Breakfast Pizza

From the time I was a small child, mornings were always calm and orderly for me. My mother never overslept, never ran late and never, ever ate a pop tart in the car on her way to work because she didn’t have time for breakfast. Even with three kids to care for, there was rarely a moment of chaos in her house. It was a lovely way to grow up.

I can’t say that I’ve lived up to her standards in every way, but I know I hit the mark in the breakfast department for sure. I give myself plenty of time in the mornings to sit down with a bite to eat and a cup of coffee without having to rush around. I always made sure that my daughter started her days that way and I do the same now for Michael.

When work takes me away from home for a few days, I try to make some meals in advance so that Michael doesn’t end up eating fast food all week. Breakfast can be a challenge, because eggs don’t always reheat well. The breakfast pizza is my solution to that problem. It also works well if you are one of those eat-on-the-run kind of people. Just nuke it and go. Way better than a pop tart.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 large pizza crust (click here for my pizza crust recipe)

2 cups of mozzarella cheese, finely shredded

4 large eggs

4 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled (the thick-sliced stuff that doesn’t shrink when you cook it)

¼ red bell pepper, diced

Diced green onions (about ¼ cup)

Spread the cheese evenly across the pizza crust. Next crack the eggs on top of the cheese. Try and space them out evenly. With a fork, break the yolk and gently encourage the whites to spread around as much as possible. Be careful not to stick your fork all the way through the crust. Spread the crumbled bacon, bell pepper and diced onions evenly across the top of the pizza.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the egg is no longer runny.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Nothing smells quite like homemade pizza baking in the oven.  It brings to mind images of an old guy in a chef's hat tossing dough into the air with that funny Italian music in the background (you know the tune).  Well, I'm not Italian, I don't own a chef's hat and have failed miserably (repeatedly) at tossing dough into the air.  I can, however, make one serious pizza.  Just wait until summer when I can actually grow my own toppings.  Look out, Papa John!  Here comes Aunt D!!

I'm including two recipes here that came with my bread machine.  One is for a whole wheat crust and the other for a regular white crust.  Each recipe makes two 12 - 14 inch pizzas.  The pizza in the photo was made with a whole wheat crust.  I made the whole wheat version last night for the first time and learned two things about whole wheat crust pizza. 

#1 - The wheat flour really does reduce the calorie count of your pizza.  Two slices of the pizza pictured here weighs in at around 188 calories.  Not bad.

#2 - I do not like whole wheat pizza crust.  Michael gave it a thumbs up, though, so that's the score we're going to be using for the 'official record'.

Here's what you'll need:

White
1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons vegetable (or olive) oil
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I use bread flour)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast)

Whole Wheat
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons vegetable (or olive) oil
3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast)

As always, add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order specified by your machine.  When your dough is ready, separate it into two equal portions.  Roll each portion flat onto your pizza pan.  Bake the dough for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and allow to cool before adding your toppings.  After you've added your toppings, bake at 425 until the cheese is melted.  Enjoy!

The toppings in the photo are red onion, orange & yellow bell pepper, tomato, pepperoncini slices and finely shredded mozzarella.

Almost Veggie Pizza

This makes for a super yummy (and relatively quick) dinner when you are in a hurry.  I tend to do my shopping after work on Fridays, which puts me at home a little later than normal.  The pizza is a fast, easy and healthy way to keep Michael from starving to death on shopping day.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pizza Crust (This one was store bought, but I often bake my own)
• Pizza Sauce (Ragu makes a really good one.  There is also a really good one at Earth Fare, but the name escapes me at the moment.)
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Fresh Veggies (I used mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion and tomatoes. Be creative and use whatever you find in the fridge.)
• Salami (You can skip the meat or use a different type if you want.)

Instructions:

Spread two large spoonfuls of sauce onto the crust.  Sprinkle a handful of shredded mozzarella evenly across the sauce.  Chop your vegetables (and the meat if you are using it) into bite-sized pieces and spread them evenly on top of the cheese.  Sprinkle another handful of cheese evenly across the top of the pizza.  Bake at 450 until the entire pizza is warm and the cheese is fully melted.

This is one of my most versatile recipes.  You can improvise as much or as little as you want.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!