Wood-Fired Grilled Breakfast Pizza with Crispy Pancetta, Sunny-Side Eggs & Arugula

How to Make Wood-Fired Grilled Breakfast Pizza with Crispy Pancetta, Sunny-Side Eggs & Arugula

1. 1

   Step 1: Preheat grill and shape dough

   Light your wood-fired oven or grill and bring it to a very hot fire (700–900°F / 370–480°C) for 30–45 minutes so you get a blistering heat; on a gas grill aim for 600–650°F (315–345°C) with a pizza stone preheated for 30 minutes. If using store-bought dough, let it come to room temperature 20–30 minutes, then gently stretch each round to a 10–12-inch disk on a well-floured surface. Lightly brush both sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then dust your pizza peel with cornmeal to prevent sticking.

   For this step

   • 1 lb (about 2 x 10–12 in rounds)Pizza dough
   • 2 tbspCornmeal (for peel/grill)
2. 2

   Step 2: Crisp the pancetta on the grill

   Heat a small cast-iron skillet over indirect heat or on the cooler side of the grill and add the pancetta in a single layer. Cook 3–5 minutes until the fat renders and edges are crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving a tablespoon or two of the rendered fat for brushing the dough. This step renders flavorful fat to help crisp the crust and adds an ultra-savory finish.

   For this step

   • 6 ozPancetta, thin-sliced
   
3. 3

   Step 3: Assemble pizza and blister the crust

   Scatter shredded mozzarella evenly over the dough, sprinkle half the Pecorino, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Slide the pizza onto the hottest part of the grill (or directly onto the pizza stone) and cook 2–4 minutes with the lid open until the bottom is deeply charred and the cheese starts to melt; rotate once if your grill has hot spots. If the top is not melting fast enough, move the pizza to a slightly cooler zone so the bottom doesn’t burn while the cheese softens.

   For this step

   • 2 cups (shredded)Shredded mozzarella
   • 1/3 cup (grated)Grated Pecorino Romano
   • 1 to tasteKosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
   
4. 4

   Step 4: Add eggs and finish cooking

   Using the back of a spoon, make four shallow wells in the melted cheese and carefully crack one egg into each well. Reduce heat to medium or move pizza to indirect heat, close the lid, and cook 4–6 minutes until the whites are set but yolks remain jammy; for firmer yolks cook 1–2 minutes longer. Alternatively, if you prefer, cook the eggs sunny-side in the skillet used for pancetta and transfer onto the pizza to finish.

   For this step

   • 4 largeLarge eggs
   
5. 5

   Step 5: Rest and assemble greens

   Remove the pizza from the grill and immediately scatter the remaining Pecorino on top. Toss arugula with the remaining olive oil, the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

   For this step

   • 4 cups (lightly packed)Arugula
   • 1 mediumLemon (zest + juice)
6. 6

   Step 6: Finish and serve

   Top the pizza with the dressed arugula and the crisped pancetta, slice into quarters and serve right away so the yolks stay runny. Offer extra lemon wedges and cracked black pepper at the table.
   

1. Light your wood-fired oven or grill and bring it to a very hot fire (700–900°F / 370–480°C) for 30–45 minutes so you get a blistering heat; on a gas grill aim for 600–650°F (315–345°C) with a pizza stone preheated for 30 minutes. If using store-bought dough, let it come to room temperature 20–30 minutes, then gently stretch each round to a 10–12-inch disk on a well-floured surface. Lightly brush both sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then dust your pizza peel with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
2. Heat a small cast-iron skillet over indirect heat or on the cooler side of the grill and add the pancetta in a single layer. Cook 3–5 minutes until the fat renders and edges are crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving a tablespoon or two of the rendered fat for brushing the dough. This step renders flavorful fat to help crisp the crust and adds an ultra-savory finish.
3. Scatter shredded mozzarella evenly over the dough, sprinkle half the Pecorino, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Slide the pizza onto the hottest part of the grill (or directly onto the pizza stone) and cook 2–4 minutes with the lid open until the bottom is deeply charred and the cheese starts to melt; rotate once if your grill has hot spots. If the top is not melting fast enough, move the pizza to a slightly cooler zone so the bottom doesn’t burn while the cheese softens.
4. Using the back of a spoon, make four shallow wells in the melted cheese and carefully crack one egg into each well. Reduce heat to medium or move pizza to indirect heat, close the lid, and cook 4–6 minutes until the whites are set but yolks remain jammy; for firmer yolks cook 1–2 minutes longer. Alternatively, if you prefer, cook the eggs sunny-side in the skillet used for pancetta and transfer onto the pizza to finish.
5. Remove the pizza from the grill and immediately scatter the remaining Pecorino on top. Toss arugula with the remaining olive oil, the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Top the pizza with the dressed arugula and the crisped pancetta, slice into quarters and serve right away so the yolks stay runny. Offer extra lemon wedges and cracked black pepper at the table.