Pepperoni pizza on Neapolitan-style dough, cooked in a proper pizza oven and finished with hot honey and parmesan. It’s my go-to pizza, and there’s nothing better in the summer than cooking one in the garden with a cold beer in hand and serving it the second it comes out of the oven. No restaurant pizza I’ve had beats it, and the oven is the best piece of kit I own.
Prep ahead1 step, start the night before
Ingredients
- For the dough
- 500 g 00 flour
- 300 g Water, lukewarm
- 15 g Fine sea salt
- 0.25 g Fast-action dried yeast
- 200 g Plain flour, for opening and launching the dough
- For the sauce
- 400 g Tinned plum tomatoes
- 50 g Tomato purée
- 6 g Fine sea salt
- For the toppings
- 300 g Low moisture mozzarella, grated, or cut into small squares
- 100 g Fresh mozzarella, torn and drained
- 120 g Pepperoni, see notes
- To serve
- 50 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 50 g Hot honey, see notes
Equipment
- High temperature pizza oven
- Pizza peel
- Turning peel
- Pizza cutter
- Dough tray or plastic bowl
Put the lukewarm water in a large bowl and add the instant yeast, stirring until dissolved. Add half the flour and stir into a rough mix, then add the remaining flour and mix until roughly combined. Add the salt and mix again.
Turn the dough out onto a clean worksurface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If you haven’t kneaded dough before, a short video demonstration will show the motion far more clearly than text can. Look one up before starting if this is new to you.
Cover the dough with a towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, shape it into a tight ball: fold the edges of the dough into the centre, then turn it over so the seam is underneath, and use the sides of your hands to drag the dough in a circular motion against the worksurface, building surface tension across the top as you go. The ball should feel firm and springy, with a smooth, unbroken surface.
This is easier to see than to read — a short video of the technique will make the motion much clearer than a written description.
Place the shaped dough in an oiled plastic bowl or dough tray, cover with a lid or clingfilm, and leave to bulk ferment overnight.
The next morning, divide the dough into 4 even 200g pieces and shape each into a tight ball using the same method as before. Place spaced out in a dough tray with the lid on, or on a tray covered with clingfilm.
Leave to proof for 8 hours, ideally somewhere around 18–20°C. On a very hot day, keep them somewhere cool; on a very cold day, keep them somewhere warmer.
30 minutes before cooking, begin preheating the pizza oven on a high flame. See how to use a pizza oven for guidance on getting it up to temperature.
While it heats, blend the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, and salt until smooth and pour into a bowl with a ladle. Grate the low moisture mozzarella and tear the fresh mozzarella, placing the fresh mozzarella on kitchen paper to drain off as much moisture as possible. Prepare a bowl of flour for opening the dough.
Once the pizza oven reads around 450°C (842°F) on the stone, dip a dough ball in the flour and stretch it out on a flour-dusted worksurface. Work from the centre outward, pressing with your fingertips to push air to the edges and leave a puffy rim, then gently stretch and open up the disc larger on the back of your hands. The finished base should have stretched to around 12 inch diameter. A video demonstration is worth far more than a written description for this step — watch a few before your first attempt.
Add a ladle of tomato sauce and spread it out, leaving a border of around 2cm of unsauced crust. Sprinkle over 75g of the low moisture mozzarella and a few chunks of the fresh mozzarella, keeping enough reserved for the remaining pizzas. Cover generously with pepperoni.
Slide the topped dough onto a flour-dusted peel and stretch it out slightly to reach the edges, rearranging any toppings quickly if needed. Work fast here — the dough will start to stick to the peel the longer it sits.
Lower the flame to medium-low and launch the pizza into the oven. Turn using the turning peel once the side nearest the flame begins to form leopard spots, rotating 180 degrees and letting the opposite side colour to match. Continue turning until the whole pizza is cooked to your liking — the full cook takes around 60–90 seconds. You’ll likely know your own oven’s habits better than any written guide, so adjust to how yours behaves.
Remove the pizza from the oven and place directly on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle over the Parmesan. Drizzle with hot honey if using. Slice and serve immediately while hot.
Repeat for the remaining dough balls — and remember, the chef always eats last.
Notes & Substitutions
You need a genuine high-temperature pizza oven for this recipe. A stone reaching 450°C (842°F) or higher and an open rolling flame produce a rise, char, and texture that a standard domestic oven cannot reproduce. This recipe is written specifically for a high-temperature pizza oven such as a Gozney Roccbox or similar — attempting it in a conventional oven will not give the same result.
Low moisture mozzarella: pre-sliced squares of mozzarella from the supermarket are a good substitute in the UK, where blocks can be harder to find. Cut into small squares instead of grating — the result is just as good.
Pepperoni: a good quality pepperoni such as Properoni brand will crisp up at the edges in the oven rather than turning greasy and limp.
Hot honey: see the hot honey recipe for how to make your own.
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Pepperoni Pizza
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 500 g 00 flour
- 300 g Water (lukewarm)
- 15 g Fine sea salt
- 0.25 g Fast-action dried yeast
- 200 g Plain flour (for opening and launching the dough)
- 400 g Tinned plum tomatoes
- 50 g Tomato purée
- 6 g Fine sea salt
- 300 g Low moisture mozzarella (grated, or cut into small squares)
- 100 g Fresh mozzarella (torn and drained)
- 120 g Pepperoni (see notes)
- 50 g Parmesan (finely grated)
- 50 g Hot honey (see notes)
Equipment
- High temperature pizza oven
- Pizza peel
- Turning peel
- Pizza cutter
- Dough tray or plastic bowl
Method
Mix the dough
500 g 00 flour · 300 g Water · 15 g Fine sea salt · 0.25 g Fast-action dried yeast
Put the lukewarm water in a large bowl and add the instant yeast, stirring until dissolved. Add half the flour and stir into a rough mix, then add the remaining flour and mix until roughly combined. Add the salt and mix again.
Knead the dough
Turn the dough out onto a clean worksurface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If you haven’t kneaded dough before, a short video demonstration will show the motion far more clearly than text can. Look one up before starting if this is new to you.
Rest and shape into a ball
Cover the dough with a towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, shape it into a tight ball: fold the edges of the dough into the centre, then turn it over so the seam is underneath, and use the sides of your hands to drag the dough in a circular motion against the worksurface, building surface tension across the top as you go. The ball should feel firm and springy, with a smooth, unbroken surface.
This is easier to see than to read — a short video of the technique will make the motion much clearer than a written description.
Bulk ferment overnight
Place the shaped dough in an oiled plastic bowl or dough tray, cover with a lid or clingfilm, and leave to bulk ferment overnight.
Divide and shape the dough balls
The next morning, divide the dough into 4 even 200g pieces and shape each into a tight ball using the same method as before. Place spaced out in a dough tray with the lid on, or on a tray covered with clingfilm.
Leave to proof for 8 hours, ideally somewhere around 18–20°C. On a very hot day, keep them somewhere cool; on a very cold day, keep them somewhere warmer.
Preheat the oven and prep the toppings
400 g Tinned plum tomatoes · 50 g Tomato purée · 6 g Fine sea salt · 300 g Low moisture mozzarella · 100 g Fresh mozzarella
30 minutes before cooking, begin preheating the pizza oven on a high flame. See how to use a pizza oven for guidance on getting it up to temperature.
While it heats, blend the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, and salt until smooth and pour into a bowl with a ladle. Grate the low moisture mozzarella and tear the fresh mozzarella, placing the fresh mozzarella on kitchen paper to drain off as much moisture as possible. Prepare a bowl of flour for opening the dough.
Draining the fresh mozzarella properly matters more than it seems — excess moisture from undrained mozzarella is one of the most common causes of a soggy pizza centre.
Open and top the dough
200 g Plain flour · 120 g Pepperoni
Once the pizza oven reads around 450°C (842°F) on the stone, dip a dough ball in the flour and stretch it out on a flour-dusted worksurface. Work from the centre outward, pressing with your fingertips to push air to the edges and leave a puffy rim, then gently stretch and open up the disc larger on the back of your hands. The finished base should have stretched to around 12 inch diameter. A video demonstration is worth far more than a written description for this step — watch a few before your first attempt.
Add a ladle of tomato sauce and spread it out, leaving a border of around 2cm of unsauced crust. Sprinkle over 75g of the low moisture mozzarella and a few chunks of the fresh mozzarella, keeping enough reserved for the remaining pizzas. Cover generously with pepperoni.
Prepare more sauce and cheese than this recipe strictly calls for if you want peace of mind — running short partway through four pizzas is more frustrating than having a little extra left over.
Launch and cook the pizza
Slide the topped dough onto a flour-dusted peel and stretch it out slightly to reach the edges, rearranging any toppings quickly if needed. Work fast here — the dough will start to stick to the peel the longer it sits.
Lower the flame to medium-low and launch the pizza into the oven. Turn using the turning peel once the side nearest the flame begins to form leopard spots, rotating 180 degrees and letting the opposite side colour to match. Continue turning until the whole pizza is cooked to your liking — the full cook takes around 60–90 seconds. You’ll likely know your own oven’s habits better than any written guide, so adjust to how yours behaves.
Finish and serve
50 g Parmesan · 50 g Hot honey
Remove the pizza from the oven and place directly on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle over the Parmesan. Drizzle with hot honey if using. Slice and serve immediately while hot.
Repeat for the remaining dough balls — and remember, the chef always eats last.
The short rest on the wire rack prevents the base of the pizza going soft and floppy from it’s own steam. This step makes a significant improvement to the eating experience and doesn’t waste any more time than it takes to cool on someones plate.
SCAN TO OPEN
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Equipment worth having
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
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