Make your own homemade pepperoni pizza tonight! It's 100 times better than store-bought and easy too! Start with store-bought pizza dough, add your sauce and favorite toppings, and voila - you've got pizza your way! And you've never tasted anything better than when it's hot out of the oven!
This homemade pizza is so easy to make that you'll wonder why you never tried to make pizza at home before this. After all, it's just a dough crust with your favorite pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and pepperoni. Yep, that's it! Sounds simple right? Well, let me tell you, it is!
I began thinking about making my own pizza when I saw a recipe for rosemary bread that I wanted to try and it required a pizza stone. Ah, pizza stone = pizza, right? I love the way my brain thinks! So I know you're thinking, why do I need another one-use pan like a pizza stone in my "no-room to put anything else" kitchen. I thought the same thing but decided to see if all the hype about pizza stones was true. (Hint: they work great!)
4 easy steps to make this homemade pepperoni pizza!
- Oil the dough and pour tomato sauce on top.
- Lay mozzarella sliced on top.
- Place tomatoes, basil, and pepperoni, or other ingredients on top of the cheese.
- Grate a little Parmesan or Pecorino Romano on top & bake.
First, what does a pizza stone do? It's used primarily to crisp up the bottom of bread or pizza crust by absorbing moisture and creating an even heating surface. Makes sense to me.
So not only does this pizza stone make a homemade pizza with a perfectly crisp light crust but can be used for bread too. Double bonus!
And since both my husband and I like thin-crust pizzas, cutting down on some of those carbs you know, it seemed like a no-brainer to give it a try.
The verdict from my pizza aficionado husband - absolutely scrumptious! Homemade pizza has now become a favorite Friday night dinner for us whether it's BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza, Double Cheeseburger Pizza, or Meatless 3-Pepper Pizza.
So, my advice, just bite the bullet and go ahead and purchase a nice pizza stone. Believe me, you'll be glad you did!
Try my Italian Stromboli made with pizza dough and filled with sausage and pepperoni.
Find lots of easy pizza recipes here on 2CM!
Ingredients
- 1 dough ball from bakery or 1 package Pillsbury regular or Gluten Free Thin Crust Pizza Dough (or Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix which is easy and delicious)
- cornmeal to prevent sticking
- 1-2 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup tomato sauce you can use any of your favorite jarred pasta sauces
- 4-6 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese sliced thin
- 20-25 slices pepperoni
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves + extra for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh Pecorino Romano cheese grated (Parmesan can also be used)
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sprinkle your pizza stone generously with cornmeal (not flour as it will burn) to prevent crust from sticking. Place your pizza stone in a cold oven and preheat for 20 minutes at 500 degrees.
- While stone is heating, roll out your pizza crust on a cutting board or countertop that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal, to a size that will fit your stone.
- When pizza stone is hot, remove from oven, dust with cornmeal, and carefully place rolled out dough on top.
- Brush the dough with olive oil then spread tomato sauce to within ½″ of edge. (Make sure you keep that ½″ edge with all ingredients to prevent toppings bubbling over side as well as giving you a place to more easily handle the finished pizza)
- Place sliced mozzarella on top of sauce, sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper, top with basil leaves and pepperoni slices then finish with a topping of Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
- Return to oven and bake for about 12-15 minutes depending on thickness of toppings or until bottom is crisp and top is bubbling.
- Slide off the stone onto wooden cutting board or pizza peel and garnish with remaining basil leaves.
- Cut with pizza wheel and serve immediately with additional Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese and hot red pepper flakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Wine Pairing: Mots people prefer beer with pizza but I am not much of a beer drinker so I pour myself a nice glass of red Zinfandel, Italian Chianti or a Barbera.
This post has been updated and was first published on February 6, 2014.
Lucy Parissi says
We love this kind of easy but tasty meal on a Friday night. Thanks for the recipe.
Dara Michalski says
LOVE that this pizza recipe uses fresh mozzarella and basil. We'll be repeating this one, for sure.
Linda Warren says
I think fresh ingredients always makes a dish better. Glad you liked it.
Meagen Brosius says
I love that there are some gluten free options for crusts and how easy this is to make! Such a delicious and easy alternative to ordering take out!
Linda Warren says
Homemade pizzas are just so much better than takeout and pretty easy to whip up. My daughter loves the gluten-free pizza version and makes it often.
Julie Evink says
We loved this pepperoni pizza! The twist with the basil on it made this to die for!
Linda Warren says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it as much as we do! It's amazing how much fresh basil can make this pizza out of this world.