thank you so much for introducing me to the concept of the ‘pizza puff’. I’ll have to try one the next time I’m in Chicago! Also very smart of you to replicate it using puff pastry! I love how this pizza tasted and how easy it was to make! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
You should definitely check them out! Definitely low key late night munchies food but hits the spot! So glad you liked the pizza!!
Chenee, this pizza turned out great! I love homemade pizza but I don’t always feel like the hassle of pizza dough, so this recipe is the answer to all my hassle-free pizza dreams! I would have never imagined that puff pastry pizza was possible let alone so easy to make and scrumptious!
Thank you so much! It’s definitely a go-to for me! Glad you liked it!
I had all of the ingredients on hand for pizza and some puff pastry dough in the freezer so I decided to give this a try. It was SO good! Almost like a breakfast pizza puff. I could eat this anytime of day ans it was so easy to put together. Great idea!
Thank you! I’m so glad it worked out for you! 🙂
Such a great idea! The puff pastry crust holds the toppings really well, but is still soft & crumbly when you bite into it. Super easy to make too! We loved it and will be trying it our with other toppings as well. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for trying it! I’m so glad you all liked it!
I loved this puff pastry pizza so much last week, we made it again tonight! The best part about it is that we can adapt the toppings to make it our own. It’s definitely staying in our meal rotation!
Thank you so much! Yes, it’s awesome that you can customize it however you want! Glad you all enjoyed it!