Classic Homemade Pepperoni Pizza
A super-tasty simple dish for the whole family for dinner or a snack. Classic Pepperoni pizza is easy and hassle-free. The topping uses only two products: cheese and sausage. Any sauces you like will work. You can also prep the pizza ahead and bake it straight from the freezer. Convenient, right?
Updated : 08 January, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Dough
250 grams
Wheat flour
120 milliliters
Water
10 grams
Dry yeast
1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
1 grams
Sugar
1 grams
Salt
Sauce
1
Tomato
1 tablespoon
Olive oil
1 tablespoon
Ketchup
1 teaspoon
Tomato paste
2
Garlic
5 grams
Herb mix
0.25 teaspoon
Paprika
1 grams
Chili pepper
to taste
Salt
Filling
120 grams
Mozzarella
100 grams
Semi-smoked sausage
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make Pepperoni pizza at home? First, prepare the ingredients for the dough.
Step 2
Dissolve the sugar in warm water heated to 98-104°F (37-40°C). Add the yeast and leave for 15 minutes until a foamy cap forms. If no foam appears, the yeast is bad or the water was too hot and the dough won’t rise - start over.
Step 3
Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the salt. Mix and make a well in the center.
Step 4
Pour the activated yeast mixture into the well and add the olive oil.
Step 5
Knead a firm, smooth dough. Knead for about 7-10 minutes, until the dough starts to pull away from your hands. If needed, add a little more olive oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough in a warm place for 45 minutes to rise.
Step 6
While the dough is rising, make the sauce. Use a slightly spicy ketchup if possible. If you don’t have a ready-made Herbes de Provence mix, combine dried thyme, rosemary, and basil. Choose medium, ripe, juicy, fragrant tomatoes.
Step 7
Wash the tomatoes and cut shallow X-shaped slits. Pour boiling water over them and leave for 1 minute. Then peel off the skins.
Step 8
Cut the tomato flesh into wedges, removing the tough stem core.
Step 9
In a blender bowl, combine the tomatoes, ketchup, garlic cloves, Herbes de Provence, and spices. Blend until smooth.
Step 10
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in the blended tomato mixture and add tomato paste. Stir and simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes until excess liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens.
Step 11
Remove the finished sauce from the heat and let it cool.
Step 12
Now prepare the topping. The pizza gets its name from the pepperoni sausage, which contains hot chili. So pepperoni is best here; chorizo is a good substitute.
Step 13
Slice the sausage into thin rounds. Mine was already pre-sliced.
Step 14
Grate the mozzarella on a coarse grater. I use semi-hard mozzarella made for pizza (don’t confuse it with soft mozzarella balls - though you can use those too, as well as any other tasty, good-quality cheese).
Step 15
Punch down the dough and roll it into a thin round about 30 cm (about 12 in) in diameter.
Step 16
Transfer the round to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Do this before adding the topping - afterwards it’s harder, and under the topping’s weight the dough can stretch and lose shape. I roll it out on the table, then move it onto parchment, and the parchment with the base onto the tray.
Step 17
Generously spread the dough with the spicy tomato sauce.
Step 18
Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Step 19
Evenly arrange the pepperoni slices over the cheese. Bake in an oven preheated to 250°C (482°F) for 8-10 minutes. Exact time depends on your oven. If you can use the “top+bottom+convection” mode, do so. Enjoy your meal!
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