Let me tell you about this pizza.
A few weeks ago my cousin Lacy walked into our house carrying this pizza. It arrived right in the middle of a hangry husband episode — once he realized one pie wouldn’t be enough, he left for a burger. I was secretly thrilled.
The two of us ended up with the whole pizza and it was unforgettable. Thin slices, lots of flavor, and somehow still whole wheat, which made me feel better about eating four slices (thin-slice math!).
No exaggeration: this pizza haunted my thoughts for days. It strikes a perfect balance of sweet and salty. I couldn’t move on until I recreated it at home.
I used my go-to whole wheat crust recipe and baked this on a pizza stone. The flavor depends on just a few key ingredients — caramelized onions, gruyere, peppered thick-cut bacon, and a well-made whole wheat dough — but the result is sophisticated and simple. The onions take time: they caramelize slowly for about an hour, which is worth the patience for the depth of flavor they add.
Normally I pile everything onto a pizza, but this one needs only quality components and generous bacon. Let the ingredients shine and use plenty of bacon if you like bold, savory bites.
Caramelized Onion, Gruyere & Pepper Bacon Whole Wheat Pizza
Yield: 2 to 4 servings • Total Time: about 2 hours
Ingredients
dough
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
pizza
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 12 ounces gruyere, freshly grated
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, stirring until the dough begins to come together but remains sticky. Form into a ball, then work in the remaining 2/3 cup flour on a floured surface. Rub the mixing bowl with oil, return the dough to the bowl, turn to coat, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low and add the bacon. Cook until some fat has rendered and the bacon is slightly cooked (it will finish in the oven). Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel and sprinkle with the black pepper. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet.
- Reduce heat to low, add the butter, then add the sliced onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat, cover and cook for about 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so. After an hour, stir in the brown sugar and cook 15 minutes more. Stir in the garlic, turn off the heat and transfer the onions to a bowl.
- Punch down the risen dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll or stretch to your preferred shape (this dough will make one pizza large enough for about 3–4 people if you want a single pie). Place on a baking sheet or pizza peel and let rest under a towel in a warm spot for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (or follow directions for a pizza stone or skillet method if using one). Sprinkle half the gruyere over the dough, top with the caramelized onions, then the bacon, and finish with the remaining cheese. Bake 30–35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Remove, slice and serve.
Make this. The slow-caramelized onions and peppered bacon are worth the effort — simple ingredients, big flavor.