Caramelized Onion Spinach And Bacon Pizza Recipes

CARAMELIZED ONION, SPINACH AND BACON PIZZA

Steps:

• Measure warm water into a medium sized bowl or measuring cup (with at least a 2 c capacity).
• Sprinkle the yeast over water and let stand 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.
• Place half of the flour flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed.
• Slowly add the liquids and continue to mix on low. Then, add the remaining flour (one cup at a time) until a cohesive mass forms. The dough should be smooth and soft, but not sticky. You may not need all of the flour as there is a lot of variability in measuring when using scoops.
• Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook.
• Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Form dough into a ball and put in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
• Let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until dough is doubled in bulk. Press the dough to deflate.
• Slice the onions thinly (about ⅛ inch).
• Add butter or oil to a pot over medium-low heat.
• Once melted, add the sliced onions.
• Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Then, stir in the salt. Reduce the heat to low.
• Let the onions continue cooking over low heat for roughly 45 to 50 minutes. Stir only every 5 to 10 minutes. You want the onions to develop color evenly and not burn, but you don't want to disturb them often or else they won't caramelize!
• When very dark brown and sweet in flavor, remove from heat.
• Cut the bacon strips into bite sized pieces. Transfer them to a large skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until crispy.
• Reserve the bacon fat, leaving some in the skillet, and removing roughly 2 Tbsp worth and set aside in a small bowl.
• Set bacon aside and chop into smaller pieces once cooled down.
• In the same skillet as the bacon was cooked in, add in the fresh spinach. Cook over medium heat until spinach is wilted, but not crispy. Remove, place in a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet as the bacon and spinach, add in the reserved bacon grease from earlier, along with 1 Tbsp olive oil and chopped garlic.
• Cook for a minute over medium-high heat, add in the flour, stirring well, and slowly add in the milk, stirring constantly until it is well mixed.
• Finally, add in the wine and salt and pepper and cook until sauce thickens. If needed, add in more milk or wine to dilute the sauce slightly if too thick. Turn heat off.
• Preheat oven to 550 degrees F for at least 45 minutes before you intend to bake the pizza, this helps the stone get nice and hot.
• If you have a pizza peel, flour that heavily, and assemble the pizza on that so you can transfer it to the pizza stone. Alternatively, a large cutting board also works.
• Spoon some of the sauce over the pizza dough.
• Top with Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, caramelized onions and bacon.
• Carefully slide the assembled pizza off of the pizza peel and on to the hot pizza stone (wearing hot pads to protect your hands is helpful!).
• Cook the bacon pizza for 5 minutes in preheated oven.
• After the 5 minutes of cooking, carefully take the pizza out, and top with the wilted spinach, and place back in the oven for the remaining 5-10 minutes, or as long as is needed to crisp up the pizza until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
• Remove, let the bacon pizza cool slightly, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and slice into desired amount of pieces.

PIZZA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND CRISPY BACON

Steps:

• Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• In a medium size saute pan, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook until the bacon is very crispy and all of the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan and discard. Place the pan over high heat. Add the onions to the hot bacon fat and cook until the onions are well browned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
• In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone and farmer's cheeses. Season with nutmeg and black pepper. Reserve.
• On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the dough as thinly as possible, about 14 to 15-inch circle. Evenly spread the mascarpone mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, bacon, thyme, and sauteed onion. Bake until the pizza crust is nicely browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove pizza from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, cut into slices and serve immediately.
• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.
• In a food processor, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and process until the mixture forms a ball. (The pizza dough can also be made in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and starts to climb up the dough hook).
• Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).
• Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.