Instructions

1. Preheat the wood-fired pizza oven to 725-800 F. Once the oven is at temp (and the oven floor is hot), stretch and top the pizza. *For instructions on making this in a home oven or grill, see the post.
2. Stretch the pizza into a 12″ circle leaving what’s called the ‘cornicione’ or raised rim of the pizza. You’re pushing the air toward the top edge leaving about a 1/4-1/2″ rim. This is what will puff up and give you that airy crust.
3. Add half of the mozzarella, followed by the chicken, corn, and banana peppers.
4. Add the rest of the mozzarella. Sprinkle “Bench Flour” (see the post for details) onto the pizza peel and bake the pizza
5. With a quick jerk, slide the pizza into the oven keeping it about halfway between the embers/flames and the other side of the oven. You don’t want the pizza to be too close to the embers as the crust will burn while the dough remains raw.
6. After about 20-30 seconds, using a metal pizza peel or tuning peel, lift and slide the pizza around in a half circle so the other side of the pizza cooks. The whole process, if your oven is at temp should take about 90 seconds. So don’t walk away.
7. Use your judgment and move the pizza around GENTLY (this takes practice) to help with even cooking. Now I keep the door open when I’m making my pizzas as I’m slinging them in one right after the other.
8. Remove the pizza from the oven, transfer it to a pizza pan or serving tray, slice, and garnish with drizzles of salsa, Cotija and Cilantro.