Hellapeno Za'pper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring until well combined. Arrange bacon on a shallow tray and evenly coat both sides with brown sugar mixture. Transfer to a to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer bacon to a cooling screen to cool, then chop into large pieces.
  2. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Dry Jack, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine Mozzarella and Cheddar and set aside. In another small bowl, combine cream cheese, pepper seasoning blend, and a pinch of salt. Transfer cream cheese mixture to a small piping bag fitted with a star tip and refrigerate.
  3. Preheat the oven to 525°F. Stretch dough to a 12- to 14-inch round. Top with ranch dressing, leaving a 1-inch edge. Top with Mozzarella-Cheddar mixture, jalapeños, and ranch seasoning mix. Bake for about 3 minutes.
  4. Top with bacon and breadcrumb mixture and bake until pizza is golden brown, about 6 minutes.
  5. Set pizza aside to cool for about 1 minute, then cut into 6 slices. Pipe on cream cheese mixture, dotting pizza with larger and smaller stars. Drizzle with hot honey, or serve it on the side, if using.

 

**Recipe courtesy of Marcus Medina, Hella Pie Pizza, Tracy, California

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. sugar, brown
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp. sea salt, divided
  • 8 oz. bacon, maple, center cut
  • 1 oz. breadcrumbs
  • 1 oz. Real California® Dry Jack cheese, finely grated or shredded
  • 4 oz. Real California® Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 3 oz. Real California® cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3 1/2 oz. Real California® Cream Cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. Flatiron Pepper Co. Hatch Valley Green pepper flakes
  • 13 1/2 oz. pizza dough
  • 3 oz. ranch dressing
  • 2 oz. jalapeño(s), cored and seeded if desired, then sliced or diced
  • 1 1/4 oz. ranch seasoning mix
  • 3/4 oz. Hot Honey, smoked (optional)