– 16 ounces sore bough pizza dough – 2 slices bacon (chopped) – 4 ounces ground sausage – 2 tbsp olive oil – 16 ounces mozzarella (cut in cubes) – 1/2 cup tomato sauce (see directions for this tomato option) – 1 tsp Italian seasoning – 7 slices sandwich style pepperonis (cut into triangles) – 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella – 1 cup San Marzano style whole peeled pear tomatoes (see directions for this tomato option) – fresh chopped basil (optional for garnish) – crush red pepper (optional for garnish) – dried oregano (optional for garnish)
– Follow the package instruction to thaw store bought frozen dough if using.
– Prep any store-bought dough according to package directions. This usually requires placing dough in a large bowl, drizzling the dough with about one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil (this helps prevent the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl), covering the bowl with plastic wrap to let the dough rise and come to room temperature in a warm place like on your kitchen counter top for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
– While the dough rests, Brown the bacon in a medium size pan on the stove using medium high heat for about two minutes or until the bacon lightly browns. Place the cooked bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to drain away the grease.
– Next, add the ground sausage to the same pan you cooked the bacon in. Cook the sausage on medium high heat for about four to five minutes or until the sausage has cooked through. Place the cooked sausage on the plate lined with paper towels to drain away the grease.
– Grease the pans well covering the whole pan with the two tablespoons of olive oil and place the dough in the pan.
– Stretch the dough and dimple the dough with your fingers, making sure the dough reaches the edge of the pan. If needed, to help the dough reach the edge of the pan, let the dough rest for about 10 to 20 minutes after your first stretch of the dough, because this will help the dough relax and stretch better.
– Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Gently press the cubed cheese evenly into the top of the dough. Make sure to press plenty of cheese around the edges of the dough. This helps get the crispy cheesy edges.
– At this time if you would rather have tomato sauce traditionally layered under the toppings, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce evenly on the dough around the cheese.
– Now sprinkle the pepperoni, ground sausage, bacon, and Italian seasoning on top of the cheese and around the cheese in some areas. (This helps to make sure some of the cheese is still visible.)
– Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese in the exposed areas around the meats. You can let them rise for about 20 minutes at this time. Cover them with plastic wrap while they rise.
– Place the pans on the middle oven rack in the preheated oven. Cook them uncovered for 8 minutes. Rotate the pans 180 degrees and cook for additional 7 to 9minutes or until the cheese has melted and has lightly browned.
– Remove the pans from the oven using an oven mitt. Let the pizza cool for about 3 to 5 minutes.
sing a large spatula, transfer the pizzas to a cutting board. Top with the crushed tomatoes (if this is how you would like your tomatoes on the top of the pizza) and optional basil, crushed red pepper, and oregano garnish. Cut and serve immediately.