A proper thin crust pepperoni pizza with a crisp base, simple pizza sauce, and classic takeaway style flavour.
With its combination of rich, salty, savoury flavour, pepperoni pizza is an American fast food classic. With this guide, this dough and this sauce, you can recreate it faithfully and make delicious takeaway style pizza at home.
Love American fast food style recipes?
You can find more in my cookbook The American Diner Secret.
Ingredients For Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza
- Dough: This recipe uses thin crust pizza dough.
- Pizza Sauce: This recipe uses easy easy pizza sauce made with crushed tomatoes (passata rustica). I like Cirio brand passata rustica.
- Cheese: Low moisture mozzarella.
- Pepperoni: I like Properoni pepperoni.
How To Make Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Step 1: Dough
Remove your dough from the fridge 2-3 hours before you want to make pizza. Preheat your oven before unfolding the pizza dough. Drop the pizza dough ball into a bowl of flour and coat both sides of the dough with a generous amount of flour. Move the dough to a work surface and carefully stretch to form a 12” crust. Transfer the prepared crust to a flour dusted pizza peel.
Step 2: Toppings
Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Arrange toppings towards the outer edges of the crust as the ingredients will naturally slide towards the middle as the pizza bakes.
Step 3: Bake
In a pizza oven: Transfer pizza to stone in oven. Bake at 325C for 4-5 minutes, rotating the pizza occasionally until the crust is nicely charred and the cheese and toppings are sizzling.
In a regular kitchen oven: Transfer pizza to pizza stone in your oven. Bake at 240C for 6-7 minutes, rotating the pizza once or twice until the crust is nicely charred and cheese and toppings are sizzling.
Step 4: Serve
Finish with black pepper and dried oregano, slice and serve.
Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza Recipe Tips
Dough
This thin crust pizza dough can be used after 24 hours, but it will offer better results after 48-72 hours of cold proofing in the fridge.
Hot Honey
Pepperoni pizza is deliciously savoury and salty, so it pairs perfectly with slightly sweet and spicy hot honey. Add after cooking, and remember not to add to any slices you might want to reheat later!
Reheat Pizza
This pizza reheats very well in a hot oven or air fryer at 200C for around 4-5 minutes.
I hope you’ll try this thin crust pepperoni pizza recipe. If you do, let me know in the comments how it went!
Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Pizza Oven or Regular Kitchen Oven
Ingredients
- 1 300g pizza dough ball (leave your dough out of the fridge 2-3 hours before cooking)
- 3-4 tablespoons easy pizza sauce
- 100 grams mozzarella cheese
- 40 grams pepperoni slices
To Serve
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (a pinch)
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano (a pinch)
Instructions
- Remove 1 300g pizza dough ball from the fridge 2-3 hours before you want to bake. Preheat your oven before unfolding the pizza dough. Drop the pizza dough ball into a bowl of flour. The smooth top side of the dough ball will become the underside of the pizza.Coat both sides of the dough with a generous amount of flour and transfer to a work surface. Press your fingers around the outside of the dough to form a crust, then press down into the middle. Flip the dough over and repeat. Lift the dough and carefully stretch to form a 12” crust.Lightly dust a pizza peel with a pinch of semolina and a pinch of bread flour. Transfer the prepared crust to the peel.
- Top with 3-4 tablespoons easy pizza sauce, 100 grams mozzarella cheese and 40 grams pepperoni slices. Arrange toppings towards the outer edges of the crust as the ingredients will naturally slide towards the middle as the pizza bakes.
Bake
- In a pizza oven: Transfer pizza to stone in oven. Bake at 325C for 4-5 minutes, rotating the pizza occasionally until the crust is nicely charred and the cheese and toppings are sizzling.In a regular kitchen oven: Transfer pizza to pizza stone in your oven. Bake at 240C for 6-7 minutes, rotating the pizza once or twice until the crust is nicely charred and cheese and toppings are sizzling.
Serve
- Garnish with 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano, slice and serve.