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Homemade 12-Inch Pizza with Cheese and Pepperoni Recipe

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This homemade pizza recipe guides you through creating a delicious, crispy 12-inch pizza with a beautifully baked crust and melty cheese topped with pepperoni. Utilizing a hot pizza stone and a par bake technique ensures a perfectly cooked base that supports generous toppings for an authentic, restaurant-quality pizza experience made right in your oven.

Ingredients

Dough and Base

  • 1 16 ounce ball of pizza dough (12 to 16 ounces is fine)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (for rubbing dough and crust)

Sauce

  • 1 cup pizza sauce

Cheeses

  • 3 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
  • 5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 and 1/4 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

Toppings

  • 2.5 ounces pepperoni (about half a 5 oz package)

Instructions

  1. Prepare Oven and Pizza Stone: Place a pizza stone in the bottom third of your oven or use a rimmed baking sheet/pizza pan if you don't have a stone. Preheat the oven to 550°F or as high as it will go (at least 475°F). Allow the stone to preheat for 30 minutes to ensure even cooking and a crisp crust.
  2. Roll Out Dough: On a lightly oiled work surface, gently pat and stretch your pizza dough ball to roughly 12 inches in diameter using your hands or a rolling pin. Rotate and shape the dough to form a thicker crust edge, ensuring an even thickness all around.
  3. Transfer Dough to Parchment: Move the stretched dough onto a square of parchment paper to ease transfer to the oven. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and brush it evenly across the surface, particularly around the edges for a barrier that helps even cooking. Optionally, let the dough rest for 10 minutes if you prefer a thicker crust.
  4. Par Bake the Crust: Slide the dough with parchment paper onto a pizza peel or flat baking sheet and then onto the hot stone in the oven. Par bake for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly puffed—this step ensures a thoroughly cooked, crispy base and prevents a doughy crust.
  5. Top the Pizza: Carefully transfer the par baked crust back onto your pizza peel. Spread 1 cup of pizza sauce evenly with a ladle, sprinkle 3 ounces of thinly sliced mozzarella, followed by 5 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese. Add 2.5 ounces of pepperoni (or your preferred toppings) and finish by sprinkling 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese over everything.
  6. Final Bake: Transfer the topped pizza back onto the hot pizza stone without the parchment paper for a final bake between 8-12 minutes. Bake until the crust edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. If the cheese browns too fast but the crust isn’t done, tent the pizza with foil to prevent burning while the crust finishes crisping.
  7. Cool and Serve: Use the pizza peel to remove the pizza from the oven and slide it onto a cooling rack to prevent the crust from becoming soggy. Let cool for a few minutes, then move to a cutting board. Slice into 8 pieces and enjoy your homemade pizza!

Notes

  • The par bake step is optional but highly recommended to achieve a crispy, non-doughy crust.
  • If you don't have a pizza stone, a rimmed baking sheet or pizza pan can be used, but the crust may be less crisp.
  • Adjust cheese and toppings quantities based on preference but avoid overloading to ensure the pizza cooks through properly.
  • Using parchment paper greatly simplifies transferring the dough onto the stone without deformation.
  • Keeping the oven door closed as much as possible maintains the high temperature needed for a crispy crust.
  • Letting the baked pizza cool on a rack helps keep the bottom crust crisp and not soggy.

Find it online: https://dishcooks.com/homemade-12-inch-pizza-with-cheese-and-pepperoni-recipe/