Thursday, June 5, 2014

Pizza For Breakfast


Breakfast is Served

I am a creature of habit, a tendency that shows most strongly in the morning. I wake up without an alarm, pretty early most of the time. I get up, warm up some milk, make a cappuccino using the machine I've had for a couple of decades, at least (well done, Krups: the most basic model years ago, it still makes some of the best espresso I know). While that is brewing, I unload the dishwasher (this is how I know the job I despise only really takes three minutes of my life--I need to stop the whining), and get started on either the egg I eat (scrambled lightly, still soft) or the current fave, plain Greek yogurt with a tablespoon full of my homemade Granola Gold, a touch of honey and a heap of frozen blueberries (Frozen berries? they never go moldy on me, thank-you-very-much). Then I steam the milk, pour the espresso, grab my breakfast and, if the weather is nice enough, head outside for my breakfast, some quiet time and maybe some catching up on email.

Ah, but today I broke from routine. Because last night I made pizza. The dough is from Carole Field's The Italian Baker, the same recipe I've used for years (I can say it by heart: 1 package yeast, 1.5 cups plus 1 T warm water, 1.5 teaspoons sugar, 2 T olive oil, 550 g flour and 8 g salt--actually I have to get back to you on the salt!). I had fresh mozzarella (not my own, homemade, alas). Some great harvati, a homemade sauce, also from Ms. Field. If you prep the dough during the day, it's really quick to roll out half the dough, grill it (my preferred method these days), top it and ...BAM! Really good pizza.

Anyway, fast forward to this morning. There was still pizza left from last night. That means good bread, good cheese and a touch of homemade sauce. Bread, cheese, a vegetable (tomato and onion equals a veg in my book).

I would say homemade pizza is an ideal breakfast. And it was. Some habits just deserve to be broken.   Now and then, anyway. Tomorrow? I'm already looking forward to yogurt.

Mangia.

3 comments:

Margarette Burnette said...

I think pizza is good and healthy any time of the day!

BTW, this is the first time I ever heard of grilling pizza dough. I jut did a quick Internet search and now I realize lots of people do it. I'll try it. Thanks for the tip!

Holly Ocasio Rizzo said...

My dream years ago was to open a cafe that served cold pizza in the morning. It's the breakfast of champions (with corollaries in many cultures, too).

Babette said...

Martha, I think it is the best way to imitate wood-fired or coal-fire pizza. And it is easy!