A recipe for creating the perfect pepperoni pizza featuring thick and spicy slices. You’ll never go back to thin and boring pepperoni slices again.

Perfect Pepperoni Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com 

Yesterday was one of those days that started out well enough and then eventually went downhill fast. You know the kind of day… getting stuff doing, nice weather, no major catastrophes and then it happens. One thing after another goes wrong. Thankfully it was the end of the day and nearing bedtime for the kids. But seriously, I moved my tripod and a random teeny tiny screw fell out. I have no idea where it even came from. I searched and searched. Watch, it’ll be like a key screw to holding the camera on or something awful like that. It’ll just be my luck. Not that a screw coming loose is the end of the world but it’s a mystery screw. And then it got worse…

Made dinner for the kids, no issues or catastrophes but then it happened. I shattered a glass. Because glasses can’t just crack into a few large chunks. Nope, they have to shatter into itty bitty microscopic pieces. I swept. I vacuumed. And I was still finding itty bitty pieces. I hope it’s gone. I really do. And it was my dumb tired fault too. Elbows and being tired don’t go well together. Neither do glasses that are apparently too close to the edge of the counter. Bad combo.

Well then another stupid thing happened. I filled the bird feeder. Now you’re probably wondering how something as simple as that could go wrong? Oh I just managed to dumb a cup or two of bird seed onto the deck instead of getting it into the darn feeder. The squirrels and chipmunks will love that! I know… I could be complaining about worse things. Believe me, I know. Thankfully it’s all minor things.

Perfect Pepperoni Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com

Now the good… pizza. Once upon a time I had the most amazing pizza with thick slices of pepperoni. Little cups of amazingness. It seems like an eternity ago. But one day not too long ago I was suddenly reminded of that and how pathetic normal pepperoni is. You know the kind… you (or at least we) typically buy it in a bag. There’s nothing wrong with it. It tastes good but it’s just flat and boring. Nothing special about it. I wanted thick slices of bacon that curled in the oven, turning into amazing cups holding pepperoni grease.

Trust me. This is the absolute only way to eat pepperoni pizza. You have to at least try it this way once and then decide how you like it. But I stand by my belief that this is the absolute best pepperoni pizza… because it has amazing cups of bacon grease. You don’t want your pizza super greasy… you want your pepperoni greasy!

Perfect Pepperoni Pizza Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com

For the sake of perfecting the pepperoni cup, I did a little research. What I found out is that if your slices are too thin or too thick they won’t curl. They have to be right around 1/8″ thick or slightly more. My mandoline slicer gave perfect results. But be overly careful while using this as they are super sharp. Do not give this job to the kids in your house or anyone who may be accident prone. Seriously.

Also, you absolutely positively must use whole milk mozzarella. It’s life changing and you should never use skim milk mozzarella on your pizza if you want a truly tasty dinner.

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Perfect Pepperoni Pizza

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 1 pizza
A recipe for creating the best ever pepperoni pizza.

Ingredients
 

Dough Ingredients:

  • 1 C hot water
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2-3 C all purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • Olive oil

Pizza Ingredients:

  • 1 pepperoni stick
  • 1 1/2 C whole milk mozzarella, shredded
  • Pizza sauce

Instructions
 

  • Prepare dough: To the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour and salt. Set aside. In a glass measuring cup, combine hot water, active dry yeast and sugar. Allow yeast mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes. If yeast does not activate, start a new batch. With mixer on low, slowly add yeast mixture. Add additional flour one spoonful at a time, as needed until dough is no longer sticky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice pepperoni to roughly 1/8" thick. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Shape dough to fit pan. Bake dough for 5 minutes. Spread sauce throughout, sprinkle with cheese and thick pepperoni slices. Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until desired crispness is reached.
  • Slice and serve warm.

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pizza