The Xtreme Recipe

Preheat oven: place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes. If using a home oven that doesn't reach 500°F, preheat to the highest temperature available (475°F/245°C).

Prepare dough: lightly flour a work surface. Stretch or roll the prepared pizza dough into a 14–16 inch round (or manufacturer’s recommended size for store crust). Create a slightly thicker rim for the crust. Transfer the stretched dough to a pizza peel dusted with semolina or cornmeal (or to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet if not using a stone).

Brush crust: lightly brush the outer 1/2 inch of the dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil to promote browning.

Spread sauce: using the back of a spoon, spread 1 cup red pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving the oiled rim clear (about 1/2 inch).

Add cheese: sprinkle 3 cups shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauce, leaving a small edge of exposed crust.

Distribute pepperoni: arrange about 1 cup sliced pepperoni evenly across the cheese, overlapping slightly if desired.

Add Italian sausage: sprinkle the 3 oz of cooked and crumbled Italian sausage evenly over the pizza. Make sure cooked sausage is hot or warm so it melds with the cheese while baking.

Add additional sausage and Canadian bacon: scatter the 2 oz cooked crumbled breakfast-style sausage and 2 oz chopped Canadian bacon evenly across the pie.

Place Genoa salami: tuck 1 oz thinly sliced Genoa salami across the pizza in several spots for cured-salami flavor.

Scatter mushrooms and onions: distribute 3 oz sliced fresh mushrooms and 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion across the pizza so they roast but don’t overload one spot.

Add peppers and olives: evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper, 1/4 cup black olive slices and 1/4 cup green olive slices across the pie.

Top with jalapeños: arrange the 2 thinly sliced jalapeños over the pizza. Remove seeds for milder heat or leave seeds for more kick.

Bake: carefully slide the assembled pizza onto the preheated stone or place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–12 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown. If using a lower temperature, bake 12–16 minutes and watch for doneness.

Rest: remove pizza from oven and let rest for 2–3 minutes to set the cheese and make slicing easier.

Finish with Parmesan-herb shake: sprinkle 2 teaspoons Parmesan-herb shake evenly over the hot pizza (or use store-bought Parmesan shaker). Add crushed red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp) if desired.

Slice and serve: transfer to a cutting board, slice into 8 slices and serve immediately while hot.