Pizza For Breakfast? Meet The Sausage & Gravy Pizza Recipe That Breaks All The Rules

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Eating pizza for breakfast might not exactly be a new thing, but this recipe isn't just about grabbing a cold slice leftover from the previous night as you run out the door. No, this is a whole new experience — a proper morning pizza with breakfast sausage and eggs.

This novel way to start the day begins with a traditional pizza dough, albeit only stretched to fit a 9-inch pan, so that you don't have to worry about sharing if you're not feeling up for it. On top of the dough, we spread a traditional country sausage gravy (like what you might eat over biscuits), then top it with plenty of mozzarella cheese, some more crumbled sausage, thinly sliced scallions, and a sprinkle of minced fresh sage. Finally, just before the pizza goes in the oven, an egg is cracked right in the center, adding the final touch to make sure there's no confusion over the role this pizza is meant to fill: It's here to break fasts.

Now, this recipe is obviously an excellent way to start the day. You definitely won't regret whipping up a round of personal sausage and gravy breakfast pizzas for a Sunday brunch. But there's no shame in breakfast for dinner either. Not all of us are morning people, and that shouldn't mean that we miss out on all of the wonderful breakfast foods like pancakes, omelets, and, of course, this pizza.

For the gravy in this recipe, you will need breakfast sausage, flour, black pepper, milk, apple cider vinegar, and salt. For the pizzas themselves, you will need neutral cooking oil, pizza dough, grated mozzarella, scallions, sage, and eggs. For the pizza dough, it is fine to go with a store-bought dough. Seeing as this is a breakfast recipe, having the dough already made will save you some early morning hassle. That said, our quick, no-knead pizza dough recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes. Or you could always go for something a little more complex, like a sourdough pizza crust, and just start it the night before. Once you have these ingredients together, you are ready to begin cooking.

Bring a non-stick skillet of at least 8 inches to medium-high heat, and add the sausage.

Cook the sausage while breaking it into small crumbles, for around 5 minutes, or until just done.

Scoop out half of the sausage crumbles and save it for sprinkling onto the pizza later.

Stir in the flour and black pepper with the remaining sausage and its fat in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes.

Stir the milk into the pan in two or three additions. Allow the gravy to bubble up and thicken after each time. This should take about 2 minutes total.

Once all the milk has been added and the gravy has thickened, remove it from the heat. Add the apple cider vinegar and salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

Lightly oil up to four circular 9-inch stainless steel pans, or work in batches if needed. Place one of the dough balls in the center of a pan. Gently spread it, pulling it up to the edge of the pan until it mostly covers the surface.

Top the dough with a quarter of the gravy by spreading it with a spatula, leaving a thin border. Evenly sprinkle 3 ounces of mozzarella, a quarter of the sausage crumbles, a quarter of the scallions, and a quarter of the sage on top of each pizza.

Crack an egg in the center of each pizza just before putting them in the oven. Bake for around 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted.

Repeat pizza forming and baking steps with remaining dough balls, if working in batches. Allow the pizzas to cool for 3-5 minutes before slicing and serving.

• Chilled Cucumber Melon Soup Recipe
• Easy Heirloom Tomato Tartare Recipe
• French Bistro Salad With Punchy Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe
• Fluffy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

There are a few things in the culinary world that seem to be universal, and sausage is one of those omnipresent foodstuffs. From German bratwurst and Mexican chorizo to Goan chouriço and Thai sai ua, there are many types of sausage out there. And they all follow the same basic principle: Meat, fat, and spices are ground down and typically stuffed into some kind of casing. But the ingredients used as well as the method of production can create vastly different foods.

Breakfast sausage is a uniquely American food. Not that the U.S. is the only place that sausage is eaten for breakfast — a full Scottish breakfast typically includes both bangers and black pudding, and English and Irish breakfasts are quite similar — but the way that breakfast sausage is flavored is unique.

If you take a look at this easy breakfast sausage recipe, you will see not only one example of a spice bill for American breakfast sausage, but also how simple it is to make your own at home (and tailor it to your tastes). The dominant spices in breakfast sausage are sage and black pepper, but many recipes are lightly sweetened with brown sugar, and they may also include other herbs, such as thyme or marjoram, and other flavorings, like red pepper, onion, garlic, and even maple syrup.

When it comes to stretching pizza dough like a pro, you should always use your hands. While a tool like a rolling pin might seem simple, the slightly uneven nature of hand-stretched dough is part of what is so charming about pizza. Start with room temperature dough balls. If you opt for store-bought pizza dough from the refrigerated section, it will be cold. Let it come to room temp before working it.

First, form it into a sort of disc and slowly pinch it out. Work your curled fingers underneath, with the dough resting on the backs of your hands, and slowly spread it out. Every movement should be slow — give the dough time to stretch with your movements. Once the dough is a circle, you can hold it vertically by an edge and rotate to allow gravity to stretch it. This does the same as that spinning move you've seen pizzaiolos do; it just trades gravity for the centrifugal force.

Once the dough is stretched out to about the right size, lay it on the pan. Then you can stretch it to the exact shape you want. Working with pizza dough takes a little bit of practice to perfect, but it is not difficult. Mostly, you just need to be gentle with the dough, moving slowly and giving it time to respond. Too fast or too rough, and you'll end up with a pizza full of holes.

• Thai-Inspired Chicken Pizza Recipe
• Sausage, Egg, And Cheese Breakfast Crescent Ring Recipe
• 3-Cheese Garlic Bread Pizza Dip Recipe
• Mixed Mushroom Gravy Recipe