I can’t think of any food invention in recent years more exciting than breakfast pizza. Not that there’s anything new about pizza.
But having permission to eat it for breakfast?
That’s revolutionary!
A dough to make in advance
This pizza dough is based on the famous recipe from Roberta’s in Brooklyn. Make it the day or evening ahead and chill it overnight in the refrigerator.
This dough is easy to handle and bakes into a chewy and bubbly crust when blasted with the highest heat your oven can generate. {That’s about 550°F.}
Pizza Topping Restraint
We Americans really like to load up our pizzas. If I’ve learned anything from making homemade pizzas–for better and for worse–over the years, it’s that the Italians have the right idea:
Keep those toppings light. Let the dough shine through.
This is a fun breakfast to serve if you’re having company this summer. Or a great way to treat yourself to brunch on the porch or patio.
Wherever you are, I hope you’re eating well, finding time for yourself and enjoying good friends and family.
Breakfast Pizza with Garlicky Kale, Pesto & a Sunny Side Up Egg
Greens with an egg are my go-to breakfast–even better on a pizza with a shmear of garlic scape pesto. I recommend a garnish of hot sauce or kimchi.
For the dough:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus additional for storing dough
- 1 cup lukewarm water
For the toppings
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
- 4 cups kale, roughly chopped (or chard)
- 4 tablespoons pesto
- coarse sea salt
- 4 eggs (pastured)
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To make the dough by hand or machine: Whisk the flour, salt and yeast in a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the oil and water and stir just until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes to give the flour a chance to absorb the water.
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Uncover the dough and tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter top and knead for 5 minutes. The dough is somewhat sticky, so flour your hands as necessary. Or, use the dough hook to knead the dough by machine on medium speed for 3 minutes.
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Collect the dough from the counter and place it back into the mixing bowl. By machine, scrape the dough from the hook into the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
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Drizzle a little oil into a resealable plastic bag. Gather the dough and place it in the bag to store overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the dough 30 to 45 minutes before you plan to make your pizza. (This is also a good time to preheat the oven, so the pizza stone is hot.)
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To make the garlicky greens, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mound on the greens, add a pinch of salt and cook covered until wilted. Set aside.
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To assemble the pizza, preheat the oven to the highest setting (generally 550 degrees F) with a pizza stone on the upper rack. Have 4 small sheets of parchment paper on hand.
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Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, shape it into a disk on a piece of parchment paper by pressing and stretching until it is about 6 inches wide and 1/4-inch thick.
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Spread the dough with the pesto, top with 1/4 of the kale and slide onto the pizza stone. Bake the pizza for 3 minutes, crust is beginning to brown.
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Crack 1 of the eggs into a ramekin, then open the oven, slide out the pizza and spill it into the center. Bake the pizza for 4 minutes more until egg is just set and yolk is still runny. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To freeze the pizza dough: Store any unused portions of pizza dough in oiled, resealable bags in the freezer for up to 1 month. Or make a double batch, divide it into portions and freeze. To use, defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.
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