Inspiration: There really just aren’t a lot of things better than homemade pizza on a Friday night. When B and I were on our honeymoon a few years back, we ate at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco and ordered their “California” pizza, which had avocados and cilantro as a couple of the toppings. It was the first time that we’d ever had those flavors on a pizza, and we really loved it. With a spare avocado to be used, I decided to make my own avocado pizza.

What we Loved:  I think that this is the best pizza that I’ve ever made (aside from our margherita pizza, which is our all-time favorite). This was a good pizza. It’s heavy with toppings (literally heavy), and the toppings all taste really great together. I used Vidalia onion slices, bacon, chopped cilantro, and sliced avocado, and along with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, the flavor combination was just amazing. I really can’t rave enough about how good I thought this tasted. I particularly loved the salt from the bacon and the creamy richness from the avocado, which, by the way, I used plenty of.

Helpful Hints: There’s nothing too difficult about making this pizza. Just prepare and enjoy.

Bacon Avocado Pizza
Source: Original Recipe

1/2 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)
1/2 recipe pizza sauce (I used this recipe)
1 small Vidadlia onion, cut into slices
8 slices bacon, cut into strips and sauteed until browned
1/2-2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large avocado, sliced

1. Grease a pizza pan. Spread out the pizza dough on the pan, using flour if necessary to help spread the dough. Top the dough with the pizza sauce, the cheese, the onion slices, and the bacon.

2. Cook the pizza in a preheated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the bottom of the pizza crust is browned and the cheese is browned.

3. Top the pizza with the cilantro and the avocado. Slice and serve.

Pizza Dough
Source: Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
*Makes enough for three thin pizza crusts.

1 3/4 cups water, divided (1/2 cup of the water should be warm, the rest should remain at tap temperature)
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 envelope)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
Non-stick cooking spray or extra virgin olive oil for brushing bowl

1. Measure 1/4 cup of warm water into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the envelope of yeast, and let stand until the yeast dissolves, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Add the remaining 1/4 cup warm water to the bowl, plus the remaining 1 1/4 cups of tap water and the 2 T of olive oil. Meanwhile, mix the flour and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients (holding back a tablespoon or two) to the flour mixture and combine. If the dough does not readily form into a ball, add the remaining liquid and continue to mix. Process until the dough is smooth.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball. Put the dough into a large oiled bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

4. Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and use a chef’s knife to cut the dough into three equal portions.