Breakfast pizza — have you ever tried it? No, this is not cold pizza from the fridge on a Saturday morning (not that there's anything wrong with that either!). Hot and crispy homemade pizza, with handfuls of herbs and scoops of soft ricotta cheese, topped with an oozing egg — this is a breakfast in its own right.
Saturday morning we were crunched for time but we needed to put a hot breakfast on the table; it was a long day and fruit and toast wouldn't do. We had made homemade pizza the night before, so we saved a couple balls of dough in the fridge and brought it up to room temp in the morning.
We shook it out thin, slathered it with ricotta cheese and fresh herbs from the garden. The first pizza had basil and a little leftover tomato sauce, plus some green olives and plenty of Parmesan. We cracked three eggs on top and baked. Delicious! The yolk spilled out golden goodness all over the other toppings.
The second pizza was simpler; we rubbed the dough with ricotta and a little good olive oil, then chopped basil, thyme, sage, rosemary and parsley and sprinkled it on. We baked this for several minutes, then added the eggs. Two more eggs, with salt and pepper, baked just until golden runny.
We cut it into big pieces, folded them over like egg sandwiches and ate it hot with coffee.
So good! The advantages to this breakfast are that most of it can be made ahead. Have guests? Just set out the pizza dough and toppings in the morning, then pop into the oven for five minutes. These are so thin that they don't take long to cook at all.
One more idea: Substitute tiny quail eggs for the larger chicken eggs.

Breakfast Pizza
serves as many as you'd like1 recipe either Best Pizza Dough Ever or Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Pizza sauce - recipes here
1 16-ounce tub whole milk ricotta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Several handfuls of fresh herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Any other toppings you would like
2 to 3 large eggs per pizza
Make the dough and separate into individual balls. Mist with spray oil, cover, and leave overnight. If you're going to cook it the next morning there is no need to refrigerate.
Heat the oven as high as it will go — hopefully at least 550° and put a pizza stone or baking sheet, upside down, on the top rack.
Shake out each ball of dough and lay it on a sheet of parchment. Top with sauce, and a smear of ricotta, as well as Parmesan, herbs, and any other toppings, except the eggs. Crack each egg into an individual ramekin.
Slide the topped pizza into the oven. Carefully slip each egg out of its cup and onto the pizza. Shake on a little salt and pepper. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the whites and yolk are just set and golden.
Take out of the oven and sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top. Let cool for five minutes then eat!
Related: Over Easy: Egg on Pizza
(Images: Faith Durand)
Originally published May 13, 2008.
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (21)
i have been making salads with poached eggs for breakfast lately. i'll have to try this pizza. looks so good and different!
http://threadtrace.wordpress.com
I made a b'fast pizza this weekend as well -- grate potatoes and scatter on top (more than you would think necessary because it cooks down) -- the potatoes on the top get crisp while the ones underneath stay soft.. great contrast and so good.
These look terrific, and great for dinner as well as breakfast. Do you think it would work on a grill?
i've seen and eaten pizza in japan and the czech republic where it's not uncommon at all to put a barely cooked egg on top. not only for breakfast! the oozy egg yolk is great!
it is cruel and unusual punishment to have to look at this at 8:53 am at your office desk. especially having skipped breakfast today.
(to paraphrase one of my friends: zomg! yum!)
At least 550?
Sigh.. I get excited if my oven even reaches 500.
This looks fabulous and I can't wait to try it. I've done something with pita bread, scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh herbs and parmesan cheese, but this is a different take altogether. Looks De-Lish.
my family loves new brinner ideas (breakfast for dinner) and I'm sure they will love this one.
num nums. this dish has a good chance of impressing my mother in law on her next brunch visit. thanks for sharing
aww, i want to eat this NOW>
the bacon and egg pizza recipe from the NYT a few months back is the most fabulous ever
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/magazine/10food-recipe.html?ref=magazine
I make a large batch of pizza dough once a week and kept it stored in small balls in the fridge. Can't wait to try these recipes - best looking pizza I've seen since Italy! Thank YOU!
A. Don't knock cold pizza!
B. All that picture needs is some bacon. Mmm...
Could the pieces be refrigerated and then re-heated?
I would eat that for any meal at which you set it in front of me--forget saving it for breakfast!
I make mine with white gravy mix, breakfast meats, pre cooked, scrambled eggs, and any other toppings I choose, peppers, onions, mushrooms etc. So super yummy!
Question, why do you have to do this vs. cracking the egg on to the pizza directly?
"Crack each egg into an individual ramekin.
Slide the topped pizza into the oven. Carefully slip each egg out of its cup and onto the pizza. "
It does seem to create extra dishes, but I'm guessing it's to prevent bits of shell getting in the pizza/ dropping raw egg between hard surface and pizza surface/ other messes clumsy folk like me tend to make in the kitchen. The little bowl would give you better control of egg-placement than a half-opened shell.
This looks soooooooooo good. Unfortunately my boyfriend is afraid of runny yolks so I can't make this :P
I believe it's in case an egg turns out to be rotten. So you don't spoil the entire dish. I'd seen that extra step in another recipe and that's the reason they gave.
I like pizza and that sounds yummy!And I'm starving now I want it!