Pepperoni Passion-style loaded pizza

Ingredients

Dough (for 2 pizzas)

• 500 g strong bread flour (or 00 flour)
• 7 g dried yeast (1 sachet)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 320 ml warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Tomato sauce

• 1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper

Topping

• 250 g mozzarella, shredded
• 100 g pepperoni slices
• Drizzle of olive oil

Method

1. Dough (night before). Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add water and olive oil, mix to a shaggy dough. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight (or rise 1–2 hours at room temperature).
2. Sauce. Blend tomatoes, purée, oregano, basil, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste — should be punchy.
3. Shape. Divide dough in two. On a floured surface, stretch each ball into a 30 cm round. Don’t use a rolling pin — use your knuckles, leaving a slightly thicker edge for the crust.
4. Top. Spread a thin layer of sauce (less is more). Scatter mozzarella. Lay pepperoni, slightly overlapping.
5. Bake. Slide onto a preheated pizza stone or baking steel in a 250°C oven (or as hot as it goes). Bake 8–12 minutes until the crust is blistered and the cheese is bubbling with golden spots.
6. Rest. 2 minutes — just enough so the cheese sets and doesn’t slide off when you cut.

Tips

• Cold-ferment the dough for 24–72 hours. Longer = better flavour and digestibility.
• A screaming-hot oven is non-negotiable. 250°C minimum. Home ovens go to about 250°C — use that.
• Don’t overload the toppings. Less cheese + sauce = better pizza. The dough needs to breathe.