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Your favorite food, breakfast-style! I dare you to stop at one slice of this ham, egg and cheese breakfast pizza topped off with a runny yolk! It’s so good you’ll want breakfast for dinner!
Today’s post is sponsored by Bayonne Ham, the melt-in-your-mouth charcuterie from Europe (#EnjoyItsFromEurope). Opinions are my own and I appreciate your support of the brands and companies that support What Should I Make For…
You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well now it’s also the most fun and delicious. Because…pizza for breakfast!
And I don’t mean last night’s leftovers pulled out of the frig topped with cold, coagulated cheese. I’m talking a fresh homemade crust, ooey-gooey cheese, delicious melt-in-your-mouth Bayonne ham, and perfectly cooked eggs with golden, runny yolks.
Because this breakfast pizza has just a few toppings, they need to be top-notch and full of flavor like French Bayonne Ham (Jambon de Bayonne). Bayonne ham is made with high-quality, whole, fresh hams rubbed with a thick layer of special rock salt from the Adour river basin. It takes an average of ten to twelve months to make a Bayonne ham, and the quality and care truly shows in each flavorful bite.
The savory, saltiness of the ham pairs beautifully with the creamy cheese and a sprinkle of green onion adds a bright, grassy pop. I’ve made my own dough for the pizza because I love the way it bakes up with nice crisp edges, but if you’re pressed for time you can substitute store-bought pizza dough, or even naan or flatbread for the crust.
My pizza dough recipe yields two 12-inch pizzas, but if you have fewer hungry mouths to feed, wrap up half the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for a future use (simply defrost before rolling it out and follow the recipe from there). Trust me, once you taste this breakfast pizza, you’ll be happy to have extra dough on hand for next time!
Want a chance to win some delicious Bayonne Ham of your very own (of course you do!)?
Simply comment and follow Bayonne Ham on Instagram HERE. Here’s how to enter:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1. Follow the @bayonne_ham on Instagram.
2. In the comments, tag a friend who understands why French charcuterie is something to get excited about OR comment below with how you would serve the Bayonne ham.
You can also enter the contest on my Instagram HERE.
Let’s make Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Pizza
Let’s start with the dough…
- Mix the dry ingredients together and activate the yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar.
- Mix the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook or by hand until smooth.
- Form the dough into a ball and turn into a well-oiled bowl.
- Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Now for the breakfast pizza!
- Heat the baking sheets in the oven while you roll or stretch the dough into roughly 12-inch rounds or oblong shaped crusts.
- Place the dough on the preheated baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
- Bake 3-4 mins until the crust begins to bubble. Remove from the oven.
- Gather the toppings including the cheese, Bayonne Ham, green onion, and eggs.
- Sprinkle with about 3/4 of the cheese.
- Next, scatter with Bayonne Ham.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the ham.
- Scatter the green onions over the ham and cheese.
- Create four slight depressions in each pizza and carefully crack an egg into each.
- Return the trays to the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbling, with the eggs cooked through but yolks are still runny. Garnish with scallions, slice, and serve hot.
Tips for success
- This pizza dough is very forgiving. You can roll it with a rolling pin or simply stretch it with your hands. The goal is a round of even thickness, about 12 inches or so. It doesn’t need to be perfect, we’re going for a rustic look here.
- Heat your oven as high as it will go and pop the baking sheets in the oven for a few minutes before you place the dough on them. This will help the dough cook through and guarantee a nice, crisp crust.
- A good sprinkle of cornmeal in the pan before the dough goes down helps to prevent sticking.
- Crack your eggs one at a time into a small ramekin or bowl and slide it into the depression. This will guarantee that you don’t have any shells in your pizza and your yolks are intact before baking.
- Don’t over-season your pizza with salt. Bayonne Ham is salt-cured and you may not need any additional salt depending on your taste.
- This ham, egg and cheese breakfast pizza is best served hot, so serve this as soon as it’s ready (not that you’d be able to hold out)!
More Tasty Breakfast Dishes
- Crab Eggs Benedict
- Mushroom Goat Cheese Frittata
- Lemony Avocado Toast with Arugula
- Corn Pancakes
- Ham and Egg Muffin Cups
Your favorite food, breakfast-style! I dare you to stop at one slice of this ham, egg and cheese breakfast pizza topped off with a runny yolk! It's so good you'll want breakfast for dinner!
- 1/4 oz active dry yeast (1 pkg)
- 1 cup warm water (100 degrees F)
- pinch of sugar
- 3 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the bowl
- cornmeal, for dusting the baking sheets
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 20 oz shredded cheese, (I like a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, and monterey jack)
- 4 oz Bayonne Ham, sliced
- 1/2 cup green onion, sliced
- 8 eggs, large
- kosher salt and pepper (optional, to taste)
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Whisk the yeast and pinch of sugar into the water and let stand 5 - 10 mins until it begins to bubble or foam.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour and the salt. With the mixer set to low, add the water/yeast mixture and the olive oil.
-
Knead for about 5 mins, until the dough is smooth. If it's too dry, add an additional tbsp or two of water, mixing well before adding the next. (By hand: stir together all ingredients and knead on the counter for 8-10 mins.)
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Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 2-3 mins until the dough is very smooth and then shape it into a ball.
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Place the dough in a well-oiled large bowl, turning the dough so it is coated on all sides and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 - 1 1/2 hrs. (Place the bowl in the warmest part of your kitchen.)
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Lightly punch down the down and divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roughly shape the divided pieces into balls and cover with plastic wrap.
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Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F or as high as your oven will go. Once the oven is hot, place two baking sheets or a pizza stone in the oven for about 5 minutes. While the baking sheets heat, stretch the dough.
-
Working with one piece and leaving the other covered, use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch the dough into a round or oblong shape (about 12 inches). If the dough springs back and loses its shape, cover it and set aside for a few mins before re-rolling (this allows the dough to relax). Repeat with the other dough.
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Take the baking sheets out of the oven (careful! it will be crazy hot!), reduce the temperature to 450 F, and place the trays on a cooling rack or trivet. Sprinkle the bottom of the sheet pans with a handful of cornmeal. Place the stretched dough on the pan and stretch it evenly into a rounded or oblong shape. Repeat with the other dough.
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Brush the rounds with 1 tbsp olive oil each. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for about 3-4 minutes, until the dough begins to bake and bubble.
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Remove the baking sheets from the oven, divide the cheese evenly, and spread the cheese over the rounds, reserving about 1/4 of the cheese. Bring the cheese close to the edges.
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Tear the ham into pieces and divide it evenly over the cheese, and again, bring it close to the edges. Scatter the remaining cheese over the ham and spread the chopped green onions that, reserving a Tbsp or so for garnishing. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and a little kosher salt (to taste).
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Create four depressions in each pizza and carefully crack an egg into each.( I recommend cracking each egg into a small bowl first, then pouring it in.)
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Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 10-12 mins, or until the pizzas are golden brown and bubbling, the crust is cooked through, and the eggs are cooked with runny yolks. Slice and serve hot.
Yields: 2 - 12 inch pizzas
Uncooked pizza dough can be frozen and defrosted before rolling.
- This pizza dough is very forgiving. You can roll it with a rolling pin or simply stretch it with your hands. The goal is a round of even thickness, about 12 inches or so. It doesn't need to be perfect, we're going for a rustic look here.
- Heat your oven as high as it will go and pop the baking sheets in the oven for a few minutes before you place the dough on them. This will help the dough cook through and guarantee a nice, crisp crust.
- A good sprinkle of cornmeal in the pan before the dough goes down helps to prevent sticking.
- Crack your eggs one at a time into a small ramekin or bowl and slide it into the depression. This will guarantee that you don't have any shells in your pizza and your yolks are intact before baking.
- Don't over-season your pizza with salt. Bayonne Ham is salt-cured and you may not need any additional salt depending on your taste.
- This ham, egg and cheese breakfast pizza is best served hot, so serve this as soon as it's ready (not that you'd be able to hold out)!
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