Hot Honey Recipe
organic tomato sauce, pepperoni cups, mozzarella, peppadews, honey, basil - GFO
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Pizza Base & Sauce
Cheese & Toppings
Hot Honey
Assembly & Finishing
Method
Pizza Base & Sauce
- 1
Prepare sauce
In a small bowl, combine the organic tomato sauce, salt, black pepper, dried oregano and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir until smooth and season to taste. Set aside at room temperature.
Hot Honey
- 2
Infuse honey
Place the honey, neutral oil and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm gently for 4–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the honey thins and the pepper flakes release their flavor. Do not boil — keep the mixture at a low simmer or just warm. Remove from heat and stir in the cracked black pepper and optional lemon juice. Let cool slightly; the honey will thicken as it cools. Taste and adjust heat by adding more red pepper flakes if desired.
- 3
Strain (optional)
If you prefer a smooth hot honey without visible flakes, strain the warm honey through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container; otherwise leave the flakes in for more visual heat and flavor.
Cheese & Toppings
- 4
Prepare pepperoni cups
Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C) with a pizza stone or baking sheet inside. Arrange pepperoni slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment, slightly overlapping to form little cups or simply use them straight. If you want crisped 'cups', bake the pepperoni alone for 6–8 minutes until edges curl and become slightly crisp; remove and drain on paper towel. Alternatively, place pepperoni directly on the assembled pizza to curl during baking.
- 5
Prep peppadews and basil
Drain and halve the peppadew peppers. Tear or slice the fresh mozzarella into pieces sized to give even coverage. Keep basil leaves whole or torn into large pieces and set aside to add after baking.
Assembly & Baking
- 6
Stretch and top dough
Dust a pizza peel or work surface with cornmeal or flour. Stretch the pizza dough to a roughly 12-inch round. Transfer to the peel or a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the dough edge lightly with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Spread the prepared tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 3/4–1 inch border for the crust. Distribute the mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Arrange pepperoni (pre-crisped cups or raw slices) across the pizza, leaving space for peppadews.
- 7
Bake pizza
Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet. Bake at 475°F (245°C) for 8–12 minutes, rotating once halfway through, until the crust is golden and cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
- 8
Add peppadews and basil
Remove pizza from oven. Immediately scatter halved peppadews over the pizza and place fresh basil leaves on top; the residual heat will slightly wilt the basil without cooking out its brightness.
Finishing & Serving
- 9
Finish with hot honey
Drizzle the warm (but not piping hot) hot honey over the pizza — start with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons, then add more to taste. Be sure honey is warm enough to pour easily but not so hot that it spreads too thinly. The spicy-sweet contrast should complement the pepperoni and peppadews.
- 10
Slice and serve
Let the pizza rest 1–2 minutes, then slice into 6–8 pieces. Serve immediately, offering extra hot honey at the table for those who want more heat.
