The pepperoni pizza is probably one of the most popular pizza types in the world. Some good mozzarella cheese and aromatic pepperoni are all you need as topping ingredients. Simplicity is the secret to its distinguished flavor. Please note that the ingredients are simple, but the dough is not. If you are new to making pizza, I highly recommend starting with this pizza dough recipe first. It is really hard to go wrong!
What makes NYC pepperoni pizza so special? Let’s start with the dough. You need to use high-gluten bread flour to get that chewy crust. The dough must have some resistance. This is not the case with pan pizza recipes where you can use all-purpose flour and get satisfying results. Keep in mind that the more flour you add, the tougher your dough will be. So, do not try to cheat by adding extra all-purpose flour instead of using genuine bread flour. You won’t get a quality pizza.
NYC pizza is unique
New Yorkers claim that it is the city water that makes this pizza super tasty! I don’t know about the tap water, but classic NYC mozzarella cheese mixture is usually made from half and half whole milk mozzarella and part-skim mozzarella. In other words, they use low-moisture cheese. Plus, professional pizza restaurants only use wooden-fired ovens. That might be a bit difficult to attain at home. But you can get yourself a pizza stone and achieve the same results that most pizza fast-food restaurants achieve with their deck ovens. More on that below, read on!
The pepperoni pizza sauce is not fancy, and that’s what makes it so tasty! It is basically tomato sauce with a little salt. I add half a teaspoon of honey to the sauce to balance it up. However, that is optional, and you can skip the honey if you prefer.
Please use quality pepperoni. I am talking about the ones that do not contain any nitrites or nitrates. Keep you and your loved ones safe with the right ingredients. Pepperoni is a popular ingredient for pizza. This special salami is flavored with paprika and anise seed. The paprika also gives that unique orange color. There is also cinnamon in there too.
What will you need?
If you really want to make a crispy crust pizza like the ones sold in New York, you might want to get yourself a quality pizza stone. It is easy to use. Place it in your oven, and cook your pizza on it without using any pan. Besides, pizza is not the only thing you can cook on it. You can also use it for making Artisan style bread at home. I would recommend being careful when selecting a durable stone. Some models get broken easily. This one proved itself over the years by thousands of home cooks. It is specially engineered to eliminate soggy centers in the pizza crust. It is a perfect solution for a chewy and tasty crust.
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Recipe
You can knead this dough by hand, with a spatula, or use a stand mixer. Let it rest for an hour before shaping it into a pizza. If you want to add more pepperoni, add one more layer under the mozzarella cheese. Be careful, though. You may end up with a greasy pizza if you top too many pepperoni slices on top.
How to Make Pepperoni Pizza at Home
Course: Baking, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy8
servings1
hour10
minutes20
minutes310
kcal1
hour30
minutesIngredients
- Dough:
3 cups bread flour (high-gluten)
1 cup lukewarm water
1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
- Sauce:
1 can tomato sauce (15 Oz – 425 g)
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
- Toppings:
5 Oz. (140 g) sliced pepperoni (add as much as you like!)
8 Oz (225 g) mozzarella cheese (low moisture is a better selection)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 500 °F (250 °C) or to the highest setting.
- Pizza dough:
- Pour the warm water into a medium-size bowl.
- Add the yeast and let the mixture get foamy for a minute.
- Add the flour, sugar, olive oil, salt, and start kneading with a spatula or by hand.
- Set aside once you get a slightly sticky and soft-to-touch dough.
- Cover with a damp towel.
- Let it rise for an hour.
- Roll the dough into a round pizza shape.
- Pizza sauce:
- Add one can organic tomato sauce, ½ teaspoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon salt into a small bowl and mix well.
- Bringing it together:
- Preheat the oven to 500 °F (250 °C) or the highest setting.
- Brush the dough with tomato mixture.
- Place 1/2 of the grated mozzarella cheese on the pizza dough.
- Place the pepperoni slices.
- Add the rest of the grated mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the crust is browned.
Notes
- You will get better results if you buy the mozzarella cheese in block and grate it yourself. Cheese manufacturers tend to add corn starch to shredded mozzarella cheese bags to keep them separated. The additional starch prevents the cheese from cooking evenly in the oven.
- Make sure you preheat the oven before throwing in the pizza. Soggy crust happens if you place the pizza before the oven reaches the desired temperature.
- If you want to reheat pizza, use a skillet for the best results. Please stay away from the microwave unless you want to ruin it.
What makes a New York pizza?
The first thing you will notice about a New York style pizza is its thin, crisp crust. Unlike Detroit style pizzas, this pizza is hand tossed and sold in very large slices. Another signature characteristic of a New York style pizza is its simplicity. Less is more! This is mainly because of the reason is that adding too many toppings will not make your pizza any tastier. The most famous ones are cheese (plain), pepperoni, mushroom, and sausages. Nowadays, the Vegan versions with Vegan cheese are getting highly popular.