-
1
Preheat the oven to gas 6 / 200C / 400F
-
2
Make the pizza dough and bake as required before topping - see my recipe for details or use a store bought plain one and follow the directions on the pack.
-
3
From raw dough it's usually about 15 minutes before topping it then another 10 - 15 after topping
-
4
You're best to pre-cook mushrooms and bacon first or else the juice / fat they release will make the pizza soggy - just a tiny splash of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook until they don't release any more liquid, then they'll be ready to use on your pizza.
-
5
Don't worry about the mushrooms overcooking on the pizza.
-
6
They aren't technically vegetables so the normal rules don't apply!
-
7
Cook them until they're brown.
-
8
Just undercook the bacon slightly though.
-
9
If using spinach for instance to make a beautiful green eye, wilt it first in a pan, pat it dry then add to the pizza after it comes out of the oven so it doesn't overcook or make your pizza wet.
-
10
I like to soften my pepper strips in the frying pan to make them flexible to shape for this too
-
11
I like to spread garlic butter on top of the half cooked dough then on top of that tomato paste, pesto and grated cheese / cheese substitute.
-
12
Add circles of mozzarella style cheese to make the whites of the 'eyes'
-
13
Now add your 'iris' on top of the cheese slices.
-
14
I've used sliced pepperoni but you can use anything you like.
-
15
Chopped green pepper, spinach, sweetcorn...
-
16
Add the olives or mushrooms for the 'pupil'
-
17
You can also do one big eyeball by piling the chopped mushrooms / olives right in the middle then the chopped bacon / pepperoni / vegetables around them.
-
18
Add some thinly sliced red peppers and shape into yucky bloodvessels around the iris
-
19
Now bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the toppings are all cooked through and the base is crisp
-
20
If making one big eyeball, serve as a whole pizza then at the table use a fork to distribute the piled topping evenly over the whole surface before slicing in front of everyone
-
21
And it doesn't need to be scary for the kiddies either
