This dish is the simple showstopper that every Spring brunch needs!
Happy Spring everyone!! I hope like us you’re enjoying the pleasant warmth of a little more sunshine. It has definitely picked up my mood these last few weeks. I’ve been taking my Vitamin D gummies regularly, but there is nothing like the real thing. 🙂
This dish is simply inspired by the first breakfast pizza I ever ate. Over fifteen years ago! My mom was visiting me in SF and I took her to Rose’s Cafe, a lovely Italian fare bistro in the Cow Hollow neighborhood. At the time, I was simply drawn to the name. My mom’s name is Rose so I thought it would be fun to treat her there. When we first arrived, we were so excited for their assortment of house-baked goods. I’m always down for a morning bun. But then we learned of their signature dish: the BREAKFAST PIZZA. I know that #putaneggonit is more commonplace these days, but back then it was so exciting and new! Growing up Filipino, we put fried eggs on everything, especially last night’s leftovers. So to see two sunny side up eggs on a pizza at a restaurant made me so happy. Not to mention that the pizza’s other toppings were ham and fontina. YUM.
I’ve been reminiscing so much lately and with the gorgeous Spring weather, I’ve been missing the days of sitting at bistro’s like Rose’s, soaking in the sun and enjoying the most perfect of brunches. Funny enough, in all these years, I’ve never created my own breakfast pizza so I figured what better time than now.
This recipe
This was super fun to create! It started with a pre-made dough ball, which is always a win especially when it’s super quality dough and when my kiddos are asking every few minutes when breakfast will be ready. And when I say breakfast, it’s really their second or third breakfast because they literally eat ALL morning long. Lol.
For the toppings, I used my favorite spring combo: mozzarella, asparagus and prosciutto. So simple, but when you start with the best you don’t need much.
Another thing I highly recommend, and that everyone seems to love, is adding ‘everything bagel’ seasoning to pizza crust. It feels extra appropriate for a breakfast pizza, but it is a flavor booster that works with any flavor combo.
When it comes to assembly, I have a few tips:
- Don’t stress about the dough shape. Part of the reason I like making this in a rectangle-ish shape is because I’m not very good at rolling a perfect circle. Just roll out to 1/4 inch thick so it cooks evenly.
- Always remember to place the dough on the sheet pan before you add the toppings. Otherwise it can be very tricky business to keep the toppings in tact.
- Put the fresh mozzarella first and then some shredded (i love a lot of cheese in many forms). Since you’ll be adding the eggs, you also want to leave 3 two-inch wells on the pizza.
- Then add the prosciutto over the cheese and top that with the asparagus. Finally, add more shredded mozzarella all over the pizza, making sure you spread some over the asparagus pieces. It helps them not to get too charred and to keep them from rolling off.
After the pizza has baked for ~10-12 minutes when the cheese is melty and the crust has started to brown, it’s time to add the eggs. You can see above that even though I left the wells, they still got a little cheese in them. But that’s totally ok! You can see at the end that it all worked out.
Another tip for this stage: crack the eggs into separate bowls first; this takes away that pressure of the accidental egg shell on your pizza.
At the time I add the eggs, I also like to add chives. Anytime I can add fresh herbs, I will. It gives a dish a brightness and adding at this stage means they’re incorporated into the cheese but not overcooked (p.s. I was very lucky to have some chives in our garden that the squirrels hadn’t gotten their paws on yet).
Voila! I loved the way the egg turned out, a little rogue, but there was still room from the wells to keep them in tact.
Make sure to enjoy this right out of the oven. It’s so good piping hot and from here feel free to add any condiments you love.
For some extra greens, I added micro-broccoli. For a little spice, I added Aleppo pepper. You could also do crushed red pepper and grated parmesan.
When I need an extra kick, I love dousing my slices with Tabasco. Goes so perfectly with the egg.
Another favorite is pomegranate molasses. Pictured below is the Just Date Syrup Pomegranate molasses (which i love). That sweet tang is a perfect pairing with the saltiness of the prosciutto.
I really hope you try this recipe friends. It’s so so good! And as always, thanks for reading!
Valerie
- 1 dough ball
- One fresh mozzarella ball (8 oz.)
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- Prosciutto (2 oz.)
- Asparagus (1 small bunch, about 7-8 asparagus), cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 3 eggs
- Chives (optional)
- Micro-greens (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick
- Place the dough on the sheet pan
- Tear the mozzarella ball into pieces and spread all over the dough, leaving 3 wells (aka open spaces) for the eggs. Follow the fresh mozzarella with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, keeping the wells in tact.
- Add the prosciutto over the mozzarella and then finish with the asparagus.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of shredded mozzarella, making sure to get some over the asparagus pieces
- Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden. While the pizza is baking, crack each of the three eggs into separate small bowls.
- Pull the pizza out of the oven and carefully add each egg into each well. It's totally ok if your egg wells have been covered a bit with the melted cheese. (Optional: add chopped chives at this stage)
- Place the pizza back into the oven for another 8 minutes until the egg whites are cooked through.
- Remove from oven, place on a cutting board and carefully slice into squares. (Optional: Top with micro greens)
- Serve hot and enjoy with other favorite toppings (Parmesan, crushed red pepper, hot sauce)
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