Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza Recipe

13 August 2024 –

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In the latest episode of Around the Table, Shea visits The Pizza Yard, one of her favorite local restaurants in Utah, to team up with Matt, the owner, and create delicious homemade pizzas.

Shea and Matt start with the basics that serves as the canvas for three different pizzas. Starting with a simple yet flavorful tomato sauce made from high-quality Bianco Di Napoli tomatoes, and a bit of salt, they then add shredded fresh mozzarella for that perfect melty texture. For the first pizza, they create a Hot Honey Pepperoni pizza, blending the heat of pickled jalapeños with the sweetness of honey. Next, they whip up a Green Sauce and Kale pizza, using a vibrant herb sauce and crispy kale for a fresh and hearty bite. We have also included another one of Matt’s favorite combinations, a Salad Pizza, topping the baked crust with fresh greens, thinly sliced onions, and a tangy ranch dressing. Follow the simple steps in the webisode here and get the full recipe below.

Ingredients

Quick-Pickled Jalapeños

Jalapeños
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Garlic cloves, optional
Oregano, optional

Pizza & Assembly

Pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
1 28-ounce can whole-peeled tomatoes, such as Bianco Di Napoli
8 grams kosher salt
Fresh mozzarella, to taste
Pepperoni, to taste
Quick-pickled jalapeños, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil
Parmigiano reggiano and honey, for serving

Method

Make the quick-pickled jalapeños by thinly slicing the jalapeño peppers. The number of jalapeños is flexible—simply slice as many as you’ll use. Place the sliced jalapeños in a heat-proof container.

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, black pepper, and optional garlic cloves and oregano to a boil over high heat. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the mixture over the sliced jalapeños. Let cool slightly, then transfer to the fridge to pickle for at least 30 minutes.

Next, make the sauce. Transfer the tomatoes to a medium-sized bowl and use your hands to crush the whole tomatoes. Add the salt, then stir to combine. Set aside.

Stretch the dough into a 12-inch round. Top with the sauce, then grate fresh mozzarella over the top. Add the pepperoni and the quick-pickled jalapeños, to taste, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Launch the pizza into a preheated pizza oven and bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted—about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a wire rack.

Finish the pizza with finely grated parmigiano reggiano and a drizzle of honey. Enjoy.

*In addition to the hot honey pepperoni pizza, here are two other of Matt’s favorite pizza combinations to try on your next pizza night:

Salad Pizza: Top pizza dough with extra-virgin olive oil, shredded fresh mozzarella, and thinly sliced onions or shallots. Bake the pizza, then finish it with a pile of salad greens tossed with ranch, a squeeze of lemon, and finely grated parmigiano reggiano.

Lemony Green Sauce & Kale Pizza: Make a quick green sauce by blending a handful of fresh herbs (such as basil, fennel, sorrel, parsley, tarragon, or chives) with 1 clove garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and the zest and juice of ½ lemon until roughly chopped. Add about 1 cup heavy cream and continue blending until whipped and thickened. Top pizza dough with the green sauce and a heaping pile of fresh kale, then add grated fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake the pizza, then finish it with finely grated parmigiano reggiano.

Start with a good foundation. Make your pizza dough from scratch whenever possible. In a pinch, your local pizzeria will often sell their dough, or you can shop for dough at a reputable grocery store.

Tip 01

Keep the sauce simple. A great sauce only needs quality canned tomatoes and kosher salt. For perfect balance, measure the salt as 1% of the weight of tomatoes (for example, 800 grams of tomatoes require 8 grams kosher salt).

Tip 02

Grate the cheese. While fresh mozzarella is often sliced or torn, try grating it instead. This makes the cheese easy to distribute over the pizza and creates a beautiful melt.

Tip 03

If you are cooking your pizza in a standard oven instead of a high-temp pizza oven, opt for low-moisture mozzarella rather than fresh. Just be sure to avoid skim or part-skim varieties! These won’t melt well.

Always use olive oil. There is never a bad time to drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on a pizza. Add a little olive oil to every pizza before launching it into the pizza oven.

Tip 04

Less is more. Whether it’s sauce or toppings, pizza often requires less than you think. By restraining the sauce and toppings, the pizza is more balanced, cooks faster, and is much easier to move from peel to oven.

Tip 05

Finish with parmigiano reggiano. Grate parmigiano reggiano or any nice, aged cheese onto the pizza after it comes out of the oven. This way, you taste the flavor of the cheese exactly as it was intended.

Tip 06