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Breakfast Pizza with Fresh Herbs

Posted on 05/10/2010 by Maura

I, unfortunately, am the type of person who gets a lot of joy out of planning and making lists.  My life consists of lists on top of lists on top of lists.  I have one for every single day of the week–things I need to do before work, things I need to do at work, things I need to do after work, etc.  Then, I make a list of everything I put into my mouth to track calories and  fat.

I also have a list of everything I am going to cook in a given week.  I then dutifully make a grocery list of the items I need, calling my mom no less than ten times during to have her check the cabinets and fridge.  During lunch, I read the food blogs on my Google homepage.  I see things I like need and add those items to my “will cook” list with seemingly no expiration date.  Most of the food I see on said blogs I don’t make for a few weeks, or even months.

Until I saw this pizza. I immediately switched some things around and added it to my “to cook list,” completely bypassing the “will cook list” and decided Mother’s Day was the perfect opportunity.  I planned my menu around this pizza, leaving it the main attraction.  After changing my mind 17 times, I narrowed the menu down to: buttermilk biscuits, tropical fruit salad, a waffle station with assorted toppings, hash browns, Tequila Sunrises and a Strawberry Shortcake Cake (all recipes to follow).  My sister dutifully helped me in the kitchen with the hash browns so I wasn’t left planning AND cooking the entire meal (although I probably wouldn’t mind).  I even found time in the schedule I made (another list) to set the dining room table since it was a special occasion, after all.  Our neighbor-love Jackie also came over, and it turned out to be an amazing day.  My mom said it was the best Mother’s Day yet!

As a final note on the pizza, when my dad took his first bite he said “This pizza is, like, basically the best thing ever.  Oh my God.”  I have to agree, for these reasons: it still tasted fresh and light because of the fresh herbs, yet incorporated everything you wish for in the morning–bread, eggs, cheese and bacon!  Feel free to add your own toppings, but I really wouldn’t change a thing about this.  I guess I’ll be making it for Father’s Day, as well!

Breakfast Pizza

Makes 2 (12-inch) pizzas

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast

2 cups + 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

8 strips bacon

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella

8 large eggs

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons minced chives

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 large shallot, minced

Instructions

The night before, prepare the pizza dough. Place 3/4 cup lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the yeast, stir and let sit for 5 minutes.  Add the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix on low for 1 minute.  Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to high and mix until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes.  If you notice the dough needs more water, add more in tablespoon increments.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide into two equal pieces and form each into a ball.  Wrap each half in plastic wrap and put each inside a separate large zip-lock bag.  Refrigerate overnight.

Day of: Two hours before baking place the dough, still in the bag, in a warm spot to finish rising.  Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and set a pizza stone on the rack.  Preheat the oven with the pizza stone in it to 500 degrees 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the pizza.

While the oven is preheating, fry the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until crisp.  Cool on plate lined with paper-towels.  Once slightly cool, coarsely chop.

Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and dust some on top of one of the balls.  Pat the dough into a circle with your fingertips, gently stretching and pulling it into a 12-inch circle.  Place the pizza dough on a pizza peel or a lightly floured baking sheet turned upside down (completely flat surface–I even used my large cutting board).  Sprinkle the dough with half of the Parmesan, mozzarella and bacon.  Crack four eggs over top of the pizza.  Season with salt and pepper.

Bake the pizza: Shake the baking sheet or pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough isn’t sticking.  If it is, sprinkle some flour under that area.  Open the oven and quickly slide the pizza directly onto the pizza stone by shaking the baking sheet or pizza peel in one hard forward and back motion (my mom helped me get it into the oven with a spatula).  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and crust golden brown.  Remove the pizza from the pizza stone and transfer to a cutting board or large serving plate.  Sprinkle half of the herbs and shallot onto the pizza, let cool for 2 minutes, cut and serve!  Prepare the second pizza the same way.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

About Maura

I have a secret: I cannot do anything in moderation. I always have to take things to the extreme, at the expense of my own and my family's sanity and often times my dad’s checkbook. When I started taking horseback riding lessons, I insisted on having a pony. When I ice skated for probably the second time, I made my mom buy me ice skates that were never again worn. When I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I made my parents turn one of the rooms in the basement into a school room, stocked with an overhead projector, pull-down maps and a real, classroom-sized chalkboard and white board. When I discovered cooking I bossed my older sister around in the kitchen for an entire day, forcing her to make dozens of recipes with me against her will and then had her do all the dishes (sorry Cait). And, when I discovered food blogs I bought the biggest binder I could find, printed out 250 recipes in one day and laminated and categorized each one. My dad was not happy about the ink situation. So, what does this tell you about me? For one, you can trust that every recipe I post is more than delicious and has been meticulously tried and tested for you. Also, that I’m an anal freak. Enjoy! View all posts by Maura → This entry was posted in Breakfast and tagged bacon, Breakfast, eggs, pizza. Bookmark the permalink. ← Fudge Brownies Smoked Pulled Pork →