Homemade Newfoundland Pizza (2024)

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Probably unlike any delivery pizza you’ve ever tasted, but completely addictive and delicious in its own right! Try eating just one slice!!

Folks, this is the pizza I grew up eating. This was the only pizza I had ever known. If you’ve been reading the posts here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen for some time, you have no doubt read about my childhood.

I grew up in a small fishing village in Newfoundland. Both of my parents worked in the fishery until we relocated to Ontario when I was about twelve or thirteen years old. That was the first time I had tasted pizza that wasn’t exactly like the one you see in the photographs.

Ordering pizza for delivery was not an option in Middle Arm, Newfoundland. I don’t believe it is still, but I could be wrong. I have not been back there in about fifteen years. Imagine, if you will, being a teenager the first time you had pizza from a local pizza joint. Even though my childhood was the best I could have ever hoped for, there were so many things I missed out on.

Well, maybe I didn’t miss out. It’s more like I just didn’t get to experience. Because, trust me, Dear Reader, once you taste this Homemade Newfoundland Pizza, you’ll completely understand why I didn’t miss out. I love delivery and take out pizza as much as the next guy, but they all fail in comparison to this simple, rustic, and home-style pizza.

Now, I must confess, I can’t ever remember mom making her own pizza crust. You see, the traditional Newfoundland pizza for most families, was never made from scratch, but from a store-bought box. I think the brand was Kraft, but my memory is not what it used to be!

Inside this box, there was an envelope of some type of flour mixture, a little packet of dried oregano and basil, a slightly bigger packet of parmesan cheese, and lastly, a small can of pizza sauce. To make the dough, you simply needed to add warm water to the flour mixture and let it rise slightly.

After spreading the dough out onto a pizza pan, the sauce was spread evenly over the top. You would then add copious amounts of orange cheddar cheese, followed by bacon and canned Vienna sausages. The dried oregano and basil were sprinkled over top, followed by the parmesan cheese.

That was exactly the way my mom would make pizza for us kids. It was a very typical week day lunch. I remember smelling the Homemade Newfoundland Pizza as I got closer to our house on my way home from school for lunch. Usually, pizza for lunch was on Wednesdays. I can still remember it so well!

I remember one time our church was having a youth service at someone’s home and a few of the parents were asked to make and supply a pizza for this gathering. When dinner was served, I can remember seeing four or five pizzas all lined up on the kitchen counter. But something wasn’t right!

The pizza my mom had made was there. I could see it clearly. But, the other pizzas just looked weird. I distinctly remember one of them having canned pineapple tidbits on it. I was mortified! And, there was another pizza with sliced canned mushrooms. Thank God for a strong gag reflex!

I had never seen pizzas any other way then the way my mom made them. The other pizzas there were very similar to my moms pizza, with the exception of the pizza the pastor’s wife had made, which was just plain cheese. Isn’t it strange how these memories have lasted so many years? It’s just pizza! But that’s the thing about childhood and memories; bits and pieces remain with you a lifetime and with no rhyme or reason.

Speaking of reason, I could list about a thousand reasons why you should make this pizza. If you can find the boxed Kraft version in your local area, go for it, but I much prefer the homemade crust in the recipe card below. I use this crust recipe over and over again and it never fails to impress me every single time.

Of course you can add more toppings if you prefer. (Even pineapple if you’d like, but I will judge you!) But, try the pizza – even just half of it – with just the bacon and the canned sausages. You need to experience a Homemade Newfoundland Pizza at least once. Enjoy, Dear Reader!

Ingredients

For the Dough:

3/4 cup warm tap water, 110 degrees
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Pizza:

1/2 cup pizza sauce
3 cups shredded cheese, for best results, use half cheddar and half mozzarella
6 slices Canadian bacon, pan-fried until almost crispy, drained and cooled
1 can Vienna sausages, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

For the Dough:

Fill a metal mixing bowl with hot tap water and set aside for a few minutes. This will temper the bowl and help to ensure the yeast will properly activate. While you’re waiting for the bowl to warm, preheat the oven to 500 degrees – not broil, but degrees.
Pour the hot water out of the bowl and wipe the bowl dry. Add the warm tap water and the yeast. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the yeast into the water for no more than 5-10 seconds. Set aside and let the yeast bubble and foam for at least 3 minutes.
Sift together 2 cups of the flour, salt, and sugar.
Add the olive oil to the yeast and water mixture. Stir for a few seconds. Pour in the entire flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the liquid is absorbed.
Sprinkle your clean counter top with a little flour and empty the dough out. Knead the dough together for 4-5 minutes until a dough ball is formed. Place the dough back into the metal mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel, and set the bowl onto the top of your preheating oven. (Don’t place the bowl on a burner, just on the surface of the oven. The heat will help the dough to proof.) Let the dough sit for five minutes.

For the Pizza:

Lightly spray a 14 inch pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
When the dough is ready, lightly flour a flat surface, and using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a round shape. Place the dough onto the pizza pan and push the dough with the palm of your hands outward. Do not push or pull the edge of the dough. This will allow the dough to bake into a puffy outer crust.
Next, whisk the egg and the tablespoon of water together. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the perimeter of the dough.
Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the pizza, leaving about 1 inch of the pizza without sauce.
Evenly distribute the cheese over the pizza. Avoid placing cheese on the egg washed perimeter.
Next, sprinkle the cheese over the sauce-covered area, saving just 1/4 of a cup for later.
Evenly distribute the cooled bacon and the sliced sausages.
Sprinkle over the dried basil, the dried oregano, the parmesan, and then the remaining cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Garnish with the chopped parsley, if using, and slice into 8 wedges. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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