Air Fryer Pepperoni Pizza

September 5, 2022

Air Fryer Pepperoni Pizza

Air fryer pepperoni pizza is a personal-size pizza built around the basket of an air fryer instead of an oven. Two 8-inch rounds of dough, each topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and a scatter of pepperoni, cook in the hot, fast-moving air of the basket in well under fifteen minutes.

The dough is a straightforward yeasted bread base, kneaded, risen, then rolled thin and kept a little smaller than the basket so air can move around it. The bare crust goes in first and cooks briefly on its own — a par-bake — so the base sets and browns before any sauce can soak in and turn it soft. Only then does it get topped and finished.

Cheese goes on last, over the pepperoni rather than under it. The air fryer’s fan is strong enough to send loose toppings flying around the basket, and a layer of mozzarella on top holds the pepperoni in place while it melts.

It is a fast, single-appliance version of pizza night: no oven to heat, no stone to preheat for half an hour, just a hot little basket and two personal pizzas, one after the other.

Ingredients

Serves 2

The dough

250 g all-purpose or bread flour
175 ml warm water (40–43°C)
7 g active dry yeast (1 packet)
14 g olive oil, plus extra for brushing
4 g sugar
6 g salt
semolina, cornmeal, or flour, for dusting (or parchment paper)

The toppings

120–160 g pizza sauce (passata- or crushed-tomato-based, not ketchup)
180–220 g low-moisture mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups)
30–40 g sliced pepperoni, to taste (about 20–30 small slices)

Directions

The dough

Stir the warm water, sugar, and yeast together in a bowl and let it stand for 5–10 minutes, until foamy on top. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Stir into a shaggy dough, then knead by hand for 5–7 minutes, or about 4 minutes with a dough hook, until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and leave it in a warm spot for 30–60 minutes, until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and divide it into two balls. Roll or stretch each one to about ¼ inch thick, keeping it a little smaller than your air fryer basket so air can circulate around the edges. Prick the surface all over with a fork.

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C). Give it a generous preheat, up to 15 minutes, so the basket is properly hot before the dough goes in.

Set one crust on a piece of parchment, or directly in a basket dusted with semolina, cornmeal, or flour and lightly oiled. Brush the top with a little olive oil and cook for 3–5 minutes, until the crust is set and starting to color. For a crisper base, flip it once it has firmed up — check after about 30 seconds that it hasn’t puffed or folded on itself, and flatten it if it has.

The toppings

Spread a thin layer of sauce over the crust, scatter the pepperoni over the sauce, then finish with the mozzarella on top, covering the pepperoni completely so it doesn’t blow around in the basket.

To finish

Lower the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is golden. Serve immediately, then repeat the par-bake, topping, and finishing steps with the second crust.

Notes

Pan method: instead of par-baking, shape a base directly onto a small oiled, semolina-dusted pizza pan and top it raw — sauce, pepperoni, and three-quarters of the cheese. Bake 3 minutes at 400°F (204°C), then 3 minutes at 375°F (190°C), add the rest of the cheese, and bake about 2 minutes more.
Store-bought shortcut: about 400–450 g store-bought pizza dough can replace the homemade dough, or use a pre-baked flatbread such as naan or pita — skip the par-bake and go straight to sauce, pepperoni, and cheese for a 5–8 minute cook.
Mozzarella: use low-moisture shredded mozzarella, not fresh or buffalo mozzarella, which is too wet for the basket and will make the pizza soggy. If using a wetter cheese, pat it dry first.
Toppings: keep them thin and sparse. A heavy load of sauce or cheese steams the base and slows the whole cook down.