Pizza Christmas Tree
I made tree-shaped pizza one evening when I felt like something different for the kids. It seemed like a good idea, especially since I had everything I needed in the fridge, and it didn't take long to put it into practice. I prepared the dough, chopped the ingredients, and within half an hour, I already had the tray in the oven. It turned out to be something fun and disappeared quickly from the table.
Quick info
Total time: about 2 hours (includes dough rising)
Servings: 6 tree-shaped pizzas (one serving/one tree for each)
Difficulty: medium
Ingredients
For the dough:
500 g white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet dry yeast (7 g)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons lard (or 2 tablespoons oil)
approx. 200 ml warm water (I add a little less and adjust as needed)
For the topping:
6 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato sauce
150 g salami (or other deli meat)
½ red bell pepper
100 g corn kernels (cooked or canned)
100 g peas (cooked/canned)
50 g pitted olives
150 g fresh cheese or grated cheese
1 small onion, thinly sliced
dried basil (or oregano)
Preparation method
1. Dissolve the dry yeast with a teaspoon of sugar, one of flour, and 3-4 tablespoons of warm water. Let it sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes until it starts to foam.
2. Put the flour in a large bowl, make a well in the middle, and add the risen yeast. Start mixing and gradually pour in the warm water, not all at once. Sprinkle the salt around the edge, not over the yeast.
3. Add the lard and knead for about 8-10 minutes until you have a soft, homogeneous dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. If it needs more water, add a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.
4. Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it nearly doubles in size.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into 6 fairly equal pieces. From each piece, roll out a sheet about 0.5-1 cm thick.
6. Cut each sheet into a triangle shape, resembling a tree. Roll the leftover dough into thin strings and form the outline of the tree along the edge of the triangle, pressing lightly to stick. Save a little dough for the "trunk".
7. Place the trees on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Let them rest for another 10 minutes while preparing the topping.
8. Brush each tree with tomato sauce or paste (not too much, so it doesn't run).
9. Sprinkle dried basil. Add a little of the remaining ingredients without a fixed order: salami, bell pepper, corn, peas, olives, grated or crumbled cheese, onion. Try to keep a colorful appearance and avoid thick layers.
10. Bake the tree pizza in a preheated oven at 180°C, on the middle rack, for about 15-20 minutes. Check at the end to ensure they are browned on the edges and cooked at the base.
Why I make this recipe often
It's a recipe that can be easily adapted, especially when I have leftover cheese or vegetables in the fridge. Kids are interested if it has a fun shape, and the dough remains soft the next day. There's no time wasted on elaborate sauces or trying to stretch the pizza into a perfect round shape. It's great for children's parties or when we want something quick with readily available ingredients.
Tips and variations
Tips
• For a fluffier dough, I can add 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt.
• If using a different fat than lard, adjust the texture of the dough with water.
• Don't overload the pizza with toppings, or it won't cook at the base.
• For a more uniform appearance, the triangles can be cut with a large knife in one motion.
Substitutions
• Lard can be replaced with olive oil or even butter, in the same quantity.
• Cheese can be cheese, mozzarella, telemea, or any leftover hard cheese.
• Salami – any preferred deli meat or can be omitted for a vegetarian option.
• Peas and corn can be excluded without affecting the final texture.
Variations
• For a vegan version, use water, oil, and no cheese or deli meats.
• You can replace the tomato sauce with pesto if you prefer a different taste.
• For very young children, just put vegetables and finely grated cheese.
• You can make mini-trees from the leftover dough in the form of sticks.
Serving ideas
• They can be served warm, straight from the tray, as a snack or for dinner.
• They are suitable for festive platters or buffets.
• They can be served with a small bowl of separate tomato sauce for those who want more sauce.
• They are good cold, in a school lunch.
Frequently asked questions
1. Can I prepare the dough the night before?
Yes, leave the kneaded dough in the fridge, covered. The next day take it out 30 minutes before shaping.
2. Can the baked pizza be frozen?
Yes, but ideally, let it cool well, wrap it, and reheat it in the oven; otherwise, the crust becomes too soft in the microwave.
3. If I don’t have dry yeast, can I use fresh?
Yes, 20 g of fresh yeast, dissolved with sugar and flour, behaves the same in this recipe.
4. What can I use to cut the triangles as evenly as possible?
Either a large sharp knife or a pizza cutter. You can use paper for a template if you want identical trees.
5. What do I do with the leftover dough?
Roll it out and bake it like mini-focaccia, sprinkled with salt and rosemary; nothing goes to waste.
Nutritional values (estimated, for 1 tree)
Calories: approx. 330 kcal
Proteins: 11 g
Fats: 8-10 g (depends on topping and whether it’s made with lard or oil)
Carbohydrates: 53 g
Values vary depending on the ingredients used and the amount of topping.
Storage and reheating
Tree pizza can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 12-16 hours. For longer, I put it in the fridge and reheat it directly in the oven (5-7 minutes at 160°C). The texture remains good even the next day, especially if not too much sauce was added. After freezing, reheating in the oven helps restore the crust.
We prepare the dough: We mix the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar and one of flour, over which we will add warm water, homogenize the mixture, and let it sit next to the stove for 10-15 minutes until the starter rises. Separately, we sift the flour, make a well in the center, where we will add the risen starter, and begin to knead gently, adding the salt gradually, warm water (not all at once, but gradually, as it may not be necessary to use all of it), then we add the lard and knead until it becomes a soft, non-sticky dough. We let the dough rise for an hour, next to the stove or another heat source. When the dough has risen, we divide it into 6 approximately equal parts. We roll out each part from which we will cut a triangle. The remaining dough we shape into a longer string and place it around the triangle that we have already set in the baking tray lined with parchment paper. We take a little bit for the stem. We let it rise for another 10 minutes, then we brush it with tomato sauce over which we will place the other ingredients according to everyone's imagination. It is baked in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15-20 minutes on low heat.
Ingredients: For 6 small fir trees we need: 500 g flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 packet of yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons lard, ~ 200 ml warm water. For the topping, you can add whatever you like; I added: salami, peppers, corn, peas, tomato paste, dried basil, olives, fresh cheese, onion.
