Why it works: Tomato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,633 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Spam Pizza
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Mix the sourdough starter, flour and salt together (adding a bit of flour at a time until it takes shape but is still a little sticky) and knead the dough for about 30 seconds.
Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a towel, set aside for 1 hour.
Prepare the toppings
Slice Spam into eighths.
Slice onion and tomatoes.
Grate mozzarella.
Shape and bake
Place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 550 degrees for 1 hour.
Flour a surface and roll out the dough.
Put a floured pizza peel underneath the dough.
Add sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Pat down the toppings before putting into the oven.
Bake pizza in the oven at 550 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes.
Remove pizza from oven with pizza peel and let cool for 5 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Sourdough | 1 slice (36g) | 93 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Topping | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,013 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Tomato + saucetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,469 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Onion + breadtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,676 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + flourtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sourdough starter
- Ferments and leavens the dough, giving it rise and a tangy flavor.
- Bread flour
- Provides the gluten structure that holds the dough together and lets it stretch.
- Mozzarella
- Melts and browns on top, adding richness and a stretchy texture.
- Tomato sauce
- Adds moisture and acidity that give the pizza its base flavor.
The step that matters
Preheat the pizza stone fully. A stone that is fully heated delivers strong bottom heat right away, which crisps the crust and helps prevent a soggy, pale base.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, sauce, bread, flour):
- Capsicumfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Eggplantfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, sauce, bread, flour. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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