This Meat Lovers Pizza, topped with melty cheese, pepperoni cups, Italian sausage, and bacon, is the perfect weeknight meal because it comes together in just 30 minutes! This means you can have pizza any day of the week. With this recipe, the ultimate meat lover’s homemade pizza is quick and easy.
Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant Yeast
For this post, I’ve partnered with Fleischmann’s® Yeast and am using their Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant Yeast. If you’ve never tried it, it’s great because while most yeast requires you to activate it in warm water, RapidRise® Yeast is actually mixed with the dry ingredients. Yes, no activation is required which means you don’t have to wait around for an extra 5-10 minutes for your yeast to activate.
That means your dough can be made and rested in 15 minutes or less!
MEAT LOVER’S TOPPINGS
A meat lover’s pizza topping will vary from place to place. For my version, I’m using my favorite pepperoni cups, chopped bacon, and Italian sausage. They sit atop the perfect amount of pizza sauce and lots of melty mozzarella cheese. You can get creative and modify the toppings to your liking, adding more pepperoni, no bacon, or whatever toppings your heart desires.
PERFECT CRISPY CRUST
This crust is just how I like it: crispy on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. Using the bottom side of a clean baking sheet that has been well dusted with cornmeal, you can slide your pizza onto a preheated baking steal or pizza stone with ease. Making direct contact with the hot surface helps to ensure that you get that amazing crispy bottom on your pizza. Brushing your crust with melted butter and sprinkling it with shredded parmesan also adds that desirable crisp crunch to the top of your crust. This paired with the soft and airy interior makes for the dreamiest pizza dough (IMO).
HOW TO MAKE MEAT LOVER’S PIZZA
- Start by placing a pizza stone or baking steel into your oven and preheating it at 425 degrees F for at least 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant Yeast, sugar, and salt and add the warm water and corn oil and mix until well blended. You should be able to form the dough into a ball. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it until it’s smooth. At this point, let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Next, you’ll roll out the dough until it’s a nice and even 12-inch round. Transfer this to a well dusted (with cornmeal) baking sheet.
- To assemble the pizza, spread the pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the round, leaving the outer ½-inch uncovered. In an even layer, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese followed by some freshly ground pepper, pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. Brush the outer rim of the pizza with olive oil and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the toppings and rim.
- Transfer to the preheated baking steel/pizza stone and bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with hot honey and enjoy.
Looking for more recipes? Here are a few more of my favorites:
TIPS AND TRICKS
- If your fingers are sticking to the dough, you can just lightly grease them with some olive oil and it’ll be stick-free!
- You don’t need to run out and buy a pizza peel if you don’t have one–simply flip over a baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.
- Be sure you’re rising the dough in a warm place in your oven. As we get into cooler months, you want to make sure you’re rising the dough in a non-drafty part of your home.
- You really want to sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the outer edges of your crust. They’ll get nice and crispy when you bake your pizza.
Meat Lover’s Pizza
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Instant Yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup very warm water (120° to 130°F)*
- 3 tablespoons corn oil , plus more for brushing
Toppings:
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 ounces pepperoni cups
- 3 ounces Italian sausage , cooked and crumbled or cut into small pieces
- 2 ounces thick-cut bacon , lightly cooked and chopped
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon olive oil , for brushing
- Hot honey , for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place a pizza stone or baking steel in the oven. I like to allow mine to preheat for at least 20 minutes.
- Combine the flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the very warm water and corn oil; mix with a dough whisk or a wooden spoon until well blended, about 1 minute. The dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. To knead, start by flattening the dough and folding it toward you. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate dough a quarter turn and repeat the “fold, push and turn” steps until smooth and elastic. Let the dough rest at this point for 10 minutes.
- Roll out the pizza dough until it’s in an even layer (about a 12-inch round) and form the rim or outer crust by pinching the edges of the dough about a half-inch all around. Alternatively, you can use your fingers to gently press your dough out into a circular shape leaving about a half-inch of dough unpressed around the edges. Then you’ll lift up the round from the edge and let it hang down while rotating the dough as you go to stretch it out to about 12-inches. I don’t have a pizza peel; as a solution, I like to use the bottom of a clean baking sheet. Dust the bottom of the baking sheet liberally with cornmeal or corn flour. Place the pizza dough atop the bottom of the baking sheet and then assemble.
- Evenly spread the pizza sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving the outer half-inch untouched. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese in an even layer followed by a few rounds of freshly ground pepper. Evenly distribute the pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. Brush the edges of the pizza crust with olive oil then sprinkle the parmesan around the edges of the pizza as well as on the toppings.
- Using the baking sheet like a pizza peel, swiftly slide the pizza off the baking sheet and onto the baking steel/pizza stone. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes and until the edges of the pizza crust are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle with hot honey. Slice up and serve.
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