BLT Pizza

Bacon, lettuce, tomato. I’ve been eating a lot of BLT’s lately since I took advantage of bacon that was on sale at the store. I finally got tired of eating these sandwiches but for a twist, I thought the same tasty fillings would make for a great pizza topping. As a result, this BLT Pizza came about and I personally think it’s much better than the sandwich version…

Starting with a homemade pizza dough, I topped it a layer of mozzarella cheese, shredded romaine lettuce, and slices of plum tomatoes. When it came time for the bacon, I used 2 kinds – regular bacon and Canadian bacon. Having both on the pizza made it meatier and tastier… besides, you can never have too much bacon! The Canadian bacon baked along with the pizza while the traditional bacon was cooked in advance and added on just at the last minute of baking (to prevent it from burning while the pizza baked.) Since this pizza didn’t have a sauce, I served it with ranch dressing on the side which was ah-mazing!

As for baking, I tried something different and baked the pizza in my cast iron skillet. I didn’t feel like free-forming the dough for the crust so I pressed the dough into my skillet for the perfect shape. Needless to say, it came out perfectly! I may have to bake all homemade pizzas in my cast iron skillet going forward since the crust was golden brown, rose just enough around the edges and it maintained the traditional circle shape. I’d recommend baking your next pizza in a cast iron skillet!

Crust:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Toppings:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 whole romaine heart, shredded
4 oz sliced canadian bacon, cut into quarters
1 plum tomato, sliced
1/4 cup crumbled or chopped, crisp cooked bacon
1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese
ranch dressing for dipping

Combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer to mix fitted with a dough hook.

Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the stand mixer is running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Continue mixing until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting.

Sprinkle the cornmeal on the baking sheet (I used my 12 inch cast iron skillet) before placing the pizza dough on the sheet. Press the dough to create the crust and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of the crust with olive oil.

Top the pizza with 1/2 cup of mozzarella, followed by the shredded lettuce. Place the Canadian bacon on top of lettuce layer and top with slices of tomato. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of mozzarella over the tomatoes. Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 10-14 minutes, or until the bottom of the pizza is crisp and golden. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the crumbled or chopped cooked bacon and return to the oven to bake for another minute to heat up. Just before serving, sprinkle the colby jack cheese and serve with ranch dressing if desired.