Salad Pizza with Baked Eggs + Arugula

If your dough was sold frozen make sure to defrost! It can take 2 days in the fridge.

Ideally set your dough out at room temperature, in a warm but not heated place, for 90 minutes. Place on a jelly roll style baking sheet (with edges) and coat with a ½ teaspoon of olive oil, then cover with a clean cotton dish towel.

If you need to rush this process - turn the oven on to 200 degrees. Use the same jelly roll pan and coat the dough in the oil. But then, press the ball flat into a disk about 1.5 inches thick. And put it uncovered in the oven for about 10 minutes. Flip, and do another 5 minutes before proceeding.

During the dough rise, thinly slice the carrots, onion, and zucchini. Perfect use for a mandoline, or you can use a food processor attachment, or a knife. You can mix the two up and set aside.
Shred the mozzarella if you bought a block.

Add the ricotta to a small bowl. Stir in all the lemon zest, black pepper, and about ½ of the lemon juice. (Save the rest of the juice to toss with the arugula before serving).

Thinly slice the scallion and chop cilantro if using.

Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface. Place dough on top. Then, on the baking sheet, add the remaining oil - about 2 Tablespoons.

You can roll the dough out with a rolling pin if you find that easier, or use your hand to pat, poke and gently pull the dough into a long rectangular shape. Once it’s about half as big as the pan, lift it up by one side and use both hands to gently tug it thinner and bigger, letting most of the dough hang down from your hands. This will let gravity slowly stretch the dough rather than pulling it too fast which might result in tears.

If you poke a hole, just press it closed.

When it’s almost as large as the pan, lay the down down on the olive oil and make sure the entire underside is well coated in oil so it doesn’t stick later.

Sprinkle the teaspoon of salt over the dough. Gently spread the ricotta mix across the top, leaving a 1” crust. Evenly scatter the zucchini, onion, and carrot slices. Top with shredded mozzarella, scallions and cilantro.

Place pizza on a lower rack in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the pizza and nestle on the cherry tomatoes. Bake on a middle shelf for 10 more minutes.

Remove the pizza again, and use a tablespoon to make 4 indentations in the toppings. Crack an egg into each one, or crack in a small bowl first and pour it into the space.

Carefully place the pizza back on the middle rack and bake for about 7-8 minutes or until the eggs are set but still runny in the yolks at which point you can remove it from the oven.

Meanwhile, toss the arugula with the remaining lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. If using basil, add it here as well.

Once the pizza is done, let it cool for a few minutes. Then, use a thin spatula to loosen up the edges and gently slice it whole onto a cutting board. Top with dressed arugula. Get plates ready. Cut the pizza as desired into slices, either going around the eggs or cutting through them for drama. Top with grated parmesan, if using.