Some days you just want to kick back with a beer and a slice of pizza. But hey, why not combine both? Enter beer pizza dough.

Using beer in pizza dough is not as wild as it sounds. Beer actually plays a functional role; beer hydrates the flour instead of water — and it simultaneously provides a source of malt (sugar) to feed the dough’s growth. This extra food helps speed up the proofing process and adds a healthy colour to the crust.

You can start this recipe in the morning and have dough balls ready to go for lunch, or start at lunchtime and be ready for dinner! Whatever your plans, it’s a fun recipe for anyone who enjoys a spot of experimentation in the kitchen!

Ooni Ambassador Nicola Jackson-Jones helped bring this recipe to life, adapting Dan Lepard’s iconic Guardian recipe for the high temperatures of wood-fired ovens. She cuts the oil and adds light beer or lager for a gentle malty flavour. It’s down to you which beer you choose — but as she puts it, “Save your craft IPA to enjoy with a fresh-baked slice!”

As for toppings, that’s your choice. Nic recommends making a simple Margherita pizza, but the dough’s rich flavour will stand up to richer ingredients — like pepperoni, jalapenos and ‘nduja — perfectly well.

Nic discovered her love for pizza with the Ooni 3 pellet oven; the rest is history! After quitting her office job, she opened Two Cents Pizza in Lancashire, England. Three years down the line, she’s busy working on converting a food truck, running a pizza school and slinging Detroit slices and Neapolitans for the people of Ormskirk!