Spicy Ground Beef Pizza (Printable Version)

Fiery chili-spiced beef pizza with melted cheeses and a hot honey drizzle for sweet heat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pizza Dough

01 - 2 cups bread flour
02 - 1 teaspoon instant yeast
03 - 1 teaspoon sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - 2/3 cup warm water
06 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Spicy Ground Beef

07 - 9 ounces ground beef
08 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
09 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
10 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
11 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
14 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
15 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Toppings

17 - 7 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
18 - 2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
19 - 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, sliced (optional)
20 - 2 tablespoons hot honey
21 - Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Combine bread flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add warm water and olive oil, stirring until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chopped onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add ground beef, breaking it apart, and cook until browned. Stir in tomato paste, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
03 - Preheat the oven to 480°F (250°C). If available, place a pizza stone in the oven to heat. Punch down the risen dough and roll or stretch it into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet or a floured pizza peel.
04 - Evenly spread the spicy ground beef mixture over the dough, leaving a border around the edges. Top with shredded mozzarella and grated cheddar cheese. Scatter sliced jalapeños over the cheese if desired.
05 - Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
06 - Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately drizzle with hot honey. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley if desired. Slice and serve while hot.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • That perfect moment when sweet hot honey meets savory spiced beef and melts into warm cheese is genuinely addictive.
  • The dough is forgiving enough that you won't stress, but it still tastes like you actually know what you're doing.
  • It feeds four people without making you feel like you've been cooking all day.
02 -
  • Don't skip letting the dough rise fully; rushing it means dense, tough crust instead of that airy, chewy texture that makes the whole thing sing.
  • If your hot honey is cold when you drizzle it, warm it up first—it needs to soak into the cheese slightly and create that sweet-heat moment.
  • The beef should cool slightly before you spread it on the dough, or you'll start cooking the bottom before the oven even gets a chance.
03 -
  • If your oven doesn't go above 230°C, don't worry—just add a few extra minutes and watch carefully; a slower bake still gets you a golden crust, just with less char on the bottom.
  • Homemade hot honey is worth the two minutes it takes—store-bought works, but warming honey with chili flakes yourself means you control the heat level and it tastes fresher.
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