How To Get The Bacon On Your Breakfast Pizza Just Right

Pizza lovers, this one's for you. Savory breakfast pizza is our go-to choice for feeding a crowd in less than 30 minutes (not to be confused with the also delicious sweet version of fresh fruit breakfast pizza). One slice packs carbs, scrambled eggs, meaty bacon, and diced veggies into every single bite (hello, hangover cure!).

The basic assembly method goes something like this: Par-bake store-bought or homemade pizza dough, top with cheese, cooked bacon, and scrambled eggs, then bake once more to meld it all together. Since pizza cooks so quickly, raw bacon won't have enough time to cook through, and all that grease will soak into the dough (no thanks). So, for the best crispy, smoky bacon for your pie, the question is: To oven-bake? Or to skillet-fry?

Cooking your bacon in the oven yields less mess compared to cooking it on the stove. When you're hosting a houseful of breakfast guests, the less mess to clean, the more time you can spend enjoying your company. To do it, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (easiest cleanup), place a wire rack on top, then line it with your strips of raw bacon. About 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit should do the trick – and it can go in at the same time as your pizza crust, cutting down on cooking time even further. However, in the skillet, it's easier to keep an eye on the bacon as it cooks and nail your desired level of doneness. 

If bacon isn't part of your regular brekky rotation (i.e. you're not super familiar with cooking it), the easy monitoring of skillet-frying might be a better route. Just fry, drain on a paper towel, and crumble over your pie. Bonus points if you saute bell peppers and onions for topping in the flavorful drippings left in the pan. 

Sheet pan meals are famous for their customizability, and you can load your pizza up with as little or as much bacon as you like. We recommend ½-pound of bacon per pie as a jumping-off point. For a toothy, pizza-proper chew, opt for thick-cut bacon, as well as any other flavorful toppings like olives, pickled jalapeños, mushrooms, canned artichokes, or frozen hashbrowns. However you load it up, allow that pie to cool for 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven to give the toppings and cheese a chance to set.

To further cut down on prep time, we like to use refrigerated canned crescent roll dough for the pizza crust. You can also assemble that pizza a day or two ahead of time. Just fully cook the pie as normal, then allow it to thoroughly cool before wrapping it in plastic wrap and popping it in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, place it in the oven for five to 10 minutes at 350 degrees to warm.