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
- 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
- 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
- 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.