Parmesan Crusted Deep Dish Pizza with Pepperoni Sauce

Sometimes the secret really is in the sauce, and in the case of this Parmesan Crusted Deep Dish Pizza with Pepperoni Sauce – that is absolutely true … and the secret is OUT. I’ve never made a pizza that is so deeply flavorful, so worth every little step in getting it there – none more so than this one. It’s a total knockout, and we have a couple of things to thank for that.

Namely? The PEPPERONI SAUCE. Yes, this pizza’s ruby red sauce is made from pepperoni, garlic, two kinds of delicious Cento tomatoes (my go-to brand, always), anchovies (please trust me on this), a good amount of olive oil, and some onion. It’s insanely flavorful and also happens to work really well on pasta (my favorite application of which I’ll share with you soon).

KITCHEN LITTLE ESSENTIALS

To make this Parmesan Crusted Deep Dish Pizza with Pepperoni Sauce you will need:

A sheet pan

A stand mixer or large mixing bowl

A large pot

A blender

Cento crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and anchovy fillets

That Sauce, Though.

I partnered with Cento to create this ultimate recipe, and in my recipe development process, I enjoyed tinkering with different flavors and combinations of ingredients to really nail the exact sauce I was going for. It was the combo of their deeply flavorful tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and a few little turbo-boosted anchovies that did it, in the end.

Oh, and the pepperoni. Yes, we’ll finely chop up a pound of pepperoni and cook that right into the sauce itself. The flavor … THE FLAVOR! It’s superb and very much a “why didn’t I think of this sooner?” sort of thing. I dunno. But I’m glad I did this week.

How to Make this Pepperoni Sauce

Pizza sauce can really be nothing more than raw, crushed tomatoes spread on dough. That’s actually way more authentic than this little number we’re whipping up today, but I’m not always concerned about authenticity, you know?

I’m concerned about deliciousness, though. Always. And this sauce has it in spades. Here’s how to make it:

1. Add a few good glugs of olive oil to a large pot, followed by 1 cup of chopped onion, a couple of anchovies (again, trust me – your sauce won’t taste fishy), the chopped up pepperoni, and some tomato paste. We’ll cook this for a few minutes, allowing the onion to soften and the anchovies to really get all nutty and delicious.
2. Then, in goes the garlic and then the crushed tomatoes. Give it a minute to mingle and cook, and then transfer the sauce to a blender to make sure it’s all smooth. That’s it – that’s the whole she-bang.

The other divine aspect of this pizza is the cornmeal crust. I adore what cornmeal can do for a plain ole’ dough, and use it in my pie does, galettes, biscuits, quiches, and also pizzas. It adds a lovely texture and offers something delightfully different, I think.

PARMESAN CRUST

Also, let’s just talk about the parmesan crust for a second. By simply sprinkling a bunch of grated Parmesan all over your (well oiled) sheet pan before adding in the dough, you add this whole new texture component and salty explosion to the pizza – it’s righteous and wonderful and now I’ll probably never not do it. To all of my pizzas, forever and ever. Amen.

Parmesan Crusted Deep Dish Pizza with Pepperoni Sauce: The Breakdown

1. Begin by making the crust. Combine 1.5 cups lukewarm water (115 degrees F), the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. You can also do this in a regular mixing bowl using a wooden spoon and then kneading by hand, if you prefer. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the oil, flour, cornmeal and salt. Knead/mix until the mixture comes together in a smooth, cohesive ball. Transfer to a clean bowl that has been greased with olive oil, cover with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm-ish place for at least an hour, or until poofy and doubled in size. 
2. To make the sauce, place a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion, anchovies, pepperoni, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and the anchovies have lost their overt fishiness; about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. 
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine, and then transfer to a high-speed blender or food processor (in batches). Blend on high until smooth. 
4. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F (high heat is the trick here). Adjust your rack to the middle position.
5. To build the pizza, grease a baking sheet with olive oil all over the bottom and up the sides. Sprinkle evenly with the parmesan. Punch down the dough and stretch and arrange it in the baking sheet, working it up the sides. You don’t have to use all of it – just enough to fit your pan of choice. 
6. Coat the bottom with a thick layer of the sauce, and top with your desired toppings. I use extra pepperoni, some cooked Italian sausage, sliced peppers and onions. Top evenly with more sauce, the mozzarella and an additional sprinkle of parm, if you want. 
7. Bake the pizza until the cheese is beginning to turn a deep golden brown and the crust is done all the way through; about 16 to 18 minutes (more or less depending on your pan size and the thickness of the crust; less for a thinner crust).

If you like the looks of this Parmesan Crusted Deep Dish Pizza with Pepperoni Sauce, you might want to try:

Pizza Night Salad

Crispy Potato & Burrata Pizza with Honeyed Tapenade

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