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A funky twist to add to your pizza night repertoire, this Harissa Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Prosciutto is spicy, salty, smoky and spectacular!

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Yum
harissa pizza with smoked mozzarella prosciutto and tomatoes

Making the homemade dough

You can certainly make this pizza with store bought dough to save time, and it will still be amazing! If you opt to make my dough recipe, it’s super easy, and involves no special equipment.

  • pizza dough ingredients
  • pizza dough pre-knead

Tips for a great dough:

  • Use quality, unbleached flour. I swear by King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. I have used all different flours in the past with this recipe, and I always have mixed results or end up needing significantly more flour if I am using a bleached flour. The unbleached high quality stuff just reacts better with the yeast, for a fool-proof dough every time. 
  • Use warm, but not HOT water to proof the yeast. Not enough heat, not enough proofing. Too much heat, and you’ll kill that yeast before it has a chance to really live. A sad day. Use warm water- it should feel warm if you dip your finger in, but not hot. 
  • Always add honey (or sugar) when proofing the yeast. I love the flavor honey brings to the table- but basically, you need to get that years hungry and excited by feeding it a little sweet stuff. It helps it to proof easier, and it helps your dough rise above. Sugar makes for a happy dough. 
  • risen pizza dough
  • punched down pizza dough

Topping the pizza

To top the pizza, you’ll start by brushing the whole crust with some olive oil. Next, layer on some quality harissa paste, leaving a gap at the edge of the crust.

harissa honey spread on pizza

Once you’ve got the harissa layered on, sprinkle on an even layer of fresh grated parmesan cheese.

parmesan layer on pizza

Next up- EVEN MORE CHEESE! Layer on thinly sliced smoked mozzarella, followed by a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. Use the best tomatoes you can find, depending on season. In peak tomato season- I love to use ripe and juicy heirlooms. In the winter, I opt for a sturdy and safe Roma tomato.

  • smoked mozzarella layer on pizza
  • heriloom tomato layer on pizza

Last but not least, add some torn prosciutto slices to the top.

prosciutto layer on pizza

Baking tips

To make this pizza come out perfect every time, follow these few (but key) tips:

Preheat the oven in advance. You want a screaming hot oven for a great pizza that will cook quickly and evenly. For those of us that don’t have a fancy pizza oven- this means preheating your oven well in advance. It’s hot- but it’s worth it.

Bake the pizza on the middle rack. I use a pan for my pizza, and I place it in the middle of the oven so it get evenly heated. This way, the top or bottom isn’t getting blasted, for a evenly, crispy and delicious pizza!

harissa pizza with smoked mozzarella prosciutto and tomatoes

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If you make my Harissa Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Prosciutto, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!

Looking for more delicious recipes? Why not try my Corn, Squash and Goat Cheese Pizza, Tamale Pie Al Pastor, Shrimp Gumbo with Chicken Andouille Sausage, Ham, Bean and Bacon Soup with Dumplings, or Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Creamy Baked Bean Gravy?!

harissa pizza with smoked mozzarella prosciutto and tomatoes slice
harissa pizza with smoked mozzarella prosciutto and tomatoes slice
Print Recipe

Harissa Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Prosciutto

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Pizza dough2 hrs 15 mins
Course: Dinner, lunch
Keyword: harissa, pizza, smoked cheese

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp active dry yeast 
  • 1 3/4 cup cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • olive oil for coating dough 

Toppings 

  • 2 medium tomatoes, sliced (heirloom or Roma)
  • 4 slices prosciutto 
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 8 oz smoked mozzarella, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup  grated parmesan cheese 
  • olive oil, for brushing crust and to coat pan 
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves 
  • cornmeal, for dusting pizza pan 

Instructions

  • If making the homemade dough
    1. Preparing the dough. In a 2 cup liquid measure or bowl, whisk honey, warm water and yeast to combine and let rest for 3 minutes to allow yeast to bloom. When ready, yeast should form a frothy top the surface.
    2. Add flour to a large bowl and mound it into a rounded pile. Using your fingers, make a small well in the center.
    3. Add the proofed yeast/liquid to the well little by little, combining with your hands as you go and forming new wells until a slightly sticky dough forms.
    4. Kneading. Once a dough comes together, knead the dough on a floured board by hand for 5 minutes until smooth, folding over as you knead to create air pockets.
    5. First rise. Oil a large clean, non-reactive bowl (a sturdy plastic bowl is great) with olive oil- being sure to spread the oil around with your hands to get the bowl well coated.
    6. Use your oiled hands to moisten dough on all sides, and place into the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean, dampened dish towel or tea towel and let rest on the counted for 1 hour.
    7. Second Rise. After 1 hour, gently punch the dough down, reshape into a ball and place back into oiled bowl for 1 more hour, covered with the damp towel. After.1 hour, the dough is ready to bake. If making thin crust pizza, split dough into 2 balls for the second rise. This recipe makes one pizza- so if only making 1, store additional dough in the refrigerator up to one week, or in the freezer up to 2 months.
    Get the dough ready to bake
    1. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Leave oven on 500 degrees for 30 minutes to ensure it is HOT. This makes for an evenly cooked, well browned and consistent pizza.
    2. Coat a 14” pizza pan with olive oil, and lightly dust it with cornmeal.
    3. Remove dough from bowl after second rise and stretch or roll to desired size- I use a 14” pizza pan. You could also stretch the full dough recipe to fit a standard sheet pan.
    4. Brush the dough evenly with 1 tbsp oil, concentrating on the outer edges.
    Prep the Toppings
    1. In a small bowl, combine harissa paste, honey and garlic.
    2. Spread the mixture over center of pizza dough, leaving about a 1” edge around.
    3. Sprinkle parmesan over top, and layer on sliced smoked mozzarella.
    4. Top with tomato slices.
    5. Layer prosciutto in torn strips over the tomatoes.
    Bake the pizza
    1. Bake in a preheated 500 degree oven on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes, until crisp and bubbly.
    2. Sprinkle fresh basil over hot pizza
    3. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes and serve hot!

*Notes/Substitutions:

You can substitute store bought pizza dough for the homemade version, if desired.

© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.