Email to Cat      

Pizza For Breakfast

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"No longer just the domain of famished college students, pizza for breakfast has undergone a reputation rehab. This recipe knocks all expectations out of the box with a satisfyingly crunchy crust topped with crispy bacon, golden-yolked eggs, and not one, not two, but *three* cheeses. To achieve this crunchy crust without overcooking the eggs, parbake the crust for 5 minutes on its own. The remaining oven time cooks the eggs (nestled in their cheesy bed) to perfection. The cottage cheese is unconventional, but the curds melt into creamy, silky beauty. For a grad-school-level pizza, try the smoked salmon variation. Room-temperature dough is easier to shape, so pull the dough from the fridge first thing."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for drizzling
â—¦ 6 slices bacon
â—¦ 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
â—¦ 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
â—¦ 4 ounces (½ cup) small-curd cottage cheese
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
â—¦ Pinch cayenne pepper
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, room temperature
â—¦ 6 large eggs
â—¦ 2 scallions, sliced thin
â—¦ 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Grease rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil.

Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate; when cool enough to handle, crumble bacon. Combine mozzarella and Parmesan in bowl; set aside. Combine cottage cheese, oregano, ¼ teaspoon pepper, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon oil in separate bowl; set aside.

Press and roll dough into 15 by 11-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, pulling on corners to help make distinct rectangle. Transfer dough to prepared sheet and press to edges of sheet. Brush edges of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake dough until top appears dry and bottom is just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove crust from oven and, using spatula, press down on any air bubbles. Spread cottage cheese mixture evenly over top, leaving 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle bacon evenly over cottage cheese mixture.

Sprinkle mozzarella mixture evenly over pizza, leaving ½-inch border. Create two rows of three evenly spaced small wells in cheese, each about 3 inches in diameter (six wells total). Crack one egg into each well, then sprinkle each with â…› teaspoon salt and â…› teaspoon pepper. Return pizza to oven and bake until crust is light golden around edges and eggs are just set, 9 to 10 minutes for slightly runny yolks or 11 to 12 minutes for soft-cooked yolks, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Transfer pizza to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Sprinkle with scallions and chives and drizzle with extra oil. Slice and serve.

Serves 6



• Variation: Smoked Salmon Pizza for Breakfast
After cooling, omit scallions and top pizza with ¼ cup sliced red onion, 3 ounces sliced smoked salmon (cut into thin strips), and ¼ cup sour cream. Sprinkle with chives, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, and 1 tablespoon rinsed and drained capers, and drizzle with extra oil.