🍕Ingredients:

See: Neapolitan Dough Recipe

See: Marinara Pizza Sauce Recipe

• Typically found in Italian specialty stores, markets, or online. We carry one from Paulo’s, however, you can substitute other red pepper spreads found in your local supermarket.

• Typically found in Italian specialty stores, markets, or online. Boar’s Head makes a decent one.
• Cut the soppressata slices thinly and then cut each slice into quarters.

• Drain if in water and let sit out for an hour at room temperature or so to slightly dry out.
• Shred into pieces the size of a quarter.

• Found online or at specialty food shops and places like Whole Foods.

• Add 1 tablespoon of the Calabresian Pepper Spread to 1 cup of the Marinara sauce. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes or so for the sauce to absorb the flavors.

🍕 PIZZA PREPARATION:

• Shape a 12 “ pizza and place on your lightly floured peel.
• Spoon 2 – 3 large spoonfuls of pepper-spread infused sauce over the pizza. Do not cover the puffy rim of the crust.
• Sprinkle 1 or 2 cloves of crushed, chopped garlic evenly over the pizza.
• Top with the fresh mozzarella
• Top that with the soppressata pieces
• Bake at~ 800 degrees, rotating every 15 seconds or so away from the flame for about 90 seconds, or until the soppressata is starting to bubble and the mozzarella is just about starting to brown, but do not let brown.
• If using a home oven, use a pizza stone preheated for 45 minutes at 550 or as high as your oven will go. Use the convection option if you have one. Cook just the dough and the sauce for 3 – 4 minutes, take out then add the cheese and soppressata, and cook until done, another 3 or so minutes. Otherwise the cheese will burn if left in the oven for 6 or 7 minutes.

🍕FINISH:

• Take out of oven and place on wire pizza rack or serving board/tray.
• Drizzle Mike’s Hot Honey over the pizza using a back and forth, side to side motion leaving about an inch or two between the drizzle lines. Always add the honey after cooking.
• Cut and serve

Mike Kurtz, from Brooklyn, NY, is the creator of Mike’s Hot Honey, which is a unique combination of fresh honey and chili peppers. For the full story and his original recipe, see Peter Reinhart’s book, “The Pizza Quest: My Never-Ending Search for the Perfect Pizza”, 2022. This is a great book with lots of wonderful pizza recipes.