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Prep time
36 hours
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Cook time
15 minutes
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makes
1 12-inch pizza
Author Notes
One Saturday morning in a hockey rink in Rochester, New York, I bumped into a dear high school friend and his father, Mr. Paolini. As if no time had passed, we hugged, laughed, snapped photos, and, because I’m a softy, I also cried. Just a little. The next day, Mr. Paolini, hockey fan that he is, came to my daughter’s game and brought us treats for our long car ride home: a loaf of bread from a favorite local bakery, a few clementines, and individual breakfast pizzas, which I devoured immediately. What I loved about those breakfast pizzas was the egg topping. I had only ever seen eggs on pizza with yolks still intact, but these eggs were beaten and spread over the dough, making the pizza a little easier to shimmy into the oven. I love this particular combination of eggs, sausage, pickled peppers, and Gruyère cheese, but you can adapt the formula to your tastes and preferences: Use any cheese or pickled chiles you like and swap in bacon (parcooked) for the sausage or omit the meat all together.
From “Pizza Night” Copyright © 2024 by Alexandra Stafford. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Eva Kolenko. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing
—Alexandra Stafford
Test Kitchen Notes
Use Alexandra's pizza dough recipe here. —Food52
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Breakfast Pizza With Sausage, Egg & Pickled Banana Peppers
Ingredients
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1
ball Neapolitanish Pizza Dough (see Test Kitchen Notes)
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All-purpose flour, for dusting
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TOPPINGS
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2 tablespoons
heavy cream
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Flaky sea salt or kosher salt
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2
large eggs
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Freshly ground black pepper
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ASSEMBLY
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Semolina flour, rice flour, or all-purpose flour, for the peel
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3 ounces
Gruyère cheese, grated (about ¾ cup)
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4 ounces
bulk hot or sweet Italian sausage
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1/4 cup
packed pickled banana peppers (1½ ounces)
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2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh chives
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A few dashes of hot sauce (optional)
Directions
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Prepare the dough: Transfer the dough from its storage container to a roomier, lightly floured, covered container (see Dough containers, page 16) and allow it to proof at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours.
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Prepare the toppings: In a small bowl, beat the heavy cream with a fork or small flat-bottomed whisk until it thickens and forms soft peaks. Season with a pinch of sea salt. In a separate small bowl, beat the eggs. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
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Prepare the oven and pizza peel: About 1 hour before you want to bake the pizza, place a baking steel in the top third of the oven and preheat it to 550ºF convection roast (or as high as it will go). Dust a pizza peel lightly with semolina flour or top with parchment paper.
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Stretch the dough: Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Using lightly floured hands, pat the dough gently to flatten it, then stretch it into a 10-to 11-inch round by laying it on the back of your hands and gently rotating it, taking care not to depress the beautiful air pockets in the dough. If the dough begins resisting, set it down on the work surface to rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then continue stretching. Transfer the stretched dough to the prepared peel and give it a shake to ensure it’s not sticking.
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Assemble the pizza: Spread the whipped cream over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with half of the Gruyère. Pinch the sausage into small pieces and scatter them evenly over the dough. Scatter the banana peppers evenly over the top.
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Parbake the pizza: Shimmy the pizza (still on the parchment if using) onto the steel and bake until the crust is light brown, about 4 minutes.
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Finish the pizza: Using the peel, remove the pizza from the oven and close the oven door. Pour the eggs evenly over the dough. Top with the remaining Gruyère. Using the peel, return the pizza to the oven until the eggs are just cooked, 1½ to 2 minutes—watch closely at the end.
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Transfer the pizza to a cutting board (discard the parchment paper). Sprinkle the chives over the top. If desired, splash a few drops of hot sauce over the top. Cut and serve.
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