Heart Shaped Pizza Recipe (Perfect for Valentine’s Day!)

In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of Luke warm water and mix together 1/2 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt. Give it a quick stir.

To this, add 1 tsp instant yeast, mix well and cover and set aside for approx. 10 mins for the yeast to activate. You should see the yeast mixture bubbling up and doubling in size.

Meanwhile, measure 250 gms of all purpose flour. Now, In a large bowl, add the flour and activated yeast mixture.

Combine well and knead the dough by hand for 5 mins. If the dough looks dry, add water little by little, until it forms a smooth dough. Use the heal of your hand to press down the dough and fold it. Repeat it for 4-5 mins and shape it to form a smooth ball. Dough should be soft, elastic and not sticky.

Apply a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the dough from drying up. Cover the bowl with a lid and allow it to rest in room temperature for around 90 mins, until the dough raises and doubles in size.

When the pizza has doubled in size, transfer it to the work surface and punch it down to deflate and remove air bubbles. Knead a bit and shape it to a round ball.

Sprinkle some flour and flatten the dough ball with your fingers. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out into a large round shape about quarter inch thickness.

Then, using your hands stretch the dough to the desired size. Now gently transfer the pizza base to a greased baking tray. At this point, you can prick the dough with a fork, if you want a thinner, crisper crust.

Shape the round pizza into heart pizza using Pinch & Pull technique. Take a finger to the top middle and push down towards the center of pizza. Now, gently stretch from both the sides until you get the desired heart shape. Pinch the bottom of the crust and pull down into a point. Our beautiful heart is ready!!

Press the edges to create the crust. Cover the pizza base and allow it to rest for approx. 30 - 45 mins.

Spread pizza sauce in a thin and even layer, all over the pizza. Do not apply the sauce around the outer edge for a perfect pizza crust.

Add generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese. Place the Pepperoni slices on the cheese bed.

Sprinkle some chili flakes and pizza seasoning as preferred. Finally, drizzle some olive oil over the pizza. Using a pastry brush, baste the outer pizza crust with melted butter for a perfect golden pizza crust.

Transfer the pizza to a pre-heated oven and bake for around 18 mins @ 180 degree Celsius or until the crust is golden brown and pepperoni is crispy. If your cheese doesn't get golden, you can change the setting to Toast mode and continue to bake for another 2 mins. Remove the pizza from oven and let it stand for 5 mins before cutting.

Our hot and cheesy Heart Shaped Pepperoni Pizza is ready to be enjoyed with loved ones for this Valentines Day.