likebyregina Bacon, mozzarella cheese, and eggs on pizza? This Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Pizza recipe makes a great weekend brunch. It is simple and totally homemade, and yes we will be making the pizza dough from scratch. You can even get creative on the toppings! The egg yolk oozes out when you cut through the pizza, and it is just hard to resist enjoying it all.
Tips when Making a Pizza Dough from Scratch
- Put your baking sheet (or pizza pan) in the oven and place the rack close to the bottom of the oven, before preheating the oven. Baking the dough at a lower rack would help to form a golden-brown crust. It also helps the egg set without cooking the yolk fully.
- You should preheat the oven before making the dough itself. I recommend baking the pizza dough at 260 °C or 500 °F, so it can form a golden-brown crust without burning the pizza in a short period of time. Therefore, you would want to allow enough time to preheat at such a high temperature.
- Use warm water to activate the yeast. When you put your finger in the water, you should feel comfortably warm, not hot. Yeast will not activate in cold water, and hot water can kill it. The ideal water temperature should be 100-110°F. Cover the bowl for 5-10 minutes, and if it starts to foam and bubble, it’s active.
- Once the dough is done rising, you really want to punch out the air and deflate the dough before rolling it. Excessive air in the dough would cause the dough hard to shape and rise too much in the oven. It will turn the pizza with a very thick crust.
- You must create a crust for the pizza, whether to pinch the edge or fold them over. The edge helps to hold the egg within the pizza, especially in a small pizza. Otherwise, you will have egg whites all over the baking sheet, outside the pizza.
- Be heavy-handed when brushing the olive oil on the crust. It will form a beautiful golden-brown crust during baking.
- If you care about the pizza’s overall appearance after baking, this tip is for you. On my first few attempts, a layer of egg white forms, covering the yolk during baking. And I found the pizza less appealing, compared to having a beautiful orange yolk showing in the center of the pizza. That’s why it is very important to bake the pizza at 260 °C or 500 °F, close to the bottom of the oven. So the yolk won’t be exposed to direct heat (top of the oven). The yolk would not cook through as easily, while the egg white sets on the pizza.
How to Knead a Pizza Dough?
Knead by Hand
Kneading by hand is not difficult when making pizza dough. The entire kneading may take only 10-15 minutes. The recipe below is based on kneading by hand.
Use a Stand Mixer
If you have a stand mixer, the process is straightforward. You can activate the yeast in the mixing bowl of the stand mixer. And add olive oil and slowly pour the dry ingredients into the activated yeast. Beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes. Once the dough is formed, bring it out to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 more minutes.
Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Sandwich
Equipment
- Oven
- Chopsticks or a fork
- Baking Sheet
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 cup all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast or 1 pack (7g)
- ¾ cup warm water
Pizza Toppings
- Spinach
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Bacon chopped
- Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 4 Burnbrae Farms Nestlaid™ Eggs or any eggs
Instructions
- Put your baking sheet in the oven. Place a rack in the bottom second of the oven, and preheat the oven to 260 °C or 500 °F. It is important to preheat the oven now because it will take some time to preheat the oven.
- In a small bowl, add warm water, ½ tsp sugar, and instant yeast. Stir until combine. Cover the bowl with a lid or towel. Set aside for 5 minutes. The instant yeast is "awake" and ready to use when it starts to bubble.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp sugar, and salt. Mix until combine.
- Pour in the instant yeast + water into the dry ingredients. Use chopsticks or a fork to stir until combine. It will start to form a wet dough.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil and ½ cup all-purpose flour into the wet dough. Mix until the dough fully incorporates with the flour. You may want to first use chopsticks/fork to incorporate as the dough is still sticky at this point.
- Pour the remaining ½ cup all-purpose flour into the dough. Use your hands to knead the dough until it is smooth and just slightly sticky (but does not stick to your hands). If you find it difficult to knead in the bowl, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead. The dough is ready to rise when you touch its surface lightly and it springs back. Shape the dough into a round shape.
- In a separate bowl, grease with olive oil. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- The dough is done rising when you poke your finger into the dough, and it doesn't spring back. Once the dough has risen, punch out the air to deflate it.
- Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times). Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, or you can keep it as one large (approx 12") pizza.
- Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into a round or oval (or any desired) shape. You really want to punch out the air before rolling the dough into a thin sheet.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the dough carefully to the baking sheet. Pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
- Drizzle additional olive oil over the top of the pizza. Brush the entire surface (including the crust) of the dough with olive oil. You can be slightly heavy-handed on the crust, so it can create a beautiful golden brown color when baking.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
- Top with spinach, shredded mozzarella, bacon slices, and cherry tomatoes, leaving the center open for the egg. Gently break an egg into the center of each dough.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the egg is set. Season with salt and pepper. If you are baking a large pizza, bake for 10-12 minutes instead.
Tried this recipe?Tag us on Instagram @likebyregina and share your creations!
Disclosure: eggs are gifted.
