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Last year we had several events using our Ooni Pizza Oven, and I wanted something that I could make ahead of time and be ready to eat. Here is how it worked out.

We bought a pan and tried this in September 2022 – it is fabulous! It is super easy to make. I make the dough at lunch and let it rise until we assemble it for dinner. Assembling it only takes a few minutes, so this is really quite easy to make, and everyone loves it.

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup lukewarm water
½ tsp active dry or instant yeast, not rapid
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp fine salt

Topping

4 oz Pepperoni slices
16 oz mozzarella or Brick cheese
16 to 24 oz Marinara or Pasta Sauce

Directions

1. Make the dough: Add the lukewarm water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook. Add the yeast and stir. Let stand a few minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix until the flour is moistened. Knead with the kneading hook (on Speed 2) for 6-8 minutes. Dough will be very moist and will only wrap the kneading hook slightly at the bottom. Set aside and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

2. For the pizza sauce add it to a saucepan and doctor up as you like. The sauce should be nice and thick, definitely not runny. Allow to cool before putting on top of pizza. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate.

3. Once dough has rested, lightly brush your 10x14 Detroit Style Pizza Pan with 2 tsp olive oil. Scrape the dough into the oiled pan. Oil or wet your fingers slightly, then press/stretch the dough into pan until it covers the entire bottom. If it seems to be fighting you, walk away for 5 minutes and let the dough rest, then try again. Once the dough is shaped, cover the pan with plastic wrap and set to rise for at least 3 hours or preferably 4-6 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 425F with the rack on the second to lowest oven position (Important!).

5. Once the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap. Place pepperoni in an even layer on top of the dough, over-lapping slightly and covering almost to the point where little of the dough is visible. Working with the cheese (or old white cheddar), sprinkle a row/wall of cheese along the outside edge, then fill the center of the pizza with 3-cheese mix or cheese of your choice. Pour about 2 cups of pizza sauce over-top of the cheese layer, in a zig zag or line pattern, so it doesn't cover the cheese completely.

6. Bake on the second to bottom oven rack of a preheated 425 F oven for about 25 minutes, or until dough is cooked through. Baking time will vary by oven so err on the side of cooking it longer, rather than rushing it out of the oven. To check if it's done, remove from oven and use a spatula to gently lift up the edge of the pizza so you can peek underneath. The bottom of the pizza should be quite golden. If not, pop it back in the oven to cook longer. 7. Let pizza stand in pan 8-10 minutes to set up, then remove from the pan to slice and serve.

Spreading the Dough

The Dought 4 Hours Later

Assembled and Ready To Go In The Oven

Out Of The Pan On The Cuttingboard

Crunchy Crust, Light Dough - Goodness!