Breakfast Pizza!!!

    

     This recipe comes from an adaptation from Chow Magazine http://www.chow.com/recipes/28515-harissa-pancetta-breakfast-pizza. Obviously since this is a pizza, you can put any toppings on it you like, any cheese, meat, vegetables, sauce, that you choose. Myself and a group of friends recently cooked brunch at the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn, and we made this pizza with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, bacon, eggs, scallions and parsley. It was a huge hit, everyone loved it! Next time I make it I think I am gonna do an Eggs Benedict version, with Canadian bacon, hollandaise, eggs, and maybe spinach, or a Mexican version with chorizo and Mexican cheese, you can also use breakfast sausage if you like. You can use a little pizza sauce or tomato sauce if you like but it is not necessary, and I would only recommend using a small amount of sauce. You can also make individual pizzas 7-8 in. with one egg on them and let everyone choose their own toppings!
     You can use any pizza dough you have access to, store bought, frozen, pre-made from your local pizza parlor, whatever you like.  You can even make it the night before and refrigerate it, just remember to let it come to room temperature for an hour or so before starting so it is easy to work with.  I am including a basic pizza dough recipe for those of you who want to make your own from scratch.

Ingredients For Basic Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup very warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups flour, plus more for dusting (00 is best but if you can't find it use all purpose or bread flour.

Those little bubble mean yeast is active, don't add salt yet or you will kill yeast, just some honey or sugar to feed it!

Form your dough into a round like this, cover with a little olive oil to keep it from drying out and return to warm place to rise.

     In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, honey, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

     Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.
     Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic with the base of your palm. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.
     Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a disc and divide into 2-3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.
     Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick.

     Now assemble the pizza.  Gather your ingredients together, cooked bacon cut in to 1 inch pieces (I prefer to cook mine on a rimmed sheet pan covered in foil, I shingle it and bake it in the oven at 400 until crisp.  Makes for easy clean up and you can do a whole package at a time), mozzarella and cheddar cheese, eggs, a little sauce or fresh thin cut tomato slices, chopped green onion and parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. After your dough is rolled out, sprinkle with the cheese, mozzarella and a little cheddar mixed in. 

 Now add your crispy bacon spreading evenly around pizza.  Next crack your eggs and nestle them in the cheese, don't worry they will stay in place.  As I said earlier, you can add a little sauce if you choose or some slices of fresh tomato would be very good too.  Sprinkle with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at 450-500 until the crust is golden, the cheese melts, and the eggs are set (around 8-12 minutes depending on your oven).  Remove the pizzas, sprinkle them with some chopped green onion and parsley, a little more olive oil, slice and serve!!  Yummy!  Be adventurous, try different combinations of toppings, post any with comments!

Add some chopped scallions and parsley!