Pizza is arguably the most universally loved dish on the face of the earth. I mean just go to any country around the world and you’re bound to run into a couple of pizzerias. And it’s because of this far reach that the dish has developed into all sorts of regional varieties. Now, of course, we could spend hours talking about them all. But today I want to focus on one style that is great for cooking at home, sheet pan pizza.
Not so much a recipe but a method
Much like one of our most popular posts, scalloped potatoes, this recipe for sheet pan pizza isn’t really a recipe. This means that I won’t be providing specific amounts for most of the ingredients that we will be using.
Why?
Well to put it simply, everyone likes their pizza a little different. Some people like a lot of sauce, while others like only a small amount. A few will prefer whole slices of mozzarella, while many will prefer a mixture of shredded cheese. And of course, what toppings to use on any pizza are the ultimate form of personal expression. So instead of penciling in amounts, or specific toppings, I’m just going to show you the method for making sheet pan pizza. And that way once you’ve mastered the method, you can make this sheet pan pizza your own.
An easier way to make pizza at home
The reason why I love this method for making pizza is that it is incredibly easy and forgiving for home cooks.
For one, there is no special equipment required to make it like a pizza oven, a pizza peel, or even a pizza stone/steel. All you need is a regular old baking sheet and a normal home oven. So unless you’ve just got into home cooking you should have everything you need.
Secondly, there’s no hassle of transferring the pizza from a peel to a pizza stone. You simply form and make your pizza on a baking sheet and then transfer it straight into the oven. And maybe this isn’t an issue for you, but for me, I always end up botching a couple of pizzas trying to get them off the peel.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Even though we aren’t using a pizza oven, we will still need to get our home oven to the highest temperature possible, 500°F, 260°C. However, if this high temperature scares you you can still cook your pizza at a lower temperature like 450℉, 230℃. Just keep in mind that if you do this the pizza will need a couple of extra minutes to fully cook.
- How much sauce you use on your sheet pan pizza is entirely up to you. However, as a general rule, I recommend that you only use less than you think you’ll need. Otherwise, if you use too much sauce your pizza dough can end up being a bit soggy.
- While it isn’t necessary I do recommend that you dock your pizza dough or else it might puff up too much while cooking. To do this simply get out a fork and poke a few shallow holes into the dough before topping it with sauce.
- If you want to keep things simple then feel free to purchase your pizza sauce and dough from your local grocery store. However, if you want to go all out then I suggest you check out our recipes for homemade pizza dough, and homemade pizza sauce.
Sheet Pan Pizza Recipe
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Homemade pizza dough, or 1 Lb of storebought dough
¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
½ to 1 Cup of pizza sauce
Roughly 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese, or a cheese blend of your preference
Topping of your choice (i.e. pepperoni, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms…)
Instructions
- Prep the dough into your baking sheet: Get out a large (18×13 inch) baking sheet and pour the ¼ cup of olive oil in it. Use either a brush or simply your hands to spread the oil so that it coats the entire inside of the sheet pan, even the walls. This might seem like a lot of oil but it is important for making sure the pizza doesn’t stick and will give a nice crispy crust. Next, place the dough onto your oiled pan and spread it out as much as you can.
Don’t worry about getting the dough all the way to the walls as it will need to rest a little before it is more pliable. So for now simply cover the sheet pan with another sheet pan and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 260 degrees Celcius
- Finish prepping the pizza: Now that the dough has been given enough time to rest you should be able to spread it out all the way to the edges. Then you can either dock the dough for a thinner crust by poking it with a fork, or decide not to if you want it thick. Once you’ve done that start pouring and spreading some pizza sauce over the dough.
Again how much pizza sauce you use is up to you. Then simply follow this up by sprinkling on some shredded mozzarella cheese and any topping that you plan on using.
- Place your pizza in your heated oven and let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the crust is crispy.
- Take the sheet pan pizza out of the oven, transfer it to a large cutting board, and slice it up into squares. Enjoy!
Sheet Pan Pizza Recipe
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- Homemade pizza dough or 1 Lb of storebought dough
- ¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ to 1 Cup of pizza sauce
- Roughly 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese or a cheese blend of your preference
- Topping of your choice i.e. pepperoni, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms…
Instructions
- Prep the dough into your baking sheet: Get out a large (18×13 inch) baking sheet and pour the ¼ cup of olive oil in it. Use either a brush or simply your hands to spread the oil so that it coats the entire inside of the sheet pan, even the walls. This might seem like a lot of oil but it is important for making sure the pizza doesn’t stick and will give a nice crispy crust. Next, place the dough onto your oiled pan and spread it out as much as you can. Don’t worry about getting the dough all the way to the walls as it will need to rest a little before it is more pliable. So for now simply cover the sheet with another sheet pan and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or 260 degrees Celcius
- Finish prepping the pizza: Now that the dough has been given enough time to rest you should be able to spread it out all the way to the edges. Then you can either dock the dough for a thinner crust by poking it with a fork, or decide not to if you want it thick. Once you’ve done that start pouring and spreading some pizza sauce over the dough. Again how much pizza sauce you use is up to you. Then simply follow this up by sprinkling on some shredded mozzarella cheese and any topping that you plan on using.
- Place your pizza in your heated oven and let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the crust is crispy.
- Take the sheet pan pizza out of the oven, transfer it to a large cutting board, and slice it up into squares. Enjoy!
