This easy homemade pepperoni pizza recipe is great for making 2 x 12" pizzas or one large one for the whole family. And it's easy with quantities in cups as well as grams. Includes how to make our favourite pizza sauce and tips and tricks for beginners.
Welcome to my all-time favourite New York style pizza recipe. There's just something I love about making this traditional pepperoni pizza from scratch and this one is perfect for beginners.
From letting out your daily frustrations while kneading to proofing, the whole rising process is magical and fun. And it can be done in many different ways, which I will cover.
It also doesn't require fancy ingredients or expensive equipment to achieve a crispy crust with a soft inner. And once you start making your own, you'll think twice about spending on a takeaway for a family dinner or pizza party with friends.
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✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fun to make and eat with the family
- No unnecessary additives in, such as sodium nitrite
- A delicious pizza that uses simple ingredients
- Makes a pizza night significantly cheaper than a takeaway
- An easy homemade pizza dough recipe with no weighing needed
- Easy to personalize with your favorite pizza toppings for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, daily value, and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.
All Purpose or Plain Flour - this is plain white flour, or you could use plain wheat flour. Or, you can use 00 flour for an airy crust, or strong bread flour for a chewy crust
Luke warm water - to help activate the yeast. Note, if it's too cold, it won't activate, whereas too hot will kill it
Olive oil - for fat to coat strands of gluten for a more tender and more moist pizza crust, but can be swapped for soybean oil and many more
Fast action yeast - these are instant yeast granules for a fast and quick rise
Light brown soft sugar - or cane sugar for a foolproof way to feed the yeast, allowing the plain flour to rise better
Sea salt - to enhance the flavour
Pizza Toppings
- Homemade pizza sauce (recipe in card)
- Whole milk mozzarella cheese, grated, or cheddar, blue cheese, etc
- Vegetables, such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, vine-ripened tomatoes
- Pepperoni slices - try to use uncured pepperoni with natural flavorings, or any meat, such as ham, turkey pepperoni
📋 Instructions
You can also follow along with my how-to video in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
2. Next, make a well in the centre and pour in all of the wet ingredients.
3. Now bring all of the ingredients together by stirring with a large silicone spatula.
Then squish all together with your hands while scraping the sides of the bowl to get all the little bits of dough from the sides.
4. Turn out onto a clean and well floured surface.
Then knead using the palm of your hands while stretching away and bringing back.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and knead until smooth.
Kitchen Aid users: knead with a dough hook on speed 2 for 4 minutes
5. Shape the pizza dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
Place in a warmish place to proof for 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, start making your pizza sauce in the recipe card and set aside.
Air Fryer users: you can proof while covered at 40c (104F) for 30 minutes on the dehydrate setting.
6. Now dust a flat surface with flour, including your rolling pin, then roll into a circle or rectangle if desired.
Note: for thin crust, divide it by 2 and roll each one into the largest pizza you can.
7. Preheat your oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8/450 F.
Now place the dough onto a hot floured pizza stone, floured pizza tray, or paper or silicone mat-lined cookie sheet.
Then spread your pizza sauce on top evenly, leaving a ¾" (2cm) border all the way around.
8. Sprinkle on your favourite dried herbs, chopped fresh basil, and cheddar and parmesan cheese if using.
Then add your chosen chopped vegetables, cup & char pepperoni, or any cooked sliced meat.
Then bake on the center oven rack on high heat for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Tip: if this is your first time making pizza dough, make sure you clear your kitchen counter from any clutter to prevent catching on anything while kneading or rolling.
👩🍳 Substitutions
Depending on your dietary needs, you can make a small change here and there:
- All Purpose Flour (Plain flour) - for a Gluten Free option, you could use a mix of potato starch, xanthan gum, etc. Or try a keto cauliflower crust.
- Water - swap for boiled milk (to remove enzymes), then allow to turn lukewarm for a softer dough crumb
- Cheese - simply swap for vegan cheese and omit the meat for a vegan pizza
- Pepperoni - swap for poultry (and BBQ sauce instead of tomato) to make bbq chicken pizza, a meat feast, or lean turkey bacon
- Olive oil - swap for melted butter, coconut oil, canola oil, etc
⚖️ Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes and jalapenos to the marina sauce, or as a topping on the cheese
- Deluxe - add olives, peppers, spicy sausage, and anchovies if preferred and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Veggie - add sweetcorn, mushrooms, spinach, and Quorn vegan pepperoni
- Kid friendly - add ham and pineapple for a Hawaiian twist, or classic plain cheese pizza to keep things simple
See this easy pizza rolls version of this recipe on my website!
🔪 Equipment
Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links.
- Mixing bowl
- Clingfilm
- Weighing scales or:
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Salt and pepper grinder
- Cheese grater
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Frying pan
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet
- Silicone baking mat
❄️ Storage
Storing - we prefer eating homemade pizza freshly baked, but it can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Freezing - cool to room temperature and again, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Reheating - If you want to eat the next day, defrost in the fridge if required and bake in the oven again until piping hot.
💡Pro Tips
- If you want to proof the dough ahead of time, then proof it cold while in the fridge for 1-3 days. But ensure you take it out 1-2 hours before you want to bake it
- If you don't have cling film to cover your dough while proofing, then use a damp teatowel to prevent any air from getting through. This also prevents the dough from forming a papery skin
- Use a silicone baking mat that fits your pizza tray as you can roll your pizza out while on it, then place on a baking sheet and bake immediately. I find it better than baking paper for a crispier base.
- Alternatively, you can flour a baking tray instead to prevent it from sticking
- Don't skip the sugar as it feeds the yeast
- Avoid overloading your pizza with too many ingredients to prevent a soggy base
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
A great way to feast on a slice of pepperoni pizza is with homemade dirty fries or french fries as a main meal.
Also, it tastes way better than bread and butter when dipped into some homemade tomato soup!
Other great recipes it works with are this cheesy ratatouille and tasty spaghetti bolognese.
❓ FAQ
If you don't want to wait, the best way I've found is to instantly make a 2 ingredients pizza dough with 1 cup of self raising flour and 1 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt.
I knead it until smooth, but while rolling out with a rolling pin well as it rises a lot more, making it a great crust for a deep pan pizza.
Alternatively, you could try 2 teaspoon of baking powder instead and skip any kind of dough proofing. But ensure you line your baking tray with baking paper or a silicone baking mat.
In this homemade pizza dough, I use fast action dried yeast which can be added straight to the dry ingredients. However, you can also premix the yeast to lukewarm water if you wish.
Some people worry that the salt will kill the yeast and prevent it from doubling in size. But since we're mixing them together while the ingredients are dry, I don't see it as an issue. If you were so worried, put the yeast in one side of the mixing bowl and salt on the other.
Many a time, I've made my pizza dough, rolled it out, and then stored it in the fridge before baking. You can also add your toppings and freeze them beforehand, too.
However, when cooking from frozen, I cook considerably cooker at around 180 degrees Celcius for around 15 minutes.
For a richer flavour, I have also mixed my pizza dough, placed it in an air-tight container, and proved for 7 hours in the fridge. This can be left in the fridge for up to 3 days before use.
The dough will double in size, but slowly while you work. The flavour is also a little more delicious.
Although a stand mixer with dough hook isn't essential, it is by far the easiest method. To knead it:
- Briefly mix your dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl - a paddle for this is fine
- Swap for a dough hook and set to speed 1 and slowly pour your wet ingredients and mix until it's pretty much combined.
-Set to speed 2 and knead for 4 minutes.
- Then leave to prove for 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes until it has doubled in size, then knock back and roll directly onto a silicone baking mat.
Because we're using cheese and pepperoni slices, this is not a vegan pizza recipe. But, this can easily be fixed by using Vegan pepperoni slices and dairy free cheese.
However, it is using vegan pizza dough. Although, if you are adding a teaspoon of sugar, then look for a vegan one that doesn't use bone char.
I have tried making a gluten free pizza dough recipe before by swapping flour with oat flour. However you'll find it doesn't rise very well.
My suggestion is to increase the yeast amount, which I'll be experimenting with more soon. You may need to increase the amount of water as oat flour is more absorbent.
When making a pizza with plain flour, the gluten isn't as strong, making it ideal for a thin crust. That is, providing you roll it out as much as possible.
But for a deep dish pizza dough recipe, ensure you use a teaspoon of caster sugar. As mentioned previously, the yeast feeds off the sugar and will prove easier. And despite knocking back your proved dough, it will continue to grow again in the oven. For example, see the before and after of my garlic butter bread version that turned into this.
It's very easy to turn this dough into a cheese-stuffed crust pizza. You could use grated cheese, but I personally think it's easier with cheese strings or batons of cheese.
Once you've rolled your pizza out, using about 6 cheese strings, roll the edges around them and press. Then bake as normal.
The below picture is also an example of my pizza dough recipe proved in the fridge during the day.
For best results, my favourite way to proof dough these days is in an air fryer in an oiled pan and covered with plastic wrap.
I proof at 40c (104F) for 30 minutes on the dehydrate setting. It's half as quick and consistently produces a dough that is smoother and superior to proofing at room temperature.
➕ More Easy Dinners
Looking for more easy and delicious meals like this? Try these:
🍽️More Pizza Recipes
Here are a few more of our favourite pizza recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 g Plain flour (1 & ¾ cups or for strong bread flour 1.5 cups)
- 4 g Dried yeast 1 tsp
- 150 ml Lukewarm water ⅔ cup
- 12 g Olive oil 1 tbsp
- 5 g Fine sea salt 1 tsp
Pizza Sauce
- Cooking oil spray
- 1 clove Garlic minced, or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Granulated sugar
- 150 g Passata
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Basil
- Sea salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 130 g Mature cheddar cheese grated
Pizza Toppings
- 10 pepperoni slices
- 40 g mozarella grated
- ¼ red onion sliced
- 30 g sweetcorn
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre.
- Then in a jug, mix together the oil and water and pour in.
- Mix together with a spatula or a food processor with dough blade until combined well.
- Remove and knead for 10 minutes, or until it stops tearing while you stretch. For Kitchen Aid users: knead with a dough hook on speed 2 for 4 minutes
- Optional: place back in the bowl, cover with clingfilm and store in a warm place for an hour.
- Preheat your oven at 220 degrees Celcius and line two pizza baking trays with baking paper.
- Knead the air out again briefly, then separate into two doughs and roll out with a rolling pin, or rotating with your hands.
- Place in the baking trays, meanwhile, saute the garlic in cooking oil spray for two minutes, then add the sugar and continue until golden.
- Add the remaining homemade pizza sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Spoon over the pizza sauce on to the pizzas and add your toppings, followed by cheese or cheese then toppings.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes and eat!
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
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