Cheese Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Cheese stuffed crust pizzas are wonderful to make at home and as my friend’s son said they can be stuffed with sausage and other goodies that you normally don’t get from the take out menu. This recipe will make one large pizza. I chose large pepperoni slices because they cover the entire inset of the pizza and it will create a type of seal to eliminate some sogginess and will add a bit of flavor to the dough. I got the large pepperoni slices prepackaged from Sam’s Club, but your deli department could slice them for you. You can also use regular sized pepperoni. Just make sure to cover the entire dough. I highly recommend a dough ball from Sam’s club, because the crust is crispier than other brands. The dough balls from Sam’s club come frozen. Allow 6 hours for them to thaw and to double in size.

Ingredients

1 pizza dough ball from Sam’s Club or your deli department thawed
Non-stick cooking spray
2 tablespoons of pasta flour (semolina)
4 sticks of mozzarella cheese sticks sliced in half
7 large pepperoni slices or regular sized pepperoni slices (More pepperoni slices will be needed if using the smaller sized pepperoni.)
1 cup of marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups of packaged mozzarella cheese

Technique

Place dough ball in a large bowl coated with non-stick cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap, thaw and allow and double in size. This should take about 6 hours. Cut each mozzarella cheese stick in half lengthwise. Set aside. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Evenly spread pasta flour over cookie sheet, this is to prevent sticking and to make a crispier crust. Using your hands, flatten and shape dough to desired thickness and size on the cookie sheet. Place sliced cheese sticks around the edge of the dough. Fold the dough over the cheese and press down firmly but don’t break through the dough. Place pepperoni on the bottom of the pizza until all dough is covered. Evenly spread the top with marinara and cheese. Bake in preheated oven on lower rack at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.