For pizza sauce: (or use you 400ml/14oz of your favourite store-bought pizza sauce)
1Tbspolive oil
1clovegarlic, chopped
3Tbsptomato paste
14oz(400ml)can crushed tomatoes
1/2tspwhite sugar
1/4tspsalt
1/2tspdried oregano
1/2tspdried basil
Pinchred pepper flakes, optional
For the toppings:
4-5oz(125g)Pepperoni slices
2cupsBrick cheese or old white cheddar, shredded and packed
3cupsadditional shredded cheese, mozzarella, provolone, white cheddar mix recommended
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Instructions
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. It definitely wouldn't be hand-kneadable. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. *If you don't have a mixer to make the dough, you can mix in a bowl. As it's a very wet dough, you won't be able to knead it by hand. Refer to the Cook's Notes above the recipe card for some tips on kneading wet dough by hand. Cover the bowl and rest the dough in the bowl for 20 minutes, as above.
For the pizza sauce, if making your own: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 45 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, another 45 seconds or so, or until it darkens slightly. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover pot with a lid and cook until mixture comes to a boil (won't take long so don't wander off). Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer, covered, about 20-3-minutes. Remove lid. Sauce should be nice and rich at this point, but if you'd like it a little thicker, cook uncovered for a few more minutes. Allow to cool before putting on top of pizza. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate.
Once dough has rested, brush a 10x14 or 9x13-inch metal baking pan (with at least 2-inch high sides) with 2 tsp olive oil. Using a silicone bowl scraper or rubber spatula, 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 hours.
Preheat oven to 425F (not fan assisted), with the rack on the lowest oven position (*important!).
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 Brick cheese (or old white cheddar), sprinkle a row/wall of cheese along the outside edge, then fill the centre 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.
Bake on the bottom oven rack of a preheated 425F oven for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until dough is cooked through. Baking time will vary by oven and by the size/colour of the baking pan you use 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.
Let pizza stand in pan 8-10 minutes to set up, then slice and serve.
Notes
Be sure to read the notes above the Recipe Card for more tips on making this pizza.