Pizza Bombs with Bacon and Cheese topcook.tomathouse.com
Ingredients:
- 900 g pizza dough, divided into 16 balls of 5 cm each
- 4 thick slices bacon (pork belly)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- Salt
- Cake flour for dusting the cooking surface
- 4 tsp tomato paste
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 340 g mozzarella, cut into 0.6 cm cubes each
- Warm Marinara sauce for filing
Preparation:
- Place the pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 260°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it on the pizza stone.
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Stir in the parsley and season with salt. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook the bacon until crisp, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble finely.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Roll each dough ball into a 9-cm circle. Grease the center of each circle with 1/4 teaspoon of tomato paste, leaving the edges ungreased. Divide the basil into pieces; place a small amount of basil and about a teaspoon of bacon in the center of each piece of dough. Top with a couple of cubes of mozzarella.
Lightly brush the edges of the dough with water. Pinch the edges of the dough together to form small balls with the filling inside. Place the balls, edges down, on a sheet of parchment paper. Using a floured metal skewer, make a small hole in the center of each ball to allow steam to escape.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully arrange the dough balls on it, spacing them about 5 cm apart. Using a brush, generously brush each one with the herb oil you prepared earlier. Place the baking sheet on a pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes.
Rotate the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the finished pizza bombs with herb oil. Serve the buns hot with marinara sauce and the remaining herb oil.
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