This homemade pepperoni pizza recipe is made with fresh dough and pizza sauce, then topped with gooey cheese and a ton of pepperoni making it better than anything you can get through delivery.
I can never get enough pizza - from a Philly cheesesteak pizza to goat cheese pizza to four cheese white broccoli pizza to brie pizza to garlic pizza.
But let's be honest, the king of pizza is pepperoni. It is the most popular topping and for good reason. It just tastes amazing!
But when I make pizzas at home, I usually make ones you wouldn't order for delivery. Or as some of my friends say, weird pizza. Hey to each their own. However, I was craving a good old homemade pepperoni pizza so decided to share it today.
There are two reasons this is better than anything at a restaurant - the homemade pizza sauce and the chopped up pepperoni underneath the cheese. So you will no doubt get pepperoni in every bite.
When you are craving pizza, this one should be right at the top of the list.
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Ingredient Notes
- Pizza dough - while I like to make my own, store-bought dough works fine.
- Pizza sauce - I highly recommend taking the time to make your own but store-bought works as well.
- Cheese - you want a low-moisture mozzarella so it grates easily and doesn't add moisture. Also use some Parmesan cheese for a slightly nutty flavor.
- Pepperoni - can't have a pepperoni pizza recipe without it.
- Oregano - to me, this herb just enhances the flavor of the pizza. It adds an earthy and sweet aroma.
Step-by-Step Photos
Make the pizza sauce by mixing all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. Evenly spread the sauce over the dough before chopping up half of the pepperoni and adding on top.
Add the cheese and the rest of the pepperoni. Broil on a pizza stone for 4-5 minutes, or until bubbly on top. Remove and top with some dried oregano.
FAQs
Of course not. I just like making pizza dough, but you can buy fresh pizza dough where you roll out yourself or pre-baked crusts.
I still suggest buying the fresh pizza dough. Most grocery stores carry it these days, but Trader Joe’s has the best!
Honestly not much. Make sure you use lukewarm water for the yeast and then after you mix, just give it time to rise overnight. Probably the most important thing would be in a warm area, preferably around 72°F.
After the dough has risen overnight transfer to a floured surface and shape in a ball, then let rise for a couple more hours. Obviously with a no-knead dough you have to plan on making the pizza the following day. So if you’re like us and have Pizza Friday’s, you just make the dough Thursday night for this homemade pepperoni pizza.
The stone holds heat and gives you a nice crust on the bottom which is important in a great pizza.
I know not everyone has a pizza stone. If you don't, use a cast iron skillet. Just place some oil in the skillet before adding the dough and toppings and bake on the bottom third of the rack instead.
Let's be honest, there isn't anything wrong with cold pizza. But if you must reheat this homemade pepperoni pizza, don't do it in the microwave or it will get soggy.
Just place on a baking sheet in the oven at 375°F for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Take the time to make your own dough. My go-to is this no-knead pizza dough.
- If you don't want to make your own pizza sauce, store-bought works fine.
- Speaking of sauce, you want the sauce lightly spread throughout. It should complement the pizza and not be the star.
- Use a pizza stone so you can broil the pizza and get a nice crust, but bubbly top.
Other Pizza Recipes
If you’ve tried this homemade pepperoni pizza recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 250 grams (all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
Pizza Sauce
- 1 (15 oz can) tomato sauce
- 1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Pizza
- ¼ cup pizza sauce
- 8 oz low-moisture mozzarella, grated
- 25-30 slices pepperoni
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. It should be sticky, but not lumpy.
- Cover with saran wrap and a towel in a warm place, allowing it to rise for 24 hours. Transfer to a floured surface and shape into ball. Use when ready.
Pizza Sauce
- Mix the tomato sauce and tomato paste in a medium bowl until combined. Add the Italian seasoning, oregano, fennel seed, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, black pepper and crushed red pepper and mix well.
Pizza
- Place pizza stone in oven 8" from the broiler element and preheat to 500°F. You want stone to be in oven for at least 30 minutes at 500°F.
- Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal or flour. Use your hands to gently tug, pull and push the dough to the shape you want and place on pizza peel.
- Evenly spread the pizza sauce over the pizza dough. Chop up half of the pepperoni and add on top of the sauce. Top with the cheese and then the rest of the pepperoni.
- Once stone is preheated, turn broiler to high. Transfer pizza to pizza stone and bake for 4-5 minutes or until top is bubbly and bottom is golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with some dried oregano.
Notes
- Take the time to make your own dough. My go-to is this no-knead pizza dough.
- If you don't want to make your own pizza sauce, store-bought works fine.
- Speaking of sauce, you want the sauce lightly spread throughout. It should complement the pizza and not be the star.
- Use a pizza stone so you can broil the pizza and get a nice crust, but bubbly top.
Chris says
This recipe was made for me, simple and delicious.