Some people make sourdough and banana bread during quarantine. I make pizza. Or in this particular case… pepperoni pizza (nonna-style) with a homemade sesame seed crust and a Calabrian Chile pizza sauce. It’s a delightful mix of all of my favorite square slices in NYC and it is truly magical.
The dough is from Barano, the sesame seeds on the bottom I borrowed from Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, the Calabrian chiles from Emmy Squared, and the ‘roni cups from Prince St. Pizza, Scarr’s and Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop.
I’ve made pizza on the blog before, but never my own crust. Huge thanks to Al Di Meglio of Barano restaurant in Brooklyn for sharing with me his nonna pizza dough recipe. It calls for 00 flour and for an overnight rest in the fridge. However, I’ve made it with All Purpose, and I’ve also skipped the fridge step… it still turned out great, but if you have the extra time and can find the flour, it’s worth it! I also sprinkled the pan with sesame seeds before stretching it, much like they do at Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop.
The sauce is a mixture of tomato paste, canned tomatoes, Calabrian chiles and some spices. So it’s a little sweet, a little spicy and it goes great with the spicy pepperoni.
I am obsessed with “‘roni cups,” like the serve at most of my favorite slice shops, so I ordered these on Amazon. (So let me know if there’s a place locally to buy them!) I also used fresh mozzarella and fresh sausage from The Meat Hook in Brooklyn.
This recipe makes a half-sheet pan of pizza, which is about 18 slices. If you have leftovers, I recommend wrapping each piece individually and freezing. The frozen slices re-heat beautifully in the air fryer! (Alternately, you could try cutting the recipe in half, but I haven’t tested that.)
Have you made your own pizza dough before? Let me know in the comments!
It takes a bit of planning... but it's SO worth it! FOR THE DOUGH: Place warm water in mixer bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the top and mix. Allow it to proof for about five minutes. Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt well and add to the mixing bowl with the yeast and water. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium for 10-12 minutes. Lightly oil a rimmed half sheet pan with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds. With oiled hands, remove dough from mixer, roll into a ball and place in the center of the sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Stretch the dough every 1/2 hour until it fills up the pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. FOR THE PIZZA SAUCE: Combine the tomato paste, tomatoes, chiles, salt, sugar, onion granules and Italian seasoning in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add garlic. Sauté for about 60 seconds, or until fragrant. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomato sauce mixture and reduce until thickened. Remove from heat and cool. (Can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days or frozen up to 3 months.) FOR THE PIZZA: Pre-heat oven to 550 degrees. (or as high as your oven will go.) Allow pan of pizza dough to come to room temperature. Par-bake for 4-5 minutes. Dough should no longer be soft but also not completely cooked through. Spread with pizza sauce (you might have some leftover) and top with fresh mozzarella cheese and desired toppings. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until crust is golden. Allow to cool slightly before slicing. *This makes a large pan of pizza (about 18 squares.) We always make the whole pan and freeze the rest, but you could try cutting the recipe in half. If you do, let me know how it goes!Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza with Sesame Seed Crust
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