• Bake the strips of bacon on a sheet pan at 350F degrees until crisp and golden, about 20-30 minutes (depending on the oven). Discard or save the bacon fat for other uses. When cooled, coarsely chop the bacon strips into 1/4” - 1/2”  crumbles and set aside.

Make Balsamic Fig Jam

• In a sauce pan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the fig slurry and hot sauce and whisk to incorporate into a runny jam, about the thickness of heavy cream. Set it aside to cool. It will thicken slightly as it cools but should still be easy to drizzle with a tablespoon (or use a squeeze bottle with a cut 1/2” tip).

Make Cheese Sauce

• In a bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, creme fraiche, Crescenza / Stracchino, salt, pepper, and the ground coriander seed (or substitute nutmeg) to make an easily spreadable/pipe-able sauce. (Note: you can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed to beat into a smooth sauce).
• Fill four uncut pastry bags with 6 oz. (each) of this mixture (use one bag per pizza). Fill an additional uncut pastry bag with the remaining mixture (about 8 ounces, for use as a garnish on top). Set these aside at room temperature (or, if making the day ahead, keep the filled bags refrigerated but remove them 6 hours before assembly to bring to room temperature for easy piping).

Prep

• In a separate bowl, stir together the sliced onions with the 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to coat the onions. Set aside.
• Grate or shred the smoked cheese, using the large holes of a box grater or other shredder, and place in a separate bowl. Keep refrigerated until assembly. Finely dice the chives and store in in the refrigerator in a small bowl or dish covered with a wet paper towel, until assembly.
• Three hours before assembly, remove the prepared chilled dough from the refrigerator and divide and form it into four 9 oz / 255 g dough balls. Place the dough balls on a prepared tray or in a dough box (see recipe and instructions below) and hold them at room temperature to slowly wake up and begin swelling.

Assembly

• Preheat the oven with a baking stone or baking steel (middle shelf) to 500 F.  Stretch one dough to approx. 11”-12” diameter and lay it out on a peel that has been dusted with flour, semolina, or cornmeal.  
• Cut off the tip of one filled pastry bag to make a 1/2” opening and slowly pipe all of the cheese sauce in a bead over the surface of the stretched dough, beginning 1/2” from the outer perimeter, to form four concentric circles that end nearly, but not at the center of the dough, leaving a 1” uncovered center space. 
• Cut off the tip of one filled pastry bag to make a 1/2” opening and slowly pipe all of the cheese sauce in a bead over the surface of the stretched dough, beginning 1/2” from the outer perimeter, to form four concentric circles that end nearly, but not at the center of the dough, leaving a 1” uncovered center space.  
• Distribute 1/4th of the sliced onions over the surface. Cover with 1/2 cup of the shredded smoked cheese. Use a tablespoon or squeeze bottle to drizzle four streaks of fig jam in parallel lines over the surface. Distribute 1/4th of the chopped bacon over the top (or, for a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use additional smoked cheese). 

Bake Pizza

• Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or steel and bake for 3 minutes. Then, rotate the pizza 180 degrees and continue baking for 2 to 4 additional minutes, or until the crust is a rich golden brown around the edge (cornicione) and underneath (under-crust), and the top turns golden brown. (Note: If the pizza doesn’t bake evenly you might have to move the stone to a lower or higher shelf, as needed for subsequent bakes). Transfer the pizza to a cutting board.
• Use the piping bag with the extra cheese sauce, cut off the tip to make a 1/2” opening, and pipe 6 to 8 small dollops over the hot pizza, saving the remainder of the sauce for additional pizzas. Garnish with a sprinkle of diced chives. Cut the pizza into 6 or 8 slices and serve.