FIND A GRILL / PIZZA Wood-Fired Mushroom, Bacon & Caramelized Onion

Wood-Fired Mushroom, Bacon & Caramelized Onion Pizza

Prep: 25 min | Cook: 2–3 min | Yield: 1 large pizza (12–14 inches)

A wood-fired white pizza layered with crème fraîche, balsamic caramelized red onions, sautéed mushrooms, bacon and tangy goat cheese. Finished with thyme and delicate Parmesan curls.

Recipe inspired by Bruce’s Catering, Los Angeles, California. Adapted for Find A Grill.

Featured oven for this recipe: Forno Bravo Napolino Outdoor Wood-Fired Pizza Oven — a high-heat outdoor pizza oven well suited to baking thin-crust pizzas on a thoroughly heated stone. Explore pizza ovens on Find A Grill.

If you have a wood-fired pizza oven, start it now! Heat the oven. Fire the wood-fired pizza oven and allow the cooking stone/surface to reach approximately 750°F; ambient oven temperature will typically be above 700°F. Check stone temperature with an infrared thermometer.

Pizza and toppings

2-3 pizza dough balls, for 2-3 10-inch pizzas

2 large red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil or butter, divided, plus more if needed

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

8 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

4–6 slices bacon, chopped

½ cup crème fraîche

4–6 oz soft goat cheese, broken into small dollops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ tsp dried thyme, lightly crushed

Freshly shaved Parmesan, a few curls per slice

1. Caramelize the onions. Heat about 1 tbsp butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 15–20 minutes. Add garlic, if using, for the final 1–2 minutes. Just before removing from the heat, stir in 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and let it reduce briefly. Set aside.

2. Sauté the mushrooms. In a separate skillet or the same cleaned skillet, heat a little remaining butter or olive oil. Cook mushrooms until their moisture evaporates and they are browned and tender, about 5–8 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper; set aside.

3. Cook the bacon. Fry bacon until it is just beginning to crisp. Drain and set aside. The bacon can finish crisping in the oven. The onions, mushrooms and bacon can all be prepared ahead.

4. Prepare and assemble. Stretch or roll dough to roughly a 10-inch round. Spread a thin, even layer of crème fraîche over the base, leaving a small rim. Distribute onions, mushrooms and bacon evenly; finish with small dollops of goat cheese. Avoid overloading the dough.

5. Bake for 2–3 minutes. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone. Rotate every 30–45 seconds, as needed, to avoid scorching. Remove when the crust is puffed, golden with lightly charred spots, and cooked through. Timing varies with dough thickness and oven heat.

6. Finish and serve. Immediately sprinkle lightly with ¼ tsp crushed dried thyme and add a few shaved Parmesan curls per slice. Rest 30–60 seconds, then slice and serve hot.

Use a light hand with crème fraîche and toppings so the crust bakes quickly. Fully cook the bacon before assembly if you prefer it crisp; do not rely on the brief pizza bake to cook raw bacon. Keep perishable toppings refrigerated until use.

Serve with a peppery arugula salad and a simple lemon vinaigrette. The savory bacon, earthy mushrooms and balsamic onions need little additional garnish.