Crispy Pepperoni Recipe

Preheat oven and prepare surface

Place a pizza stone or an inverted heavy baking sheet on the middle rack and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes. If using a pizza steel, preheat similarly. Dust a pizza peel or work surface lightly with 2 tablespoons (about 0.13 cups) of the flour reserved from the ingredient list.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch round (about 10–12 oz dough ball). Transfer dough to a floured pizza peel or parchment paper if using a baking sheet. Brush the outer 1/2 inch of the crust with 1 tablespoon olive oil to promote browning and crispness.

Combine 3/4 cup tomato sauce, minced garlic, dried oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Stir until blended. Taste and adjust seasoning lightly. Spread a thin, even layer of the sauce over the stretched dough, leaving the oiled rim exposed (about 2–3 tablespoons of sauce may be enough for a very thin profile; use remaining sauce as desired).

Evenly distribute the 2 cups shredded mozzarella over the sauced dough, leaving the crust clear. Arrange pepperoni slices in a single overlapping layer, covering most of the cheese. For extra crispiness, place a few pepperoni slices face-down (direct contact with cheese) and a few on top. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if using.

Create extra-crispy pepperoni edges (optional)

For very crispy pepperoni cups, place the pizza under a broiler for 30–60 seconds just before it's done, watching carefully so pepperoni doesn't burn. This step helps the pepperoni edges char and curl.

Slide the pizza (on the peel or on the parchment) onto the preheated stone or inverted sheet. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–12 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. Baking time depends on oven and thickness—check at 8 minutes.

If you used the optional broiler step, switch the oven to broil for the last 30–60 seconds to crisp pepperoni edges—monitor constantly.

Remove pizza from oven. Let rest 2 minutes, then finish with a drizzle of 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil and scatter fresh basil leaves if using. Slice into 6–8 slices.