Breakfast Pizza

Yes, you read that right…if you love breakfast, and you love pizza…open up your mind and prepare to be dazzled! As incongruous as it sounds, breakfast pizza combines your favorite breakfast foods into a warm, melting, yeasty slice of heaven. You’re probably saying “what is with this broad…she puts hot dogs in burritos, spinach in mac ‘n cheese, and marinates chicken wings with margaritas?” I guess I enjoy stretching the boundaries of what we’ve come to think of as ‘downhome cooking’…why not switch things up a bit? We all only go through life once, so why not make the journey interesting? How many hot dogs in a bun have you consumed already in your life? So what’s the harm in trying that favorite hot dog in a bean burrito and carrying it off to work for lunch. It’s so easy to get your dark leafy green nutrients by stirring some baby spinach into your beloved mac’n cheese, but watch out, you may find you crave it this way! We’ve all eaten hot wings galore…step outside your comfort zone and change it up with a yummy margarita glaze!

Breakfast pizza may push your buttons, or you may discover that you love being pushed outside the box. Heck, you can even buy all the components and just assemble them before baking. Pizza dough can be purchased at most grocery stores with bakeries, and most pizza parlors if you ask nicely. For a traditional Italian style pizza, Rao’s Pizza Sauce is a delicious choice if you don’t have any homemade marinara handy. Mozzarella cheese comes already shredded. Just fry up some bacon, mix up some scrambled eggs and pop it all in a hot oven for a few minutes. Genius! Watch your children’s or honey’s eyes light up with delight!

Don’t be afraid to make your meals an adventure…even breakfast!

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients for pizza dough:

3/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees, or warm against your wrist)
1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water by sprinkling it over the surface of the water and let it stand 5 minutes. Add the oil.

Measure out the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running and the tube open, pour the yeast/water/oil into the processor and allow to mix until you see it gather up into a ball.

Meanwhile, oil a large bowl with olive oil. Turn the dough ball into the bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour until doubled in size. If you are making this a day in advance, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap at this point and put into the refrigerator.

Prepare the toppings:

Cut several bacon strips into bite-size pieces (not bits) and partially fry them until fat is rendered, but they are not yet crisp. If you love breakfast sausage, partially fry some and slice into bite-sized pieces. Dice some ham if you wish. If you favor western omelets, go ahead and chop up some onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Open your favorite salsa. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper. Mix the eggs with a fork until frothy and well beaten.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

When risen, punch the dough down. Oil a pizza sheet. Roll the dough out to fit your pan….or pinch apart to form small, individual-sized, free form pizzas. Place on pizza sheet. I use a cookie sheet with a silipat lining, which doesn’t require any oil or cooking spray. Generously sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.