Bacon and Egg Pizza Pie (via the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook) | Pie Month

This is the 8th entry in our Month of Pie. Pie Month is a celebration of things we love. Because life is hard, and there should always be more pie. Have a look at the other entries. Really. 

Pie #1 - Lemon Cream Icebox Pie

Pie #2 - Malted Crisp Tart

Pie #3 - Apple Green-Chili Pie with Cheddar Crust and Walnut Streusel

Pie #4 - Peanut Butter Cream Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Pie #5 - Butterscotch Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust and Cashew Brittle

Pie #6 - Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust

Pie #7 - Chocolate Kahlua Pie

Is pizza pie? 

We struggled with answering that question for our Month of Pie. Could a pizza really take one of our 15 slots for pie? Our decision came down to two things:

1. What would Dean Martin say (WWDMS)? Given that it is amore when the moon hits your eyes, we felt fairly comfortable with his response.
2. How did the pizza taste? In a word, “incredible.”

We've already told you about our love of the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. So we turned to it when we stated on our Month of Pie, looking for inspiration. And while there are some sweet little pies in there (Chantrelle, Heirloom Tomato, Pork Belly with Barbecue Sauce and Sweet Corn), we were drawn to their Breakfast Pizza. In the middle of a flood of cream pies, this pizza called to us loudly.


Here’s what so special about the pizza...you crack eggs right on to top. The idea of three happy yolks standing at attention was too much to pass up (though I’m not sure I would have even thought of eating this five years ago). Also, the fresh tasting onion flavor coming from the scallions, chives, and shallots playing off the strong bacon and cheese flavors promised complete breakfast satisfaction.


We’re not big breakfast casserole people. They’re a favorite of many in our families, but this pizza is our answer to those casseroles. The ingredients are nearly the same, but the ratio of cheese to egg to bread to bacon is more to our liking.


You can make your own pizza dough (use your favorite), or you can purchase your dough from the grocery, or this being New Jersey, from a local pizza place. We made our own, but if we were in a hurry, I would have no problem using purchased dough.

This pizza can be thrown together in minutes in the morning. Within 30 minutes (10 for prep, 12 to cook), you’ve got an incredible pizza pie that balances nicely with that leftover chocolate pie you made the night before.


recipe | Breakfast Pizza via the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook


Note -  if you have a pizza stone, please use it. Heat it up in the oven and use a wooden peel to get the pizza on to the stone. We don’t have a pizza stone, so we’ve noted our approach below. 

• 3 bacon strips or extra for snacking
• Pizza dough for one pizza
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan 
• 1 cup grated fresh mozzarella 
• 3 eggs
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons basil
• 2 tablespoons minced flat parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced thinly
• 1 shallot, minced

Cook your bacon until crisp (we roast ours in the oven on a pan, 425 F for around 15 minutes for thicker bacon).  Place on paper towel to dry.

Shape your dough on lightly floured large cookie sheet, using your fingers to stretch the dough to the shape you want. We’re comfortable with irregularly-shaped pizzas. If you can make it circular, you are a better person than we are.
Sprinkle the Parmesan, mozzarella, and broken up bacon. Season with salt and pepper. 

Place pizza in the oven for four minutes.

Meanwhile, crack open the eggs into three separate small bowls. You’re doing this to move quickly when you place the eggs on top of the pizza. You don’t want to fumble around with a hot oven.

When the four minutes are up, slide out the oven rack with the pizza pan on it. Place the eggs on top of the pizza, evenly spaced. You might need to dig into the cheese a bit to make a nest for each egg. Return the pizza to the oven and bake for 4-8 more minutes until the eggs are done to your liking.

When the eggs are done (we like them loose and a little runny) and the crust is golden, pull out the pizza, sprinkle with parsley, chives, scallions, and shallots. Slice and serve immediately.

meyer lemon bars with pine nut cornmeal crust (via The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook)

Karen and I have a habit of doing things on vacations that are spur of the moment, completely unplanned, and then falling into something wonderful. Or at least memorable. Being attacked by monkeys at the Batu Caves outside Kuala Lumpur comes to mind. So does finding Grom gelato in Florence. 

So does our drive down Highway 1 in California from San Francisco. Karen suggested we go (that is, made me go) to the Winchester Mystery house in San Jose (so much crazy), and once that was over, we decided to drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea. No clue how to get there. No GPS at the time. No restaurant picked out. Let’s just drive. 

And while Carmel was pretty and the beach was misty and moody and beautiful, it was the drive that was the real reward. Neither of us had spent much time on the West Coast, and we had no idea how overwhelming the Pacific Ocean is, as the highway hugs the cliffs. Giant waves crashing against the waves below you. Rainbows. So difficult to keep my eyes on the road. Luckily, there were many places to stop along the drive, stand out on the cliffs, the energy of the water rolling toward you, and feel small and impossibly large at the same time. 

Ridiculous beauty.

But.  A very sad “but.” Had we driven just a bit further south of Carmel, we would have found Big Sur Bakery which, from their cookbook and website, appears just as magical as the drive along Highway 1. 

Their cookbook is organized by season, and their approach to cooking and their restaurant inspires connection to the land and people around you, creating family wherever you go. 

We love their recipes, especially their Meyer lemon bars with pine nut corn meal crust.  The bars are big and rich, more substantial than most lemon bars, with a tender crunch in the crust from pine nuts. Meyer lemons are perfect for this, but use regular lemons if that’s what you have on hand. You’ll be happy.

Next time, we’ll drive past Carmel and head right for Big Sur Bakery. Seems like it’s full of all kinds of wonderful.

recipe | meyer lemon bars with pine nut cornmeal crust (via The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook)


For the dough

• 1 c unsalted butter
• ½ c pine nuts
• 2¾ c all purpose flour
• 1/3 c plus 2 T sugar
• ½ c yellow cornmeal
• 1 t kosher salt
• Grated zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 T heavy cream

For the Meyer lemon filling

• 3¼ c sugar
• ½ c all purpose flour
• Grated zest of 3 Meyer lemons
• 1 c Meyer lemon juice
• ½ c heavy cream
• 8 whole eggs
• 5 egg yolks

For the topping

• Powdered sugar

Make the dough
Cut the butter into cubes. Spread them out on a plate and throw them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the rack in the middle position.

Put the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven for about 7 minutes. You want light brown, not medium. Light. Let them cool completely.
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, cornmeal, pine nuts, salt and lemon zest until you get small pieces of pine nuts. Add the butter from the freezer. Pulse until you get a coarse meal. Dump the contents into a large mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center. Leave it sit there for a couple of minutes, waiting in anticipation. Pine nuts can be demanding, and they need to learn patience. Learn ‘em good.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks and cream together. Pour them into the well you made in the pine nut flour. Knead the mixture with your hands until fully combined. You’re looking for smooth dough that looks uniform. Flatten the disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I know this is lengthy. I have no idea if you could do it for less time. Probably, but why would you?

After a good, long wait, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll it into a 15x17 inch rectangle that’s ¼ inch thick. Drape the dough inside a 9x13 baking dish, pushing the dough into the corners and up the side. You’re making a nest of pine nut crust. You’re welcome. Trim off the excess dough off the top and refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven. 350 F.

Bake the crust for about 20 minutes. Golden brown. Cool it completely. 


Make the filling

Heat the oven to 325 F.

In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, flour, zest, juice, heavy cream, eggs, and egg yolks. Crank it up to high. Beat until frothy, 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until filling is set. Check it at 25-30 minutes. But ours went for almost an hour. Don’t panic. You want it set, but not browned. So watch it. Take personal responsibility for these. So many eggs. Let’s not let them brown. 

Cool completely. For real.

Cut the bars into whatever size makes you happy. A tip from the Big Sur Bakery cookbook - wipe the blade clean with a wet towel between cuts. No goopiness. Transfer the bars to plates and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.