Call me practical or just plain penny-wise, but I always think long and hard before buying new kitchenware, whether it’s a big-ticket appliance or low-cost cooking tool. I don’t like clutter or the idea of purchasing something I think I’ll rarely use. Case in point: It took me years of deliberation before I bought my first Le Creuset cast-iron dutch oven. The turning point? I wanted to bake a loaf of no-knead bread and none of my other pots or pans would do.
It took me just as long to procure my first baking stone. I’ve made plenty of perfectly fine flatbreads and pizza pies on standard cookie sheets but have never achieved a crisp, golden top and bottom crust – my ultimate goal. So, after spotting this beautiful soapstone, I caved in and added it to my collection. If I only cooked with it occasionally, at least it could double as serveware.
Let’s just say my only regret is that I didn’t get my hands on it sooner. I took the pizza stone for a test drive over the weekend with this corn, caramelized onion and bacon pizza and the crust was like no other I had made before. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, it was everything I had hoped for, and more.
While you can use store-bought pizza dough, if you have a few hours before you have to get food on the table, consider making your own. It’s effortless and you can even prepare the toppings while the dough rises. By the time you caramelize the onions, fry up the bacon, sauté the corn and let everything cool, it’ll almost be time to assemble your pie.
This recipe features a modest amount of cheese, but if you prefer an ooey-gooey pizza, feel free to double the quantity. I prefer to use a light hand so I can enjoy the sweet and savory notes of the other ingredients.
Recipe adapted from Baker by Nature.
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1⅛ teaspoons sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 ear corn
- 2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
- sea salt
- 1 small tomato, seeded and diced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh cilantro (optional)
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
- Add water and olive oil to the flour mixture, stirring everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap (or a pizza pan) and put it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, the dough can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly caramelized, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add bacon to the fry pan and cook until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of grease.
- Use a sharp knife to shave off kernels from corn cob. Add corn kernels to fry pan and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Stretch out dough to the desired shape and thickness and place on a pizza stone or baking sheet. If the dough is resisting, let it sit for about 5 minutes.
- Drizzle with remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil and, using your fingers, spread evenly. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese, chili flakes and a pinch of salt.
- Top with caramelized onion and corn. Crumble bacon over pizza and then top with tomato and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for about 18 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling.
- Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, if using.
I can imagine how good the caramelized onion and bacon flavours taste on this pizza…definitely craving a slice right now, looks and sounds delicious!
Thanks so much, Thalia!
Can I have a slice? I LOVE all those ingredients. 🙂