1/2 Cheese & 1/2 One Topping Recipe

Name: Billy's Famous Pizzas 1/2 Cheese & 1/2 One Topping Recipe
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 piece pizza dough (prepared, room temperature); 1 tbs olive oil; 2 tbs all-purpose flour (for dusting); 3 tbs pizza tomato sauce; 1 tsp dried oregano; 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella; 0.25 cups grated Parmesan; 20 piece pepperoni slices; 6 piece fresh basil leaves (optional); 0.25 tsp cracked black pepper; 0.5 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Inspired by Billy's Famous Pizza

Time1h

Serves2

Make 1/2 Cheese & 1/2 One Topping Recipe in just 1h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

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Ingredients

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Dough & Base

1 piece pizza dough (prepared, room temperature)

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs all-purpose flour (for dusting)

Sauce

3 tbs pizza tomato sauce

1 tsp Dried oregano

1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes

Cheeses

2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella

1/4 cups grated Parmesan

One Topping

20 piece pepperoni slices

Finishing

6 piece fresh basil leaves (optional)

1/4 tsp Cracked black pepper

1/2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Dough & Base

preheat and prepare

Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) with a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack for at least 30 minutes. Lightly dust a pizza peel or work surface with the 2 tablespoons of flour.

shape dough

On the floured surface, press and stretch the room-temperature pizza dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) round, leaving a slightly thicker 1/2-inch rim for the crust. Gently transfer the shaped dough to the floured peel or parchment paper. Brush the dough lightly with 1 tablespoon olive oil, focusing on the outer rim and a light film over the center to prevent sogginess.

Sauce

Combine the 3 tablespoons pizza tomato sauce with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spread the sauce evenly over the center of the stretched dough, leaving the 1/2-inch rim bare. Apply sauce to cover roughly the middle 10 inches of the pizza.

Cheeses

Evenly distribute the 2 cups shredded mozzarella over the sauced area. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup grated Parmesan evenly across the pizza. For the half-and-half layout, keep in mind where you will place the topping: distribute cheese across the whole pizza so both halves have the same cheese coverage.

One Topping

Arrange the 20 pepperoni slices on one half of the pizza only, overlapping slightly if desired. Leave the other half plain to be the cheese-only side. Press the pepperoni gently into the cheese so they adhere and will crisp while baking.

Baking

Slide the pizza (on the peel or parchment) onto the preheated stone or baking sheet. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–12 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking for even color. Look for a golden-brown crust, bubbly mozzarella, and pepperoni edges crisping. Total bake time depends on oven and stone heat—start checking at 8 minutes.

Finishing

Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Immediately brush the crust lightly with 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper over the whole pizza. If using, scatter the fresh basil leaves across the pizza (tuck under warm cheese slightly to wilt). Let rest 2 minutes, then slice into 8 slices so each slice is either cheese-only or pepperoni + cheese.