Making Gourmet Pizza At Home Part 3 - BLT Pizza for Summer

Here it is! And it's a good one! Pizza #3 has two of my favorite foods rolled into one -- BLT Pizza!

California Pizza Kitchen provided the inspiration for this one -- sliced fresh tomatoes, diced bacon, and shredded mozzarella baked on a crispy crust, then topped with chopped romaine lettuce mixed with a little mayonnaise.


The only adaptations we made to the CPK recipe were using Applewood Smoked Bacon and regular tomatoes, which looked better than the Roma tomatoes at the market on the day I shopped for the party. Actually, any good ripe tomatoes, from grape to beefsteak, will work for this pizza. We loved the Applewood Smoked Bacon though, and would definitely use it whenever possible.

If you like a crispy, crunchy, creamy, salty, savory, and juicy BLT, then you'll want to give this pizza a try. It's the perfect light and refreshing pizza for summer!


BLT Pizza
(adapted from California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook)

1 partially pre-baked pizza crust
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. diced, cooked Applewood Smoked Bacon
1-2 tomatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
2 c. chopped romaine lettuce
2 tbsp. mayonnaise

Place pizza stone on bottom rack of oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Brush olive oil over the surface of the pre-baked crust. Spread 3/4 cup mozzarella over the oiled crust. Place cooked bacon over the cheese. Place tomato slices over the bacon and top with remaining mozzarella. Bake pizza for 6 - 8 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Remove pizza from oven and slice into pieces. Mix mayonnaise with lettuce and spread over the top of the pizza. Serve immediately.