Pepperoni Pizza

• Prep30 min
• Cook40 min
• Total2 h 15 min
• Serves4

Ingredients

Dough

• 320 g warm water (1 1/3 cups)
• 7 g instant or active dry yeast (1 packet, 2 1/4 tsp)
• 5 g sugar (1 tsp)
• 500 g bread flour (4 cups), plus more for shaping
• 25 g olive oil (2 tbsp), plus a little for the bowl
• 10 g salt (1 3/4 tsp)

Pizza sauce

• 2 garlic cloves
• 15 g olive oil (1 tbsp)
• 400 g canned crushed tomatoes (1 2/3 cups)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 fresh basil leaves

Toppings

• 450 g low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, cold, in 3 cm (1 1/4 in) pieces (1 lb)
• 120 g sliced pepperoni (4 oz)
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to serve, optional

Instructions

1. Place the water, yeast and sugar in the mixing bowl and warm 2 min/37°C (98°F)/speed 2.
2. Add the flour, oil and salt and knead 3 min/dough mode. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in an oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled.
3. Rinse and dry the mixing bowl. Place half of the mozzarella in it and grate 5 sec/speed 5. Transfer to a bowl, grate the rest the same way and refrigerate until needed.
4. Place the garlic in the mixing bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Add the oil and sauté 2 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt, sugar and basil, place the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 10 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1. Let the sauce cool.
5. Place a pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat the oven to 240°C (475°F) for at least 30 minutes.
6. Divide the dough in half. On a floured sheet of parchment paper, press and stretch each piece into a 30 cm (12 in) round, leaving a thicker border of about 2 cm (3/4 in) for a puffy crust.
7. Spread half of the sauce over one pizza, leaving the border bare. Top with half of the mozzarella and half of the pepperoni.
8. Slide the pizza, on its parchment, onto the hot stone or sheet and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and puffy, the cheese bubbles and the pepperoni curls and crisps.
9. Let it rest 2 minutes, slice and serve. Top and bake the second pizza the same way.

Tips

• Make the dough ahead: after kneading, keep it covered in an oiled bowl in the fridge up to 48 hours. It gets even more flavor. Take it out 1 hour before shaping.
• For pepperoni that curls into crispy little cups, look for thicker slices or a whole stick of pepperoni and slice it yourself, about 3 mm (1/8 in) thick.
• For a crisper bottom, pull out the parchment paper after the first 5 minutes of baking.
• Half of the dough freezes well for up to 3 months, and leftover sauce keeps 5 days in the fridge.