Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (1 lb) ball of pizza dough, divided*
- 1–1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the tomatoes
- 2 tsp fresh garlic
- 6–8 strips of bacon
- Half of a red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced or grated
- 2/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- A few splashes of good-quality balsamic vinegar, for serving
- Small handful of fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Remove the dough from the fridge, and place on a lightly-floured pizza peel (or cutting board etc.) about 30 minutes before you plan to bake the pizzas.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, until cooked but not too crispy. The bacon will continue to cook on the pizza. Remove the bacon and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble into small pieces.
- In a conventional oven, place an oven rack on the highest level directly under the broiler, and turn the broiler to high.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, drizzle with a few teaspoons of olive oil, and spread out in an even layer on a non-stick sheet pan. Broil for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blister and crinkle. Remove from the oven and set aside. Keep the broiler on.
- While the tomatoes are cooking, heat a dry 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. If the skillet begins to smoke, turn the heat down, but the goal is to get the skillet really hot.
- Meanwhile, stir together the olive oil and garlic in a small bowl, and set aside. Slice the onion and mozzarella, the thinner the better, and crumble the blue cheese. Set aside. All the toppings should be completely ready to go as soon as the pizza dough hits the skillet.
- Gently roll or pull the dough ball(s) into 9-inches circles, about the size of the skillet. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to brush on the garlic olive oil, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.
- At this point, the cast-iron skillet should be super hot! Carefully slide one of the pizza doughs into the skillet (still on the burner), and immediately top with the mozzarella. The bottom of the dough will begin to cook. Add the tomatoes (reserving juice), red onion slices, bacon crumbles, and blue cheese crumbles, taking no more than about 30 seconds.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven, and place under the broiler with the handle facing to the right. Broil for 1 minute, then (using a heavy-duty potholder) turn the skillet 180 degrees, so that the handle is completely to the left. Broil for another minute or two, until the cheese is melted and the pizza crust is puffy and golden. If bits of the crust begin to blacken and char, that is okay.
- Remove from the oven and let sit in the skillet for a few minutes. Carefully remove from the skillet, top with fresh basil and/or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, slice and serve immediately. If you’re making two pizzas, (carefully!) wipe out the skillet and begin the process again with the second ball of dough and remaining half of the toppings.