Breakfast Pizza - Wheat Free

        This pizza makes a delicious and healthy breakfast. But don't be confused...it isn't a dessert pizza. It is not very sweet, which makes it a wonderful way to start the day. I used whole-grain polenta which makes this even healthier and more filling. My little Bean loved this! 
        I made this pizza wheat-free by using a baked polenta as the crust. You top the crust with a lemon scented mascarpone cheese and fresh berries. You can sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top of each individual portion to add a little sweetness if your berries aren't quite sweet enough. In the above picture, I used a cookie cutter to cut the baked polenta into individual rounds and then topped each one with berries. 

       The picture above is how I brought it to a recipe group with pizza as the theme. I baked the polenta in a 1/4 sheet pan, but if you have a pizza pan I'm sure you can spread the warm polenta mixture into a large round typical shaped pizza. The great part of this breakfast pizza is that the polenta can be cooked, spread and chilled the night before you want to bake it. It makes for an easy prep in the morning.
        If you enjoy making pizza dough and don't want to make a baked polenta crust, make a standard pizza crust then bake and cool it. Top it with the mascarpone and fruit. I topped my breakfast pizza with berries, but any seasonal fruit would be delicious. I think I'll try it in the fall with pears or the winter with thinly sliced rounds of citrus.

Wheat-Free Breakfast Pizza

source Sugar.Betty; created from multiple inspirations

Crust:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

2 1/2 cups water

salt

1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)

Cheese Layer:

1 (8 oz) package mascarpone cheese

1 lemon, zested

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

2 cups mixed berries

Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle:

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Crust:

Brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or 1/4 sheet pan. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk, water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming.

Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10-15 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a bit more water. You want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

Spoon it onto a preapred pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Cover with the baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until it is firm, at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Put polenta in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Topping:

Brush cooled crust with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar mixture. 

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the mascarpone cheese, lemon juice and zest. Spread the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Top with mixed berries or seasonal fruit and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon-sugar if desired. Slice the pizza and serve.