Perfect Pepperoni Pizza
ShareA recipe for creating the perfect pepperoni pizza featuring thick and spicy slices. You’ll never go back to thin and boring pepperoni slices again.
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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.
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!
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.
Perfect 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
There’s nothing better than pepperoni pizza, it’s a classic! I haven’t made homemade pizza all summer, I better get on it. I wish I could grab a slice of yours for breakfast :)
OMG really?! You have to change that this week :)
Despite the catastrophes (and boy, don’t they happen to us all?!), this pizza looks absolutely perfect. Exactly how a pepperoni pizza should taste!
Thanks Kim!
Perfect indeed!
Thanks Steph! :)
It really does look so perfect!! Gorgeous Rachel!
Thanks Tieghan!
I had the screw debacle a couple weeks ago! Except I knew what my screw went to–the plate that holds my camera on the tripod (kind of an important piece)– I just didn’t know WHERE it went after it fell off! Of course it happened around my big bookshelf of cookbooks, so I had to tear the whole thing apart and move the bookcase looking for it. After a half an hour and some tears of frustration, my boyfriend finally found it–UNDER the carpet, where the carpet meets the wall. And of course I just happened to be right in the middle of making a recipe for a post when it went missing.
omg what a nightmare. I finally found where the screw went though! I only had to turn the darn thing upside down lol.
Ugh I hate when glasses shatter! Now if you had said that the mystery screw fell out and your camera dropped then I would have cried with you ;)
I honestly wasn’t sure, but nope definitely the tripod. Such a random location too but I finally found where it went!
Yes, you did have some mishaps, but boy that pizza does look perfect. I haven’t made homemade pizza in ages, but this is making me want to ASAP. I love thick slices of pepperoni, and you’re right — you want the pepperoni greasy, not the whole pizza!
Totally! As much as I love a good greasy pizza, grease everywhere just isn’t appealing.
Mondays are meant for Pizza!!!
Or every day ending in y ;)
I love that you posted a simple , traditional pizza. LOVE THIS!
Sometimes simple is the best :)
Mmmmmmmm…..pizza! I want to shove this in my face. Love this!
Can’t say I blame you ;)
We love making pizzas! This looks delish!!!
Thanks Robyn! :)
You are so right. this pizza IS PERFECT. holy gorgeous!
Thanks Claire :)
this really does look perfect!
Thanks Natalie :)
Beautiful looking pizza. Bet it was wonderful!
Thanks! :)
Rachel – this truly looks like the BEST pizza ever. I don’t usually add pepperoni when I make pizza at home but now I have to because I cannot resist how thick those slices are!
It’s totally a must try! :)
Pizza is definitely my favorite food ever & yours looks so perfect!
Thanks Angelyn!
Ha! I turned you on the whole milk mozz train and I’m so glad I did because it is definitely life changing. With my luck, that loose screw would be like the thing that holds my camera on the tripod or something..maybe we shouldn’t be around each other if we have such bad luck ;) i’m clumsy too so we might break a ton of glass, haha jk jk…you know how i feel about pizza and pepperoni pizza too (although it’s second in line to bbq chicken)..mmmm i’m totally craving pizza hardcore now!
You just found it before I did lol I finally gave up on finding pre shredded. Now I always have a block or two in the fridge waiting for pizza night.
Seconds, please!
I’m not going to lie, my husband and I are boring pizza eaters… pepperoni all the way! We may have just eaten it for dinner tonight? :) Thanks for the recipe! We will definitely give it a try!
There’s nothing wrong with pepperoni… I love it too! But you’ve got to try it with thick slices that curl mmm So good
G’day and YUM…JUST bought pepperoni yesterday, true!
Based on your recipe and photo, I reckon a pizza is now due!
Cheers! Joanne
It’s a must! Enjoy :)
This truly is perfect pizza! And I think we were ‘neighbors’ on FG today. I remember seeing this really good looking pizza next to my bagels. I think it was this! :)
Thanks Averie! Always nice to know my FG neighbor ;)
OMG this might become my new fave pizza! Ok, not really, but it’ll probably be a close second!
lol you can’t lie like that ;) definitely a runner up
Oooh I love thick slices of pepperoni on pizza! I swear they taste different! Love this tip!
they’re totally spicier. love it!
Sorry about your day! Hopefully this pizza made it better. And pepperoni pizza is an absolute classic! I can’t have pizza any other way.
Thanks so much! It really is such a classic.
This pizza truly looks perfect!!! Nothing like a slice (or 4) of pepperoni!!!
One would be hard to stick to ;)
Mmmmm thinking of giving this a try tonight! So divine looking!
Oh, yum! This pizza looks beyond perfect :)
In the recipe, it does not say how much olive oil to use in the dough. Can you tell me how much?
I use a bread machine to make my dough, I add water first, then flour and ingredients. Would I put the olive oil in with the hot water or on top?
Thanks,
Mark
I use a baking stone for my homemade pizzas. Would you vary the baking directions for this method? If so, how?
Thanks,
Mark
If needed, a tablespoon or two of olive oil can be added to the dough, but only if it’s dryer than you like and isn’t coming together. Otherwise, it should be used to grease your bowl lightly. As far as using a baking stone goes, I would recommend cooking your pizza as you normally would and keeping an eye on it until desired crispness is reached.