Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza is a crispy pizza crust with pepperoni slices, melty cheese and tangy sauce. Easy thin crust pizza dough recipe!
Why have delivery or frozen pizza for Dinner, when you can have a freshly baked, Homemade Pepperoni Pizza in around 30 minutes? This fantastic recipe has the tangy sauce, spicy pepperoni and gooey mozzarella cheese of the basic pepperoni pizza loaded on an easy made-from-scratch thin, crisp pizza crust.
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Sabrina’s Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza Recipe
True, you can get a decent frozen pizza from the grocery store, but it will never come close to this incredible homemade pizza. The simple toppings of cheese, pepperoni, and thick tomato sauce are full of classic Italian flavor. But the best part is the crispy pizza crust with plenty of crunch.
My thin crust pizza dough recipe is super easy and comes together quickly! The longest part of the prep time is waiting for the yeast to activate. Once it’s ready, you hand mix it and only slightly knead the dough until it comes together. You pre-bake the dough for a couple minutes before adding the toppings and finish baking. The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes for a cheesy, delicious crispy pizza the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- Yeast Mixture: Prepare the yeast by adding water, yeast, and sugar to your mixing bowl. The key to activating the yeast is to ensure that you’re using warm water at around 110 degrees. I used regular dry yeast, not instant yeast, which is why you need to activate it first.
- Flour: You’ll start making the pizza dough by mixing most of the flour with the yeast mixture, then the additional flour is added a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. This keeps this hand-stretched pizza dough from being too dry or tough.
- Spices: Adding a little garlic powder and kosher salt to a basic pizza dough gives it a bit more flavor for an extra delicious pizza.
- Cornmeal: Rolling the dough in a little corn meal stops it from sticking to the pan and makes gives you an extra crispy pizza crust.
- Sauce: My homemade Pizza Sauce recipe is super easy and only takes about 25 minutes. You only need a ¼ cup of sauce, so make a batch and keep the rest for another pizza night! You can also use store-bought pizza sauce.
- Mozzarella Cheese: For this thin crust pizza, I like to use skim low-moisture mozzarella cheese. The low moisture part skim mozzarella still melts nicely without making a greasy pizza.
- Pepperoni: Of course pepperoni pizza needs pepperoni slices! I prefer using thinner sliced pepperoni so the edges get deliciously crispy without too much grease.
- Italian Spices: Adding some dried Italian herbs and red pepper flakes finish off the pizza toppings for a bit deeper flavor.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
Pizza Pan: You can use a special pizza pan or baking stone if you have one, or use an inverted baking sheet. The reason you flip the baking sheet is to prevent hot spots from the oven rack it’s sitting on, which the pizza stone or pizza pan don’t get.
Parchment Paper: The delicate pizza dough needs a little barrier for whatever baking dish you use so it doesn’t stick or burn.
How to Make
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Activate the Yeast
Add the active dry yeast, lukewarm water, and sugar to a mixing bowl. Let the yeast mixture sit for about 8 minutes until it’s foamy.
- Make the Pizza Dough
When you see that the yeast is foaming, add ¾ cup all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and garlic powder. Then stir the dry ingredients until it forms a shaggy mixture.
- Knead the Dough
Prepare a clean counter top or another flat surface with flour. Then add the dough and knead the shaggy mixture with your hands, adding the remaining ¼ cup flour a little bit at a time until the dough is no longer sticky.
- Shape the Pizza
Add additional flour and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal to the rolling surface. Then use a floured rolling pin to roll the ball of pizza dough out into a circle shape. You want it to be in a 10-inch circle of dough that’s about 1/8″ thick.
- Crust Baking Time
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Once the oven is ready, roll the dough onto your rolling pin to easily transfer it to a pizza stone or baking pan. Then bake for 2 minutes.
- Add the Toppings
Spread tomato sauce over the pizza, leaving the other 1/2″ naked. Then sprinkle on mozzarella cheese, add pepperoni slices, and Italian seasoning over the sauce.
- Final Baking Time
Return the pan to the oven and bake the crispy pepperoni pizza for 8-10 more minutes. Take it out when the crispy edges are golden brown, and the mozzarella cheese is bubbling. Let the hot pizza cool slightly before using a pizza cutter to slice the Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza.
Can this be made ahead of time?
If you want to make the pizza dough a couple of days in advance, follow the recipe as usual until you’ve formed the dough ball. Put the ball of dough in an airtight container to store in the fridge for a day or two. If you want to keep the dough longer, wrap it carefully in plastic wrap. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature, then roll and stretch pizza dough as usual.
Nutritional Facts
Tips & Tricks for Homemade Pizza
Use Corn Meal
For a crispier crust, sprinkle some extra cornmeal on the baking pan, especially if you’re using a regular baking sheet and not a baking stone or pizza pan. It adds a little more room for air to circulate under the delicate pizza dough.
Preheat your Baking Pan
Another way to get a crispy pizza crust is to preheat your pizza pan or baking stone first. Pop the baking dish in the oven to heat it up while you are making the dough. Pull it out while you quickly shape the dough so it cools slightly, then follow the regular cooking times on the recipe card.
What to Pair With Thin Crust Pizza
For the ultimate homemade pizza night, serve Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza with sides like Garlic Knots, Buffalo Chicken Wings, and even some Ranch Dressing, all made from scratch! Or make it easy on yourself and serve your homemade
How to Store
Store: If you have leftover slices, put them in a ziplock bag or another airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to save an entire pizza for later, you can cut it into slices to store or wrap the whole pie in plastic wrap.
Reheat: To reheat the refrigerated or frozen pizza slices, pop them in an oven preheated to 375 degrees on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Freeze: Allow the pizza to completely cool then wrap the pizza, or individual pizza slies, in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag. Frozen pizza will stay good for up to 2 months.
Pizza Topping Ideas
This hand-stretched, thin crust pizza can be made with more than just pepperoni! Pick 1-2 extra toppings, or swap out the pepperoni altogether with these ideas:
Veggies: Add thinly sliced or diced fresh tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, or bell peppers, or use leftover cooked veggies. Serve with some fresh arugula for a fancy, fresh topping.
Meat: Swap pepperoni for dry salami, cooked bacon or Italian sausage. Just make sure to cook the bacon or sausage first and drain the grease well. This quick pizza is a great way to use leftover chicken or steak too.
Frequent Questions
This recipe uses regular active dry yeast, however you can use instant yeast if you want. If you use instant yeast, skip the first step and mix all the dough ingredients together at once.
Pizza sauce is thicker with a more robust tomato flavor and less natural moisture than marinara sauce. The thicker consistency keeps your dough from getting soggy as the pizza bakes.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Thin Crust Pizza Dough:
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons lukewarm water , 110 degrees
- 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup flour , divided
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 20 slices pepperoni
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes , optional
Instructions
- Add the yeast, water and sugar to a bowl and let sit for 8 minutes until foamy.
- Add ¾ cup flour, salt and garlic powder to the bowl and stir well until shaggy.
- Add the mixture to a floured surface and knead, adding in the remaining ¼ cup flour a littler at a time until the dough ball isn’t sticky anymore.
- Add additional flour and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal to the rolling surface.
- Roll with a floured rolling pin into a thin 1/8″ thick crust about 10″ around.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Roll the dough onto your rolling pin to transfer to a pizza baking pan.
- Bake for 2 minutes.
- Layer the pizza (except for the outer 1/2″ ring) with the pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and Italian seasoning.
- Bake an additional 8-10 minutes.
Nutrition
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Variations
Wheat Flour: My dough recipe uses regular white all-purpose flour, but if you want to make your pizza slightly more nutritious, you can use wheat flour for the pizza flour.
Cheese: Try cheese like Asiago, provolone, Parmesan cheese, or low-fat cheddar cheese. You don’t want a high fat cheese with the thin, crispy crust because it can easily get greasy.
Seasonings: For the crust, add more flavor with black pepper or onion powder. You can use individual herbs like oregano or basil instead of the seasoning blend. Top your cooked pizza with fresh basil ribbons for a fresh flavor.
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