Description
Fluffy focaccia-like pizza dough with sheets of pepperoni, cheese, and strips of delicious marinara make this pizza shine.
Ingredients
- FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH:
- 7 cups All-purpose Flour
- 3-½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 3 cups Warm Water
- 5 teaspoons Granulated Sugar
- 4 teaspoons Instant Dry Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Plus More For The Bowl
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature To Lightly Melted
- FOR THE TOPPINGS:
- 2 bags (6 Oz. Size) Pepperoni Slices, Or Enough To Cover The Pizza
- 8 cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded (or Brick Cheese)
- 4 cups Favorite Marinara Sauce
Preparation
Note: Recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas.
Let’s get started as the dough takes time to rise.
To a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, water, sugar, and yeast. Turn mixer on medium and mix for 3 minutes. Slowly add oil and continue to mix on medium speed for roughly 8–10 minutes.
Once dough is formed and thoroughly mixed, drizzle a bit more olive oil onto the dough to lightly coat, then place in a very large bowl or container that you can cover,. Let it rest covered for 1 hour.
Divide dough in half. If you do not want to make two pizzas right away, feel free to place the other half in a large bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Lightly butter baking pan. Take one piece of dough and place it in the pan. Lightly butter that ball of dough, then lightly cover and let dough rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.
After 45 minutes, begin stretching the dough, filling the bottom of the pan. Completely cover the bottom and edges of the baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
The following day, remove the pan and let the dough come to room temperature. This will take about 45 minutes. While coming to temperature, heat oven to 500ºF.
Once dough is at room temperature, lightly push it around the pan to cover the bottom. Don’t worry, it will be a bit thick. (Now you have a couple of options. Cheese first, or pepperoni first. I go pepperoni first. Then cheese. Then sauce.)
Layer the entire dough with sliced pepperoni. Then layer on the cheese. I put my sauce on in two thick racing stripes. Some warm the sauce and finish the pizza when it comes out with the sauce. It’s your call. I used some great jarred sauce so I like to bake it with the pizza.
Place the pizza in the oven and bake for about 15–25 minutes, depending on your oven. Keep an eye on it because you do not want your cheese to overcook. I take mine out when the cheese is nice and golden.
Let the pizza sit for about 5 minutes, then you should be able to easily lift, or lift and slide it onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and go to town.
