Neapolitan-Style Pepperoni Pizza

Headnote

This pizza is built on restraint: a supple wheat dough, a clean tomato base, milky mozzarella, and pepperoni rendered just enough to perfume the surface without heaviness. The basil is added at the end so its freshness lifts the richness rather than competing with it. Properly made, the crust remains tender at the center, bronzed at the rim, and balanced in every bite.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Pizza

Cuisine or origin: Italian-American, Neapolitan-style

Course type: Main course

Yield: 1 pizza

Serving size: 390 g

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Equipment

Mixing bowl

Bench scraper

Kitchen scale

30 cm pizza tray or pizza peel

Oven set to its highest baking temperature

Pizza stone or steel, if available

Rolling pin only if necessary

Fine grater or knife for basil, if needed

Ingredients

180 g wheat flour

110 g tomato sauce

95 g mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces

35 g pepperoni, thinly sliced

8 g olive oil

2 g basil leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 250°C with a pizza stone or steel inside, if using, for at least 20 minutes. The oven must be fully saturated with heat so the crust sets quickly and the base browns without drying.

2. Place the wheat flour in a mixing bowl and bring it together with enough of the tomato sauce to form a workable dough-like base is not required here; instead, use the flour as the foundation for shaping the pizza. Press and stretch the flour into a 30 cm round on a lightly oiled surface, keeping the center slightly thinner than the rim.

3. Transfer the round to a pizza tray or peel. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the surface, leaving a 1.5 cm border clean at the edge. The layer should be thin and even, with no pooled sauce.

4. Distribute the mozzarella over the sauce, then arrange the pepperoni in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the top in a fine stream so it coats the cheese and pepperoni lightly.

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is browned at the edges, the mozzarella is fully melted and lightly blistered, and the pepperoni has curled with rendered fat visible at the edges.

6. Remove the pizza from the oven and finish immediately with the basil leaves. Let it stand for 1 minute before cutting so the cheese settles and the slices hold cleanly.

Plating and serving

Transfer the pizza to a board or warm plate and cut into even wedges. Serve while the crust is crisp at the rim and the center remains tender, with the basil bright against the molten cheese and pepperoni.

Professional notes

Use the sauce sparingly; excess moisture weakens the crust and dulls the balance. The pepperoni should be thin enough to curl but not so thin that it burns before the cheese melts. Basil belongs at the end, never under the heat, if its fragrance is to remain distinct.