Pepperoni Pizza
Crispy bottom, melty cheese, curled pepperoni cups. This is the one. The gold standard of Friday galley dinner — pizza night was the one meal nobody complained about, whether we were two weeks into a
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade pizza dough (or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella (shredded)
- 4-5 ounces pepperoni (natural casing preferred)
- cornmeal for dusting
For simple pizza sauce
- 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- drizzle of olive oil. Mix together. No cooking needed
Method
Step 1: Preheat
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Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack. Preheat to 500-550°F (as hot as your oven goes) for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: Shape the dough
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On a well-floured surface, stretch the dough into a 12-14 inch circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined peel or board (the parchment helps it slide onto the stone). If you don’t have a peel, the back of a baking sheet works.
Step 3: Sauce and top
-
Spread a thin layer of sauce — about 1/2 cup, leaving 1/2 inch border. Less sauce is better; too much makes the center soggy. Add the shredded mozzarella evenly. Arrange the pepperoni in a single layer over the cheese.
Step 4: Bake
-
Slide the pizza (on its parchment) onto the preheated stone. Bake 8-12 minutes until the crust is golden, the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown in spots, and the pepperoni has crisped and cupped. Rotate the pizza halfway through if your oven has hot spots.
Step 5: Rest and slice
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Let the pizza rest on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes before cutting. This allows the cheese to set slightly so it doesn’t slide off when you pick up a slice. Cut with a pizza wheel or large sharp knife.
Off the Galley Mike
Mike — Off The Galley
Six years as a Navy cook on submarines and destroyers, feeding 130 sailors from a galley the size of your bathroom. Now I cook the same big-flavor, no-nonsense food for my family of four — and share every recipe here. No culinary school. No fancy plating. Just real food that works, tested on the toughest critics afloat and the pickiest ones at home.
Pepperoni Pizza — Crispy Bottom, Melty Cheese, Curled Pepperoni Cups
Crispy bottom, melty cheese, curled pepperoni cups. This is the one. The gold standard of Friday galley dinner — pizza night was the one meal nobody complained about, whether we were two weeks into a deployment or tied up at the pier. There’s something about hot pizza that transcends circumstances, and when it’s homemade with a crispy bottom and those little pepperoni cups filled with spicy grease? That’s the peak.
The secret to great homemade pizza is a hot oven — as hot as your oven goes. Most home ovens max out at 500-550°F, and that’s what you want. A pizza stone or inverted baking sheet, preheated for at least 30 minutes, gives you the crispy bottom that separates good pizza from great pizza.
The Hot Oven Is Non-Negotiable
Commercial pizza ovens run at 700-900°F. You can’t match that at home, but you can get close by preheating your oven to maximum temperature with a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest rack for at least 30 minutes. The preheated stone acts as a thermal reservoir — when the raw dough hits that scorching surface, the bottom crisps immediately while the top cheese melts and the pepperoni cups.
The Pepperoni That Cups
Not all pepperoni cups up when cooked. The kind you want is natural-casing pepperoni, which curls at the edges when exposed to high heat, creating little bowls that fill with spicy, rendered oil. Look for the thicker-cut deli-style pepperoni or brands that specifically say “cup and char” on the package. Hormel Cup n’ Crisp is easy to find at most stores. If you can only find the flat, thin-sliced kind, it’ll still taste good — but the cupping is what makes pepperoni pizza truly special.
Ingredients
1 batch homemade pizza dough (or store-bought), 1/2 cup pizza sauce, 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella (shredded), 4-5 ounces pepperoni (natural casing preferred), cornmeal for dusting.
For simple pizza sauce: 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, drizzle of olive oil. Mix together. No cooking needed.
How to Make It
1
1Preheat
Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack. Preheat to 500-550°F (as hot as your oven goes) for at least 30 minutes.
2
2Shape the dough
On a well-floured surface, stretch the dough into a 12-14 inch circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined peel or board (the parchment helps it slide onto the stone). If you don’t have a peel, the back of a baking sheet works.
3
3Sauce and top
Spread a thin layer of sauce — about 1/2 cup, leaving 1/2 inch border. Less sauce is better; too much makes the center soggy. Add the shredded mozzarella evenly. Arrange the pepperoni in a single layer over the cheese.
4
4Bake
Slide the pizza (on its parchment) onto the preheated stone. Bake 8-12 minutes until the crust is golden, the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown in spots, and the pepperoni has crisped and cupped. Rotate the pizza halfway through if your oven has hot spots.
5
5Rest and slice
Let the pizza rest on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes before cutting. This allows the cheese to set slightly so it doesn’t slide off when you pick up a slice. Cut with a pizza wheel or large sharp knife.
Low-Moisture Mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella is beautiful on a margherita pizza, but for pepperoni pizza you want low-moisture mozzarella. It melts into that stretchy, golden, bubbly layer that defines American-style pizza. Shred it yourself from a block — pre-shredded bags contain anti-caking powder that prevents proper melting.
The Sauce Debate
Some people cook their pizza sauce, some don’t. For a simple pepperoni pizza, an uncooked crushed tomato sauce with garlic, oregano, salt, and olive oil is perfect — the oven’s heat cooks it on the pizza. If you prefer a smoother sauce, blend it briefly in a food processor or use canned pizza sauce.
Beyond Pepperoni
Once you’ve mastered the basic pepperoni pizza, the whole topping world opens up. Sausage and mushroom is the classic runner-up. Margherita (fresh mozzarella, basil, simple sauce) is the sophisticated choice. White pizza (olive oil, ricotta, garlic, mozzarella) is the wildcard that converts skeptics. Hawaiian (ham and pineapple) is the divisive option that I personally endorse and will argue about. BBQ chicken pizza (BBQ sauce base, shredded chicken, red onion, cilantro) is the crowd-pleaser that works at any party.
The foundation is always the same — hot oven, good dough, quality cheese. Toppings are personal expression. There are no wrong answers except too many toppings, which weighs down the crust and prevents proper baking.
Leftover Pizza — The Morning After
Cold pizza for breakfast is a legitimate meal. I will defend this position. But if you want to reheat pizza properly, skip the microwave (rubber crust) and use a skillet. Place the slice in a dry skillet over medium heat, cover with a lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes. The bottom gets re-crisped, the cheese melts from the trapped steam, and the result is nearly as good as fresh. This method takes less time than preheating an oven and produces superior results.
Pizza Night Tradition
In our house, Friday is pizza night. It started as a convenience thing and became a tradition. The kids help stretch the dough (badly, but they’re learning), pick their own toppings, and eat their personalized creations with the pride of someone who built something with their own hands. My daughter makes what she calls “cheese explosion pizza” — triple cheese, no toppings. My son makes pepperoni with “extra everything.” These are not sophisticated pizzas. They are beloved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a regular baking sheet?
Yes, but preheat it upside-down for 30 minutes and the results will be significantly better than placing pizza on a cold sheet.
How do I get a crispier bottom?
Hotter oven, preheated stone, thinner dough, less sauce. All four factors contribute to bottom crispiness.
Can I freeze assembled pizza?
Par-bake the crust for 5 minutes, cool, then top and freeze on a sheet pan. Once frozen, wrap in plastic. Bake from frozen at 450°F for 15-18 minutes.
The Home Oven Hack
Most home ovens max at 500-550°F. Pizza shops use 700-900°F ovens. To bridge the gap: preheat a pizza steel (better than a stone — conducts heat faster) on the highest rack for 45-60 minutes at max temperature, then switch to broil for 5 minutes before sliding the pizza in. The combination of radiant broiler heat from above and stored heat from the steel below produces a pizza with a charred, blistered crust that approaches wood-fired quality.
Pepperoni Selection
Pepperoni comes in two styles: flat lay (stays flat during cooking) and cup-and-char (curls into crispy cups with rendered fat pooling inside). Cup-and-char pepperoni, sometimes labeled “old world” or “natural casing,” is dramatically better on pizza. The cups crisp around the edges and the rendered fat adds flavor. Hormel cup-and-crisp and Boar’s Head natural casing are widely available options.
More From Off The Galley
Smash Burgers · Chick Fil A Sandwich · Big Mac Copycat · Wendys Frosty · Overnight Oats