Pepperoni Pesto Pizza & Homemade Pizza Dough
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We love making pizza at home and have been experimenting with baking on pizza stones and even on the grill last summer. My challenge has always been making the dough for a homemade crust (with yeast). Frankly, it’s always seemed like a lot of trouble and the results have not always been so great. So, when I came across a free online Craftsy video class recently, I thought, “why not?” Now I’m hooked! I created Pepperoni Pesto Pizza on top of a deliciously crispy homemade crust after watching just one Craftsy video!
I’ve included the basic pizza dough making steps in the recipe below, but for the best results, I suggest signing up for the free online video class. For the Pepperoni Pesto Pizza, I skipped the traditional tomato pizza sauce, and instead opted for a little layer of pesto and olive oil. If you prefer, you could substitute good quality salami or proscuitto for the pepperoni — pepperoni was just what I had on hand. If you try this technique, please come back here later and give me some feedback — I’d love to hear from you! Enjoy!
Pepperoni Pesto Pizza & Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
Pizza Dough (makes four 12-14 inch crusts)
- 5 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 pkg. INSTANT active yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups very warm water
Pizza (amount for topping one pizza)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Classico prepared basil pesto
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 oz. Hormel pepperoni slices
- 1 cup mushroom slices
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Dough
- Place all dry ingredients into bowl of a stand mixer, including yeast. Mix for a 3-5 seconds to combine. Add olive oil and water. Mix for one minute, then let rest for 5 minutes.
- Mix for just one more minute, then turn dough onto a well oiled surface. Gently stretch and fold in dough on all four sides, then flip over. Place an inverted bowl over dough and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat this process four times (See Craftsy video for technique.) Dough will continue to become elastic and rise during this process.
- Divide dough into 4 balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheets or pizza stones. Dough balls may be placed in oiled freezer bags and frozen up to 3 months or placed in an oiled glass bowl covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Pat dough into desired size (or stretch using technique found on Craftsy video).
Pizza
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Brush olive oil over pizza crust, then evenly spread pesto over top and top with the mozzarella cheese.
- Add pepperoni and mushrooms, then shave Parmesan all over top.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Great looking pizza! I too like to use the Classico brand pesto.
I am SO craving pizza right now after seeing this post.. wow it looks cheesy and delicious!
Oh, thanks so much, Thalia!
This is a beautiful pizza! The dough recipe is essentially the same one that I have used for a long time, but your crust definitely looks much better than does mine. Thanks for the tip about the Crafty videos. I’m excited to watch them.
Thank you, Terri! Enjoy the videos and let me know how your pizza dough turns out. Have a great day!