Buffalo-Style Pizza

Description

Buffalo-style pizza. Characterized by a light, fluffy, almost focaccia-like crust,
a semisweet sauce, copious amounts of mozzarella cheese and exclusive use of cup-and-char pepperoni.

It has a distinct tangy and spicy taste that you can adjust depending on your preference: mild, medium,
or hot. You can either enjoy it as an appetizer or pair it with a cup of steaming white rice.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 cups water

For the Pizza:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• 1 (14 ounce) package refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 pound low-moisture mozzarella cheese
• 3 ½ ounces thick pepperoni slices

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, basil,
   oregano, salt, and sugar. Saute until the tomato paste starts to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Pour in water and whisk to combine; bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally,
   until the sauce reduces to your desired thickness. Turn off the heat and reserve until needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Generously grease a sheet pan with olive oil, rubbing some on your fingers as well.
4. Press, stretch, and pull pizza dough until it fills the prepared pan, going all the way to the corners. If the dough stops stretching,
   let it rest for 5 minutes before resuming.
5. Top dough with cooled sauce, spreading all the way to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and add pepperoni.
   Place the pan on the stove over a high flame, and slowly move it around to evenly apply the heat,
   until you hear it starting to sizzle, about 1 minute.
6. Transfer into the lower center of the preheated oven and bake until cheese is beautifully browned and pepperoni is charred,
   about 20 minutes. Slice and serve.