Spicy Pepperoni Pizza with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Total Time1 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pizza

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Pizza dough

1 cup warm water (250 ml)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (6 grams)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 cups bread flour (375 grams)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Roasted red pepper sauce

2 bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion skin on
6 garlic cloves skin on
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon toasted fennel seeds
salt and pepper

Toppings

4 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
2 ounces pepperoni slices
¼ cup halved cherry tomatoes
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
1 jalapeno sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Make the pizza dough. Combine the warm water with yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast is activated and the mixture is foamy.
Combine the yeast mixture with the flour, salt, and olive oil, mixing until a dough forms. Knead the dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the roasted pepper sauce. Toss the onion half and garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon oil. Lay the onion, garlic, and bell peppers on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping the vegetables over halfway through. Remove from the oven and place the bell peppers in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Remove the skin from the onion and garlic cloves. Place all of the roasted vegetables in a blender along with tomato paste, fresh basil, oregano, fennel, salt, and pepper, and puree until smooth. Let cool.
Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Punch down the dough. Lightly flour the lined baking sheet and place the dough on top. Stretch out the dough with your hands until it fits the baking sheet, making sure the dough is even throughout. Spread the roasted pepper sauce on top in an even layer. Top the pizza with fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeno. Bake the pizza in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly charred.
Remove the pizza from the oven and top with fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Notes

The roasted red pepper sauce can be made 3 days in advance.

This pizza is a thick-crust pizza. If you prefer a thinner crust, divide the dough recipe in half or use a half sheet pan (18x13 inches).

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make roasted pepper sauce

When I decided to make a pepperoni pizza, I knew right off the bat that I wanted a special pizza sauce. Tomato sauce is a great classic, but to add a little sweetness to the pizza, I decided to make a roasted pepper sauce.

To make the sauce, first, roast the vegetables, including the red pepper, onion, and garlic, until charred, flipping them over halfway through.

Then, place the peppers in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for at least 10 minutes, allowing the steam to fill up the bowl and help loosen up the skin.

Carefully remove the peel from the pepper and discard the seeds. Then, blend up all of the vegetables along with the tomato paste, fresh herbs, fennel, salt, and pepper. You can substitute the fresh herbs with dried if desired.

And there you have it! This recipe makes enough sauce for about 2 pizzas. Also, feel free to make the sauce up to 3 days in advance.

Step 2: Prepare dough

Everyone has their own favorite pizza dough, and this one is mine. It has a slightly high amount of yeast, but I find that it's perfect for this thick-crust style pizza.

This recipe makes a very thick pizza crust, similar to a Detroit-style pizza. If you would rather have a thinner crust, I recommend using a bigger sheet pan, preferably one that is 18x13 inches.

You can also divide the recipe for the dough in half if you want a thinner crust, but want to stick to a 9x13-inch size pan. However, since it's a small amount, you may need to knead the dough by hand instead of using a stand mixer.

Step 3: Assemble pizza

While the dough is proofing, prepare the toppings. Slice fresh mozzarella, jalapeno, and red onion into thin slices and cut cherry tomatoes in half. If you don't like the sharp onion flavor, let them sit in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.

If you prefer a milder pizza, remove the seeds from the jalapeno. You can also omit them completely, but you will miss out on the lovely smoky, earthy flavors.

Punch down the pizza dough and use your fingers to roll it out. We're going for a thick-crust sheet pan pizza, so use the sheet pan to help shape the dough. Then, spread on the sauce and pile on the toppings.

Normally, I bake my pizzas at least 500 degrees F. However, since the crust is thick, I went with a lower temperature and longer bake time. This will ensure that the crust will be completely cooked by the time the toppings are ready.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top it with fresh basil. If you're feeling extra spicy, go on and sprinkle some red chili flakes too.

This spicy pepperoni pizza with roasted pepper sauce is what I call an extra-delicious adult pizza. The sweet pizza sauce, the creamy cheese, the smoky jalapeno, and the salty pepperoni, it's all so delicious!

For another amazing pepperoni pizza recipe, check out this spicy pepperoni pan pizza!

Make-ahead and storage

Make-ahead: You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it come to room temperature before stretching. You can also make the roasted red pepper sauce up to 3 days ahead of time.
Store: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for best results, or use a skillet over medium heat to crisp the bottom.