Breakfast Eggs and Pancetta Bread

Cooked this for some sleepy-over pals one morning. So impressed as it looked almost as good as pictured in the Donna Hay magazine – and it was declared delicious and a definite winner for the brekky menu. I have added a few extra herbs etc to the original recipe so feel free to suit your own tastes.

You can prep your toppings and pre-measure your flour the night before.

Then in the morning, just activate the yeast, knead the dough, 

rest it -   and yourself -    for 20 minutes   -  top, bake, eat.  Enjoy!

Needs about 1 hour from start to ‘eat’.

10 minutes preparation including yeast activating.

10 minute dough making and kneading

20 minute rest

5 minutes for rolling and topping the bread

12 – 15 minutes cooking

Serves 4 – 6 as breakfast    or    8 as part of a breakfast buffet

Donna Hay uses a 25 cm square baking dish. 

I prefer a 22cm x 30cm rectangular tray with a decent depth to hold the bread and toppings.

Ingredients

1 ¼ teaspoons (7 gram sachet) dry yeast

1 teaspoon caster sugar

2/3 cup warm water -   not boiling hot or it kills the yeast

1 ½ cups OO flour sifted (superfine flour) plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon Olive Oil plus extra for drizzling

6 eggs

8 slices pancetta – roughly sliced    or   thin sliced bacon – chopped   if you prefer

Handful of cherry tomatoes – halved

80 – 100 gram grated gruyere cheese

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

½ teaspoon thyme leaves

1/3 cup basil leaves

Small amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling over the top

OPTION   Grinding of pepper and scattering of sea salt flakes

Method

Preheat oven to 220o C

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, sugar and water.  Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and olive oil.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour mix and combine to form a dough.

Use a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until elastic and smooth.

Put in a large bowl, cover with clean towel and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes:

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to fit your baking dish and place in the non-stick baking paper lined dish – pushing the dough into the corners.

Make small impressions in dough top and crack the eggs into these dents.

Scatter with the pancetta pieces and upturned tomato halves.

Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, herbs, basil and gruyere cheese.

Lightly dust with grated parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and touch of rubbed sea salt flakes.

Finish with a very fine drizzle of Australian Olive Oil.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until golden. 

Serve immediately!

TIPS and HINTS

the night before:

Prepare and measure most of your ingredients.

Line your baking dish with non-stick paper using my ‘Lazy Peg’ method blogged previously

                                                  Enjoy!   Colleen