This is a thick crust pepperoni and ham pizza with arugula, green onion and peppers. The perfect chore to do on a lazy Saturday night because this recipe includes a homemade dough. If you have 2 hours not doing anything, this is a good option. It is big enough to make a 10-inch medium size pizza and so perfect for two or three hungry stomachs. I topped this pepperoni pizza with arugula, picked peppers, onions and it is just so good with the gooey cheese.
Making the pizza dough
You can test your yeast by mixing it with just a bit with water and sugar. Leave it, covered for a few minutes. You should see bubbles formed on the surface. If you don’t see any changes afterward, change your yeast because it is most probably dead.
I didn’t want my pizza dough to be bland so I added lots of herbs and even garlic powder in it. You can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or black pepper too if you’d like. I used all-purpose flour for this recipe but bread flour is great for a thinner crust pizza because the edges are crispier. The difference isn’t all that noticeable so either works with this recipe really well.
The extras
You’ll need a pizza crisper/pan that is at least 12 inches for this recipe. When your pizza comes out of the oven, it may look all puffed up. Don’t worry, it will go down as it cools. Place your non meat toppings-herbs, sliced veggies, pickled vegetables etc.-on your pizza when it is hot, right out of the oven. The steam from the pizza will make the toppings damp and make it stick to the pizza, so it won’t glide off. I used arugula so this was perfect. Don’t forget to reward yourself with a glass of your favorite wine afterwards!
If you loved this pepperoni pizza, check out my ultra-cheesy pepperoni pesto pull-apart bread and Detroit-style salami pizza, enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons oil, plus extra to brush the dough
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4-5 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 cups mozzarella, grated
5-6 slices ham
6 pepperoni slices (I used the big slices but if you need more, use more!)
Toppings: pickled peppers, fresh arugula, sliced green onions
Instructions
- In a glass mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of bread flour with the yeast, sugar, salt, chopped basil, parsley, garlic powder and warm water.
- The dough should look dry. Then add in the remaining 1 cup of bread flour, oil and knead into a smooth ball.
- Brush another glass bowl with extra oil and transfer the dough ball into this greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.
- Get your ingredients ready as you wait for the dough to rise.
- Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and knead into a flat circle. You can use your hands or use a rolling pin.
- When it is about 12-13 inches in diameter, poke a fork repeatedly over it. This will help it from puffing up in the oven like bread.
- Fold in the outer edges of the dough inwards to form a crust. Transfer it to a 12-inch pizza pan lined with parchment paper.
- Spread the tomato sauce evenly within the centre of the dough and stop once you reach the crust. Spread a cup of grated cheese over the sauce.
- Place the pepperoni and ham slices (see notes) over the cheese and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425°F/218°C for 20 minutes. The edges of the pizza should have risen like thick crust pizza and be browned.
- Top your baked pizza right away with the arugula, pickled peppers, green onions and other non-meat toppings you prefer. Grated Parmesan would be really good with this recipe.
- Slice the pizza as you see fit and serve warm with a chilled glass of wine for all your hard work!
Notes
Note that if you are using a raw meat topping like fish, pork, chicken or beef, they have to be cooked prior to being added to the pizza. I used cold cut meats-ham and pepperoni so it wasn't necessary to cook them before making the pizza.