Pizza with caramelized onions, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and fontina
The perfect summer pizza topped with onions, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and fontina cheese.
Can you believe it? I’m actually posting a non-dessert recipe. It’s true, I do eat more than just sugary sweet things. Sometimes— chocolate cake does make a good meal.
A new goal of mine is to post more savory stuff, to add more variety to this blog, and to push myself outside of my comfortable sweet tooth bubble.
I’m not sure why it’s taken me to long to share this pizza dough recipe with you. I use it often and I absolutely love it, it never fails me. It actually comes from The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook and is super easy. I’ve made it with a wide variety of toppings, but this is my most recent— and I think my favorite so far—creation. It’s inspired by a pizza I’ve enjoyed from a local casual Italian restaurant here in Salt Lake City, Vinto. It’s fresh, light, but packed with so many wonderful flavors.
It all starts with the pizza dough. Some yeast, flour, salt, and olive oil are kneaded together and left to rise for a few hours.
Magical things happen during those few hours.
The recipe makes quite a bit of dough. If you want a thick crust it is the perfect amount, but if you want a thinner crust (which is what I usually prefer and what I did with this pizza) divide the dough in half and save the rest for another pizza later.
Once you’ve got the dough ready, it’s time to add the toppings. To me it’s not a pizza if there aren’t basil and tomatoes involved.
And lots of cheese, of course.
Throw on the bacon and caramelized onions and you’re good to go.
After only a few minutes in the oven, you’ve got one amazing pizza.
It just needs a little sprinkling of basil.
Perfect.
You guys, it’s delicious. It’s the caramelized onions that send it over the top, I think. I’d eat them plain for sure, but they’re so good on this pizza next to the salty bacon and juicy tomatoes.
If these toppings aren’t up your alley, swap them out for just about anything. Do try the pizza crust though, it’s a winner.
Pizza with caramelized onions, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and fontina
Ingredients
Pizza Crust:
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Toppings:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ cups fontina or fontinella cheese , shredded
- 1 small yellow onion , sliced thin
- 2 strips of bacon , diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- A bunch of basil , chopped
Instructions
To make the pizza crust:
- Combine the active dry yeast with the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is dissolved and mixture is creamy.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the olive oil until it is just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir the yeast mixture and with the mixer still on low, slowly add the yeast mixture until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the pan.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand until smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for one to two hours.
- Divide dough in half if you are aiming for a thin crust. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to one week and in the freezer for several moths. Press the other half of the dough (or all of it for a thicker crust) into a sheet pan.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and prepare the toppings.
To prepare the pizza:
- Cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium heat until browned and crispy. Spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium low heat until brown and caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. I like to help the caramelizing process along by adding a tablespoon of water when the onion start to turn brown. The water dissolves the brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan and as it evaporates leaves the caramel color and flavor on the onions.
- Spread the olive oil on the prepared pizza crust with olive oil with either a brush or your fingers. Sprinkle the crust with the shredded cheese. Add the bacon, caramelized onions, and sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake until crust is golden at the edges and the cheese is bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped basil. Serve immediately.
Nothing will beat home made pizzas, love the toppings..
Sllluuuuuuuurppppppp!!:))
Annalise, thank you for posting this! I have to admit that I too am slightly nervous about venturing outside my sugary dessert comfort zone, but this pizza dough isn't nearly as terrifying as a lot of the savory recipes I come across. (Maybe that's just because I love bread.) I can't wait to try it soon!
I've made PW's pizza before, but these toppings are really calling my name! Mmmm…caramelized onions make everything better 🙂
This sounds amazing!! Will definitely have to try and yes you're so right about the caramelized onions. I firmly believe they make anything taste better.
This looks so delicious! Love the toppings! I'll have to replace the bacon, but other than that I think it's fantastic 🙂
It is perfection indeed
We had pizza hut tonight and I really didn't enjoy it. Should've made this pizza! It looks really yummy!
Aaaaah… I luuurrrrrves pizza…
I love pizza! We do pizza most Sunday nights in our house 🙂 I'll have to try this one sometime! PS- came across your blog via the BlogHer Food list: see you in 2 weeks! 🙂
I'm making this next Monday!!! Can't wait!
homemade pizza is the BEST! nothing compares. this looks great!
PS: saw you're going to BH food?!? Yay! I hope we can meet! I'm sure it will be insane – it'll be my first ever BlogHer Conference, and I've heard they are crazy in a good way.
Glad you're adding more savory stuff. From the looks of this post, it's going to be a good ride! Love pizza, and these toppings are right on point.
Love the simplicity of your pizza. Looks so fresh!
I'm a relatively new reader of your site but really enjoy it! I made your lemon curd awhile ago- awesome- and we made this pizza last night. I was so full but couldn't stop eating it! Delicious. Thanks!
Annalise, these are such gorgeous, colorful photos for a lovely pizza! Great, great job on this. I could eat the whole thing right now! Thanks for sharing and inspiring me with something new – I would have never thought to put fontina on a pizza! 🙂
Very nice recipe, easy to follow. I love hawaiian pizza. Pineapple toppings for me!