Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast pizza isn’t cold pizza leftover from last night’s dinner. It is quite the opposite. Breakfast pizza is a warm, fresh from the oven pizza filled with all your breakfast food favorites.

I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but my breakfasts tend to be boring. It’s always the same thing: yogurt, oatmeal, or toast. For the most part, I just don’t have the time in the morning to whip up a fluffy omelet or make a stack of pancakes. Weekends, however, are a completely different story.

Weekend mornings are all about breakfast and brunch. But let’s face it, I am usually so beat and lazy on Saturday morning that I don’t get out of bed and dressed until noon. For mornings like that, this breakfast pizza is the solution.

Pizza is a comfort food classic, and when you add breakfast staples to it, you have a sure winner. The smell of bacon on pizza is sure to wake up any sleepyhead.

I use Canadian bacon (ham), crispy bacon, whole eggs, and fried tater toes to dress my pizza. These are mere suggestions, feel free to use your own breakfast favorites– sausage patties, home fries, scrambled eggs.

I opted to use sliced provolone cheese. Shredded mozzarella cheese is predictable and not worthy of such a unique pizza. Provolone has a bolder flavor profile that stands against the other breakfast items.

One trick that has made all the difference in my homemade pizzas– cast-iron skillet. Too many times I’ve ended up with wonky misshapen pizza. It is no longer a problem with the help of my cast-iron skillet. Not only does the skillet act like a mold that holds a perfect round shape; it also mimics a pizza stone by heating the dough evenly and quickly.

Make sure your pizza dough is at room temperature before stretching it out. Cold dough is bad news and results in frustration. Allow the dough ample time to rest and relax to ensure easier shaping. Cold dough is too elastic and will shrink back to its original state. No need to use a rolling pin. I like to drop the dough into an oiled skillet and use my fingers and knuckles to gently push and pull the dough out.

I tend to build my pizza starting with the cheese. I followed with the meats and carefully placed the tater tots to leave enough room for the cracked egg. Pre-heat the skillet and dough over the stove on high heat. This allows the skillet to warm up and precook the bottom of the pizza. Prop the pizza every other minute or so to check on the underside of the dough. After about 4 minutes, the bottom of the pizza should be set and lightly golden in color. Remove from the stove and crack your eggs onto the pizza. Place it in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the egg whites are cooked.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pound store bought pizza dough

2 tbsp olive oil

5 slices of provolone cheese

1 cup tater tots, fried or baked

4 slices of thick applewood smoked bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces

3 slices Canadian bacon, cut into small pieces

3 large eggs

salt and black pepper, to taste

fresh chives, minced, as garnish

fresh thyme leaves, minced, as garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat, as well. Take pizza dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare remaining ingredients. Cook tater tots and bacon. Slice Canadian bacon. Set aside until dough is ready.

3. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil into 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Place room temperature pizza dough inside skillet. Pat into a disk using the palm of your hand.

4. Stretch dough out starting from the center, rotating dough in the skillet to form an even 12-inch circle. If the dough is still too elastic, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 5-10 minutes.

5. Use remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the top of pizza dough. Place provolone cheese slices on top. Followed by sliced Canadian bacon and bacon. Arrange tater tots in such a way to allow room for cracked eggs.

6. Place skillet over the stove on high heat. Cook for about 4 minutes. Prop the pizza every other minute or so to check on the underside of the dough. After 4 minutes, the bottom of the pizza should be set and lightly golden brown in the color. The oil should always be bubbling as this point.

7. Remove from the stove. Crack eggs onto the pizza. Season pizza with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and melted, and the egg whites are cooked through. Let cool slightly in skillet before transferring to cutting board to cut into slices.

Best part about this pizza– you can eat it anytime of the day. I love pizza because it is the ultimate portable, hand-held meal. No forks, spoons, or plates required. Even if you have a million errands to do, once the pizza is cooked, it becomes the perfect grab-and-go meal to keep you energized and satisfied all day long.

Tip: No need to make your own pizza dough from scratch. Store-bought pizza dough works perfectly. Let the dough sit out for at least 30 minutes before you plan to use it. Even if the package only says 10-15 minutes, give it more time. Resting the dough at room temperature relaxes the glutens in the dough allowing for easier shaping and less elasticity. If the dough still doesn’t want to cooperate, loosely cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for another 10 minutes, then try again.