Homemade Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza

I think the most intimating part of making pizza at home is the 

crust.  I use to think that until I made it myself.  There is nothing 

like homemade pizza dough.  This is the easiest crust ever. 

However, I do use a food processor to mix it.  You could probably 

use a standing mixer as well with the dough attachment. 

There are so many frozen pizza brands to choose from at the store 

but nothing will compare.  Plus, we like a lot of cheese on our 

pizza  and we are the boss of it at home, so that is why this is 

called  Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza.  

For the crust:

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowls
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• cornmeal for dusting

For the topping:

• 1 14 .5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•  salt
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated

Directions:

Make the dough: 

1. Combine the yeast, 1 cup warm water  and the sugar in a food processor and pulse once to combine. Let sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. 
2. Add the olive oil and pulse to combine. 
3. Mix the flour and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl; add to the food processor and pulse until the dough pulls away from the side and gathers around the blade.
4. Turn the dough  onto a lightly floured surface and form into 2 even balls. 
5. Transfer to 2 lightly oiled bowls; cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 4 hours. 
6. Set a pizza stone or large baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees . 

 
Make the sauce:

1.  Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt in a small pot and simmer for 30 minutes.  Then cool on stove top.

Make the pizza:

1. Stretch 1 ball of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly sprinkled cornmeal pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. 
2. Spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. 
3. Top with half of the mozzarella, then brush the edge lightly with olive oil.
4. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling, 10 minutes.
5. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool 3 minutes before slicing. 

Repeat to make the second pizza


~~topping choices are endless~ choose your favorite~

My kid's first choice is mushroom and bell pepper, but I had pepperoni, so that is what we made. 

You can make the dough ahead of time and wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months. Thaw before using.

rising

All done rising.

Sprinkle cornmeal on board.

Stretch out dough.

Spread on sauce.

Top with cheese.

Add toppings of your choice.

Bake.

Enjoy!