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The difference between a good pepperoni pizza and the best pepperoni pizza comes down to the toppings, crust, and technique. This pepperoni pizza recipe is just like getting pizza at your favorite pizzeria. Dare I say it’s better? You be the judge — try it out for yourself!
The Best Pizzeria-Style Pepperoni Pizza
Pizza is one of those things that is so much more cost-effective to make at home than ordering from a pizza place. All you need is an easy pizza dough recipe, your favorite toppings (in this case, pepperoni and cheese), and an oven. You can make the pizza dough in advance and have them on hand for whenever the pizza mood strikes. No delivery fees and no markups.
Pepperoni pizza is probably my favorite type of pizza. You could give me a mountain of pizza toppings and I’ll likely go for pepperoni. It’s safe, it’s classic, and pepperoni is just so good!
How to Make Pepperoni Pizza
- Make the pizza dough and allow time for it to rest.
- Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven and baking stone together at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out the dough into a 12 inch circle.
- Spread pizza sauce on top of the dough, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top then add copious amounts of pepperoni slices.
- Bake until golden brown, slice, and serve!
Types of Pepperoni
If you love the pepperoni pizza cups (like how it curls up and the pepperoni edges are crisp and the center is filled with oil), then you’ll want to buy pepperoni and slice it yourself. Or, they now do have advertised bagged pepperoni that says it’s pepperoni cups.
You can use turkey pepperoni or whatever pepperoni fits into your dietary needs. Make sure to use a lot of it because baking it shrinks them a bit so coverage before and after can be a bit different.
Pizza Recipe Tips
- The process of making this dough is what makes it thin. The chilling process and the COLD ingredients that you must use to make with it. It also does take a bit of planning as you chill this for 24 hours and up to 3 days, but it makes enough dough for two pizzas so you can always freeze one for later.
- The other process of getting this crust to have that CRISPY CRUNCH is the baking stone. I swear by my baking stone. I love pizza crusts that have that crispy edge just like the pizzerias. I never knew how to achieve that until I read that baking stones were essential for that. Well, they really are! They aren’t super expensive and they last forever, so it’s a great investment if you eat as much pizza as we do, and not only that, baking breads on it is wonderful too cause you get that crunchy crust on the bottom.
- Use whole-milk mozzarella. It will change your life. I won’t make casseroles or pizzas without whole milk cheeses now. It really does make a difference. I love how it melts because it’s whole milk so fat = flavor!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store pizza slices in a large gallon plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. My favorite way to reheat pizza is in an air fryer. It gives it the perfect re-crisp and doesn’t overdo it.
You can also freeze pizza slices. Place leftover pizza slices into a freezer-safe plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, directly place pizza slices into the air fryer and reheat until warmed through!
Pepperoni Pizza Goes Great With…
Make pizza night a true pizzeria feast and pair this pizza with garlic knots, a basic chopped salad, and some homemade ranch dressing!
Pizzeria Style Pepperoni Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3 cups (375 g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 ⅓ cup (316 ml) ice water
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (40 g) cornmeal
For the topping:
- 1 cup (245 g) of your favorite pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 2 cups (473 g) shredded, whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- Pepperoni slices
Instructions
- To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to combine.3 cups (375 g) bread flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and process until the dough is combined everything is incorporated, about 10 seconds. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.1 1/3 cup (316 ml) ice water
- Add the salt and vegetable oil and process until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl anymore. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 1 minute on a lightly oiled or floured work surface then transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 3 days. (AFTER the refrigeration process, the dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag, and frozen for later use.)1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- An hour before making the pizza, preheat oven to 500 °F (260 °C) and adjust the oven rack to the 2nd highest position. Place your baking stone on top.
- Remove the pizza dough from the fridge and divide in half. If you plan on freezing the other half of your dough for later use, this is the time to do it.
- Form your dough into ball and lightly oil it. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Transfer your dough to a floured work space and flatten to an 8-inch disc.
- Using your hands, gently stretch the dough to a 12-inch circle. You may need your rolling pin at this time to help you get the crust thin. Take the cornmeal and spread it over a pizza peel then place your pizza dough on top. Gently stretch it to 13-inches.
- Start layering your toppings, leaving a 1-inch border from the edge: marinara sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni.1/4 cup (40 g) cornmeal, 1 cup (245 g) of your favorite pizza sauce, 2 cups (473 g) shredded, Pepperoni slices
- Carefully transfer the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Photographs by Meg McKeehan Photography
Julie, if I wanted to make a Chicago-style crust instead, would I simply not roll it as flat? This looks delicious and I’d like to experiment with different thicknesses!
Hi Carolyn, you probably could use this for Chicago-style crust but I’m not too familiar with that type of crust so I can’t ensure it’ll definitely work out.
WordPress
One of my favourite things to make once or twice a month or sometimes more..Home made pizza..the dough is made from scratch.. just a little over an hour and its ready..my secret..my bread machine and a recipe from my ex-mother-inlaw, I think its the only thing I’m glad I got from her, its the best pizza dough ever.. I may even drag the machine to the lake and enjoy pizza this weekend.. thinking on that one..lol
Germaine
Thank you Julie. I will continue following your blog. Keep up the good work. :)
Dear Julie,
Have you ever used this dough recipe to make bread? I did and it had a great taste and my family loved it. I thought it was a little doughy in the center but the outside was crusty and delicious.I set my oven on 400 degrees. What temperature would you recommend? This is the first time my husband has liked my home made bread, and I have made many different recipes. Thank you.
I’ve never made bread with this dough but I imagine since you did it, it’s possible! If 400 degrees worked for you, I would do that. Maybe to get the inside less doughy, use 375 or 350 degrees, but it’d definitely have to bake longer so if the crust gets too dark before it’s all done, put foil on top.