# Kharkiv-style Pizza

> For the full index of this site, see [llms.txt](https://thehungryloop.com/llms.txt).

_square, puffy, slightly sweet_

If you’ve never been to Kharkiv, this probably needs some context. I feel like any city can claim its own pizza style. New York pizza, Chicago pizza... my hometown, Kharkiv, absolutely can too. Kharkiv-style pizza is Bufet pizza. Bufet is a cheap fast-food-ish chain that basically every person from Kharkiv knows. Somehow, it became a bit of a legend far beyond Kharkiv. The pizza there is, first of all, square. The dough is puffy and slightly sweet. No fancy tomato sauce — just mayo and ketchup. Oh, how I miss it. When I lost the ability to casually order a half chicken and pineapple pizza plus okroshka (a cold soup) from Bufet, life got significantly worse. But suffering leads to innovation, so after several iterations, I ended up with a recipe that gets pretty close to my favorite pizza. This is not a perfect copy, but it absolutely scratches the itch.

2.5 hours · 6 servings · 14 steps

![Kharkiv-style Pizza](https://thehungryloop.b-cdn.net/kharkiv-style-pizza.jpg)

Web page: https://thehungryloop.com/en/kharkiv-style-pizza · Other languages: [uk](https://thehungryloop.com/uk/kharkiv-style-pizza.md)

## Ingredients

### For the dough

- Water: 375 ml
- Sugar: 75 g
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Dry yeast: 10 g
- Sunflower oil: 70 g
- Flour: 600–650 g

### For the topping

- Chicken breast: 400–500 g
- Canned pineapple: 340 g
- Gouda cheese: 300 g
- Mayonnaise: 250 g
- Ketchup: 150 g

## Method

_14 steps, about 2.5 hours_

1. Add the sugar, yeast, salt, and oil to warm water. Gradually add the flour and knead into a soft dough. It may be a little sticky, and that’s okay.
2. Cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for 1–1.5 hours, or until the dough has roughly doubled (or even grown a bit more).
3. While the dough is rising, boil the chicken breast until fully cooked. Let it cool a little, then cut it into small cubes.
4. Mix the ketchup and mayonnaise together.
5. Grate the cheese using a coarse grater.
6. Drain the pineapple. If you’re using rings, cut them into small pieces (I usually buy the pre-cut kind).
7. Once the dough has risen, lightly oil your hands and transfer it onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Spread the dough into a square or rectangular shape, about 1 cm thick. Mine usually ends up around 36 × 30 cm. The square shape is mandatory — this is Bufet.
8. Prick the base well with a fork.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 12 minutes.
10. Take the base out. It should be lightly baked and have formed a little crust around the edges. Prick it once again with a fork.
11. Generously spread the sauce all the way to the edges.
12. Evenly add the chicken, pineapple, and top with the grated cheese.
13. Return to the oven at 220°C (430°F) for 15–20 minutes. For the last 5–10 minutes, I like turning on the grill setting so the cheese gets nicely golden.
14. Cut into squares and eat!

> **Sasha’s tip:** The square shape is mandatory. This is Bufet.

## More to cook

_more savoury bakes_

- [Sourdough garlic bread](https://thehungryloop.com/en/sourdough-discard-garlic-bread.md): garlicky and pull-apart
- [Pyrizhky](https://thehungryloop.com/en/pyrizhky.md): more savoury bakes
- [Pampushky (Garlic buns)](https://thehungryloop.com/en/pampushky.md): garlic buns, why not