Chef John's Sausage Egg Breakfast Pizza

Preheat your oven to a high temperature of 475 degrees Fahrenheit (or 245 degrees Celsius).

Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the sliced Italian sausage, stirring occasionally, until some of the fat has melted out and the sausage is no longer pink in color, taking around 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausage slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat.

Unfold and roll out pizza dough to a diameter of approximately 12 inches, while maintaining a thickness of about 3/8 inch. Sprinkle some cornmeal onto the dough for added texture. Flip the dough over so that the side sprinkled with cornmeal is facing downwards and transfer it to a 14-inch pizza pan with perforations.

Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes and about 3/4 of the Fontina cheese over the sauce. Arrange the cooked sausage slices on top of the pizza, leaving about 4 spaces that are roughly 3 inches apart for the eggs. Sprinkle the remaining Fontina cheese over the sausage slices.

Bake the pizza in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the dough is hot and the edges are starting to brown, while the cheese has begun to melt.

Crack an egg into a separate ramekin or small bowl. Remove the pizza from the oven and use a spatula to press down gently on the spaces between the sausage slices. Carefully pour an egg onto each space. Sprinkle a little black pepper over the top of each egg yolk. Lightly sprinkle some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the entire pizza.

Return the pizza to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the eggs are set but still have a liquid yolk. Check frequently to avoid overcooking the eggs. Toss some arugula leaves with olive oil in a bowl until they are evenly coated. Remove the pizza from the oven, poke some holes in each egg yolk with a fork, spread them around slightly, and sprinkle the arugula over the top of the pizza. Cut the pizza into 4 quarters, each with an egg on top, to serve.