Pepperoni Stinger Pizza Recipe

preheat and prepare

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the middle rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes. If using a pizza steel, preheat the same way. Lightly dust a pizza peel or work surface with 2–3 tbsp flour (use the 0.25 cups listed) to prevent sticking.

shape the dough

Stretch or roll the pizza dough to a 12" diameter, leaving a slightly thicker rim for the crust. Transfer the shaped dough to the floured pizza peel or sheet of parchment paper for easy transfer.

Brush the outer 1/2"–1" of the crust lightly with 1 tablespoon olive oil to encourage browning.

season the vodka sauce

If your vodka sauce is already seasoned, combine the 1 cup vodka sauce with 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper in a small bowl and mix. Taste and adjust salt or heat. Spoon about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of the sauce evenly across the stretched dough, leaving the oiled rim exposed.

add ricotta dollops

Drop six to eight small spoonfuls of the 1/2 cup ricotta evenly over the sauced dough. Aim for roughly tablespoon-size dollops spaced so each slice gets ricotta.

add mozzarella

Scatter the 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauce and ricotta, leaving the crust clear.

arrange the pepperoni

Place 40 cup-and-crisp pepperoni slices evenly over the pizza. For a cup-and-crisp effect, overlap some slices slightly so their edges curl during baking; reserve 6–8 slices to add partway through baking if you prefer extra crispness.

transfer and bake

Slide the pizza on the peel (or transfer the parchment) onto the preheated stone/steel. Bake at 500°F (260°C) until the crust is deeply golden, cheese is bubbling, and pepperoni edges are crisp and cupped — about 8–12 minutes depending on oven and stone temperature. If you reserved pepperoni for extra crispness, open the oven at the 6–7 minute mark and scatter them on, then continue baking.

finish the crust

If the crust isn’t as browned as you like, move the pizza to the top rack for the last 1–2 minutes while watching carefully to avoid burning.

rest and drizzle

Remove the pizza from the oven and let rest 2–3 minutes on a cooling rack or cutting board. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of Mike’s Hot Honey® evenly across the pizza in a light ribbon pattern — more or less to taste.

garnish and serve

Scatter the optional fresh basil leaves and sprinkle 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan (if using). Finish with a small crack of black pepper. Slice into 8 pieces and serve hot.