Best Homemade Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 16 ounce ball of pizza dough, 12 to 16 ounces is fine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for rubbing dough
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 3 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
• 5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, about 1 and 1/4 cups
• 2.5 ounces pepperoni , about half a 5 oz package
• 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. NOTE: The ingredient list has the amount of toppings you need to make one 12-inch pizza. Place a pizza stone in the bottom third of your oven (place a rimmed baking sheet or a pizza pan in the oven if you don’t have a stone).
2. Preheat your oven to 550 degrees F, or as high as it will go (at least 475.) Let the stone preheat for 30 minutes.
3. Prepare a work surface. 
4. Roll out the dough. Place your ball of pizza dough in the center of your prepared work surface and use your hands to press it down, starting from the center. Keep gently patting out the dough, moving the dough outward from the center. Continue patting and stretching the dough gently with your hands until it is about 12 inches across.
5. Transfer the dough to a square of parchment paper. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the top of your dough. Use your hands or a pastry brush to rub the oil all over the top of the dough, especially the edges of the crust. This layer of oil helps provide a barrier between the toppings and the dough, helping it cook more evenly. If you love a thicker crust pizza, let the rolled-out dough rest for 10 minutes. You can skip this rest no problem.
6. Par bake. Once the oven is up to temperature, we are going to do a 1 to 2 minute par bake. Pulling on the edge of the parchment paper, slide your pizza dough onto your pizza peel or flat baking sheet. Open the oven and pull on the parchment paper again to slide the pizza dough and the parchment paper onto the hot hot pizza stone (or pizza pan). Pull on the parchment paper again to transfer the half-baked dough back onto your pizza peel. Keep the oven door shut as much as possible so you don’t lose heat. Poke down any large bubbles on your crust.
7. Top your pizza. Leave the crust on the peel while you add your toppings. Add 1 cup of pizza sauce. Add 3 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella, and then top with 5 ounces of shredded mozzarella. Add about a half package of pepperoni (or olives, mushrooms, ham and pineapple, sausage, red onions, or literally any toppings you want. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese over your toppings.
8. Bake the pizza. Transfer the pizza back onto the pizza stone (or pan), this time without the parchment paper. Bake the pizza for about 8-12 minutes.
9. Remove your pizza from the oven using the pizza peel. Slide it directly onto a cooling rack to help keep that bottom crust from getting soggy. Let cool a couple minutes, then transfer to a cutting board. Slice into 8 pieces and devour!