Craving a delightful twist on your usual pizza night? Look no further than this exquisite summer pizza, generously adorned with sweet caramelized onions, savory bacon, vibrant cherry tomatoes, and creamy fontina cheese. It’s a harmonious blend of flavors and textures, promising to become a cherished addition to your recipe collection, perfect for a casual weeknight dinner or an impressive gathering.
Embracing the Savory Side: A Culinary Journey Beyond Dessert
For too long, my kitchen adventures have leaned heavily into the realm of sugary delights. While a slice of rich chocolate cake certainly has its place, I’ve set a new culinary goal: to explore and share more savory creations. This blog, much like my palate, is evolving, seeking balance and variety. Stepping outside my comfort zone of sweet indulgences has been an exciting challenge, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to a dish that proves my savory pursuits are truly paying off.
This pizza isn’t just a recipe; it’s a testament to the joy of diverse flavors and the satisfaction of mastering new techniques. It’s light, fresh, yet bursting with such incredible depth, making it an ideal meal for any season, but especially shining during the summer months when fresh ingredients are at their peak.
The Foundation of Flavor: An Unbeatable Homemade Pizza Dough
Every great pizza begins with a phenomenal crust, and I’m genuinely surprised it’s taken me this long to share my go-to pizza dough recipe. It’s incredibly reliable, always delivering a perfect canvas for any topping combination. This fantastic recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman’s beloved cookbook, known for its straightforward and delicious approach to home cooking. Its simplicity belies its incredible performance, making it a staple in my kitchen.
The magic starts with basic ingredients: active dry yeast, warm water, all-purpose flour, a touch of kosher salt, and a generous pour of olive oil. These humble components transform into a supple, elastic dough through the simple process of kneading and patiently allowing it to rise. Witnessing the dough double in size during those crucial few hours is a truly satisfying sight, signaling the impending arrival of a delicious meal.
This recipe yields a substantial amount of dough, perfect for those who prefer a thick, chewy crust that can stand up to hearty toppings. However, if you, like me, often favor a thinner, crispier base, this recipe offers flexibility. Simply divide the risen dough in half, using one portion for your immediate pizza craving and saving the other. The unused portion can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or even frozen for several months, making impromptu pizza nights a breeze. This foresight in preparation is a game-changer for busy home cooks, ensuring a fantastic homemade pizza is always within reach.
Crafting the Toppings: A Symphony of Summer Flavors
Once your dough is perfectly proofed and ready to go, it’s time for the exciting part: assembling the toppings. This particular combination is inspired by a memorable pizza from Vinto, a wonderful casual Italian restaurant here in Salt Lake City. It balances freshness with rich, savory notes in a way that truly sings. For me, no pizza feels complete without the vibrant flavors of fresh basil and juicy tomatoes. They are the quintessential taste of summer and bring an essential brightness to the dish.
The Star: Rich Caramelized Onions
While every ingredient plays a crucial role, the caramelized onions truly elevate this pizza to an extraordinary level. The process of slow-cooking thinly sliced yellow onions in a skillet with a touch of butter until they turn a deep golden-brown and become incredibly sweet and tender is transformative. This patient caramelization draws out their natural sugars, creating a depth of flavor that is both complex and comforting. A little trick I use to aid this process is adding a tablespoon of water once the onions start to brown; it helps deglaze the pan, incorporating all those flavorful browned bits back into the onions, enhancing their color and taste. These sweet, jammy onions provide a perfect counterpoint to the salty bacon and tangy tomatoes.
Crispy Bacon and Creamy Fontina
Next up, crispy bacon. Diced and cooked until perfectly golden and crunchy, the bacon introduces a irresistible smoky and salty dimension that complements the sweetness of the onions beautifully. After draining, it adds a delightful texture without making the pizza greasy. And, of course, what’s a pizza without plenty of cheese? We’re using fontina or fontinella cheese, shredded to perfection. Fontina is a semi-soft, nutty, and wonderfully meltable cheese that blankets the other toppings in a creamy, gooey layer, holding everything together in a delicious embrace. Its mild yet distinct flavor doesn’t overpower but rather enhances the other ingredients, contributing to the overall richness.
The Final Touches: Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil
Finally, the fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, burst with sweet and slightly acidic juices as they bake, adding moisture and a burst of vibrant color. They prevent the pizza from feeling too heavy and provide that essential “summer garden” fresh taste. A sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper over the toppings seasons everything perfectly before it goes into the oven. Once baked to golden perfection, a generous scattering of freshly chopped basil completes the masterpiece. The aromatic basil, added after baking, retains its bright, peppery notes, providing an invigorating finish to each slice.
Baking to Perfection: Crispy Crust, Bubbling Cheese
With all your glorious toppings meticulously arranged, your pizza is ready for its grand finale in the oven. A crucial tip for achieving that desirable crispy crust at home is to preheat your oven to a high temperature—500°F (260°C) is ideal—and if you have one, preheat a pizza stone or baking steel along with it. This intense heat ensures a quick bake, giving you a crust that’s wonderfully crisp on the bottom and chewy in the middle, just like from a professional pizza oven.
Bake your pizza until the edges of the crust are beautifully golden brown and the fontina cheese is bubbling, gooey, and slightly golden in spots—typically around 8 to 10 minutes. The aroma filling your kitchen will be absolutely intoxicating! Once it emerges from the oven, allow it a moment to cool slightly before finishing it with that final, fresh flourish of chopped basil. The warmth of the pizza will gently release the basil’s perfume, infusing every bite with its unmistakable fragrance.
Serve, Savor, and Share: Your New Favorite Summer Creation
The result is nothing short of delicious. Each bite is a delightful interplay of textures and flavors: the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions, the crisp, salty bacon, the juicy, burst of cherry tomato, and the creamy, nutty fontina, all brought together by that perfect crust and the refreshing hint of basil. It’s truly an irresistible combination that will have everyone reaching for another slice.
While these toppings create a phenomenal pizza, remember that the pizza crust recipe itself is a versatile winner. If you’re feeling adventurous or have other ingredients on hand, don’t hesitate to swap out toppings. This dough serves as an excellent base for almost anything you can imagine—from classic pepperoni to roasted vegetables or a vibrant pesto chicken. But I highly encourage you to try this specific combination at least once; the caramelized onions alone are worth the effort, delivering an unparalleled depth of flavor that will send this pizza over the top.
This savory masterpiece is more than just a meal; it’s an experience. It’s the perfect dish to share with loved ones on a warm evening, perhaps paired with a crisp green salad and a refreshing beverage. Get ready to impress and delight with this incredible summer pizza!
Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Bacon, Cherry Tomatoes, and Fontina
6 servings
20 mins
20 mins
2 hrs
2 hrs 40 mins
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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 months. 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 (260°C) 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 olive oil evenly on the prepared pizza crust 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.
Carbohydrates: 68g,
Protein: 19g,
Fat: 30g,
Saturated Fat: 11g,
Cholesterol: 48mg,
Sodium: 1111mg,
Potassium: 225mg,
Fiber: 3g,
Sugar: 2g,
Vitamin A: 481IU,
Vitamin C: 7mg,
Calcium: 201mg,
Iron: 4mg
American
Main Course
Annalise Sandberg
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