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Francis Garcia, half of the Cooking Channel's "Pizza Cuz" duo and the Artichoke Basille's pizza chain, shares the recipe for one of his favorite sheet pan pizzas, topped with thick-sliced pepperoni, olives and peppers. "The nice thing about making pizza at home," says Francis, "is that you can use leftovers—leftover meatballs, leftover sausage, olives, whatever." So, if you don't like any of the toppings here, feel free to sub them out. It'll still be "beautiful!" 

Pro Tip from Francis: If you've got the time and patience, make the dough at home. But if you're in a pinch, go down to your local pizzeria and ask to buy some of their dough. (You need about 1 pound.) It's usually only a couple of bucks and saves you a mess in your kitchen. 

For more recipes from our sheet pan episode, check out Rach's Kielbasa and Pierogi Tray Bake, Kristen Kish's Sheet Pan Hash Browns With Eggs and Chorizo, Keri Glassman's Sheet Pan Salmon With Dijon-Walnut Crust, Purple Potatoes & String Beans, Ben Perez's Sheet Pan Meatball Parm Sandwiches and Kate Bennert's Sheet Pan Rainbow Cookie Cake

Ingredients

For the Dough:
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/8 cup warm water
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
For the Pizza:
  • 2 cups olive oil
  • 16 ounces pizza sauce
  • ½ pound (not fresh) whole milk mozzarella, such as Polly-O, cut or torn into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup thick-sliced pepperoni with natural casing, such as Hormel
  • ½ cup pitted black and green olives
  • 1 bell pepper, cut into thick slices
  • ¼ pound fresh mozzarella, torn into 1-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more to garnish
  • 20 basil leaves, to garnish

Yield

Serves: 4 to 6

Preparation

For the dough, in a medium mixing bowl, add the yeast, warm water and olive oil. Whisk to combine, then let sit for 10 minutes. 

Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. With the mixer at low speed, slowly stream in the cold water followed by the yeast mixture. Add the salt and continue mixing at low speed until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a dough. 

Mix for 5 minutes more, then transfer the dough to a clean work surface and shape it into a ball, using a little more flour, if needed. Coat a large bowl with a bit of olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit in a warm place for 1 ½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. 

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into a tight ball, place it on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight, if possible.  

When you're ready to make the pizza, let the dough ball sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until soft enough to stretch. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500°F. 

When the dough is ready, evenly spread 1 cup of the olive oil on a 12-by-16-inch baking pan or similar pan. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and gently stretch it by pressing down on it from the outside, working your way toward the middle, until it's flattened. Try not to take all of the air out of the dough.  

Place the flattened dough in the oiled baking pan and gently pull it to fit the shape of the pan. Dock the dough by poking small holes in it with a knife to prevent any big bubbles from forming. Brush the top with some olive oil.  

Spread an even layer of about half the pizza sauce on top of the dough, then evenly distribute the whole milk mozzarella on top. Ladle the rest of the sauce on top, then add the pepperoni, olives and peppers. Cover with the fresh mozzarella, pecorino and Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Top with the basil and a little more Parmigiano and olive oil and serve hot.