Kale, Bacon, and Butternut Pizza with Hot Honey Drizzle
This recipe for Kale, Bacon, and Butternut Pizza with Hot Honey Drizzle is a perfect way to enjoy pizza with fresh winter produce. It's baked on a whole wheat pizza crust and topped with a sweet and spicy drizzle!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, pizza
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Kale Bacon Pizza, kale pizza
Servings: 8Slices
Calories: 267kcal
Ingredients
Hot honey drizzle:
½cuphoney
2tablespoonsapple cider vinegar
⅛teaspooncayenne peppermore to taste
¼teaspoonred pepper flakes
¼teaspoonfine salt
Pizza dough:
1cupvery warm water
1tablespoonhoney
2tablespoonsolive oil
2 ¼teaspoonsrapid rise yeast
2 ½ - 2 ¾cupsof whole wheat flour
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
2teaspoonssalt
Pizza:
4slicesthick-cutcenter cut, uncured bacon, sliced into thin strips
¾cupbutternut squashdiced into ¼’’ pieces
2cupskale leavestorn into 1’’ pieces
½teaspoonsmoked paprika
114.5 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
½teaspoonKosher salt
½teaspoonblack pepper
4ouncesof fresh mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Hot honey drizzle:
In a small nonreactive saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Honey will keep for up to 1 month.
Pizza dough:
Preheat oven to 500????℉. If using, place a pizza stone in the lower ⅓ of the oven while it heats. Alternatively, you can use a baking sheet, but do not preheat it.
In a medium bowl, combine the water, honey, olive oil, and yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should start to foam a bit and look creamy.
Add 2 ½ cups of the flour, the Italian seasoning, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine until the mixture starts to form a ball. Turn the mixture out onto a well floured surface and knead with your hands for a minute or so until the ball becomes smooth. If the dough seems too wet, add the remaining ¼ cup of flour by kneading it into the dough.
Divide the dough in half. Place one in a freezer safe container and freeze for later. On a floured piece of parchment paper, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough as thinly as possible, or at least to a round the size of your pizza pan.
Pizza assembly:
Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon strips, and fry until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease from the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat, and add the butternut squash. Saute until tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, about 8 minutes. Add the kale and smoked paprika, saute an additional 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Open the can of whole tomatoes into a medium bowl. Use clean hands to crush the tomatoes into the juice with your fingers. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Use a spoon to place a thin layer of tomato mixture onto the prepare pizza dough. Tear off small chunks of mozzarella and distribute over the sauce. Evenly distribute the bacon, butternut squash, and kale over the pizza. Transfer the pizza on the sheet of parchment to your pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
Slice the pizza as desired and drizzle the hot honey over the top. Serve immediately.