Pepperoni Recipe
tomato, fior di latte, red onion, oregano
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Ingredients
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Dough (Neapolitan-style)
Sauce
Toppings
Finish / Optional
Method
Dough (Neapolitan-style)
- 1
Mix and activate yeast
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water (about 100–105°F / 38–40°C) and the active dry yeast. Let sit 5–7 minutes until foamy. If it doesn't foam, your yeast may be inactive; start over with fresh yeast.
- 2
Combine flour and salt
Add the 00 flour and sea salt to the bowl (keep salt away from direct contact with yeast when possible). If using a stand mixer, fit with dough hook and mix on low to combine; if by hand, use a wooden spoon until shaggy.
- 3
Knead and rest
Add olive oil and knead the dough about 8–10 minutes in a stand mixer on medium-low, or 10–12 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface, until dough is smooth, soft, slightly tacky, and elastic.
- 4
Bulk ferment
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature for 1.5–2 hours until roughly doubled. For more flavor, refrigerate for 12–24 hours for slow cold fermentation (if refrigerating, allow dough to come back to room temperature for 1–2 hours before shaping).
- 5
Divide and bench rest
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into two equal portions (for two 10–11" pizzas) or keep whole for one large pizza. Shape each portion into a tight ball. Cover and let rest 30–60 minutes to relax the gluten before shaping.
Sauce
- 6
Prepare sauce
Pour the canned tomatoes into a bowl. Crush by hand or pulse gently with a blender/immersion blender 3–4 short pulses—sauce should be slightly chunky, not completely smooth. Stir in 1 tsp fine sea salt and 1 tsp dried oregano. Taste and adjust salt. No cooking required for a bright Neapolitan-style sauce.
Toppings & Assembly
- 7
Preheat oven
Place a pizza stone or steel in the oven and preheat to the highest temperature possible (500–550°F / 260–290°C) for at least 45 minutes. If using a pizza oven, follow manufacturer preheat instructions.
- 8
Shape the dough
On a lightly floured work surface, press and stretch one dough ball into a 10–11" round by pushing from the center outward, leaving a slightly thicker 1/2–3/4" rim. Do not roll with a rolling pin (it deflates the edge). Keep the center thin but handle gently to preserve air bubbles.
- 9
Add sauce
Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the prepared tomato sauce onto the center of the stretched dough. Using the back of the spoon, spread the sauce in a circular motion leaving the rim uncovered. Avoid over-saucing—Neapolitan style uses a light layer.
- 10
Add cheese
Distribute half of the 8 oz fior di latte evenly over the sauced dough in small pieces, leaving some gaps for charring and blistering. Moisture in fior di latte should be patted dry with paper towels if excessively wet.
- 11
Add pepperoni and onion
Arrange pepperoni slices evenly over the cheese, using about 3 oz per pizza (6 oz total for two). Scatter thinly sliced red onion sparingly (about 2 tablespoons per pizza) so it chars slightly without overpowering the pie.
- 12
Finish before baking
Drizzle a scant 1/2 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil over the toppings and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano across the pizza. If desired, add a light pinch of coarse salt to taste.
Bake & Finish
- 13
Bake
Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or steel. Bake at highest oven temperature for 6–8 minutes, rotating halfway if necessary, until crust is blistered and leopard-spotted and cheese is melted and bubbling. In very hot professional ovens, baking time may be 60–90 seconds—watch carefully.
- 14
Rest and serve
Remove pizza from oven and let rest 1–2 minutes. If using, scatter fresh basil leaves on top. Slice and serve immediately. Repeat shaping, topping and baking for the second dough ball.
