You might think that thin-crust pizzas are the only type of pie worth enjoying - and they're great too - but sometimes you want a thick crust to enjoy the flavor as well.

This is where pan pizzas come into play: an entire inch(ish) of doughy goodness underneath all those delectable toppings! With so much crust on top, there's no worry about it becoming soggy with sauce or wet from extra cheese because it can handle anything thrown at it without breaking down.

Vegan Pepperoni Pan Pizza. A super easy soft dough can be easily made by hand or in a stand mixer. It’s loaded with a delicious homemade pizza sauce, plenty of vegan mozzarellas, vegan pepperoni, fresh sliced jalapeños, and red onion!

For those growing up in the midwest, thick-crusted pizzas were almost as typical as thin-crust ones (though some may argue that this makes it nostalgic). Either way, you will want to get on making this mouthwatering pan pizza for your family tonight!

Journey Begins with the Dough

So first, we make the dough. You can make this dough with either bread flour or all-purpose flour.

We found that making an all-purpose crust is easier for beginners as you don't need a thermometer and have more room for error in cooking time. Contrarily,  bread flour will give the crust a chewier texture which many people find preferable over pizzas where the bottom of their pie has been cooked until it gets hard due to the heat transfer from pan to oven floor (source).

All-inclusive though may seem like less work on paper at times, in reality, there are some factors such as having enough hands available when assembling meat toppings onto two different surfaces simultaneously.

We always prefer to use instant yeast when making yeasted doughs. It is different from dry active because it can be added directly to the dry ingredients and starts activating a bit quicker than active dry yeast does.

If you only have dried active on hand, don’t worry! You will just need to add water with activated instant (about 5-10 minutes) before mixing into the dough. It allows them more time to rise under that same environment by keeping an eye out on how they are doing.

It needs about one and a half to 2 hours of rising with instant yeast, but in the hot summer days, it might only need an hour or so; whereas if you live in a cold weather part of the country like I do  (not that this is always preferable), your dough can rise in two hours!

Now Comes the Sauce

You don't have to buy pizza sauce if you want a tasty and easy recipe. All it takes is about 15 minutes from start to finish, so there's plenty of time for the dough in your rising oven! You can prepare this dish while eating dinner with friends or family by preparing one part ahead of time - like simmering tomatoes on the stovetop - and then finishing when everyone arrives.

This savory but straightforward tomato sauce will be sure not to disappoint picky eaters who prefer their pizzas without any veggies.

Pizza sauce is a straightforward recipe that you can make from the tomatoes in your pantry, some extra virgin olive oil, and garlic. The simplicity of this dish makes it possible to tweak any number of ingredients without really impacting flavor, so feel free to add according to what you have on hand!

Top Up the Toppings

Once the dough has completed its rise, it’s time to transfer it to a skillet or pan you will use for baking. But first, preheat the oven. You want to take it up 550 ºF (285 C) as hot as your oven can go and move a rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven if you have one available.

If not, set on top of some stones made just for this task! Grease your skillet with extra virgin olive oil, then ease out the dough nicely into the desired shape before stretching over the surface, evenly filling the entire space inside the cooking vessel.

Let the dough rise for a second time once fitted to the skillet. This can happen while your oven preheats, or about 30 minutes. Once it's risen again, spoon over generous portions of sauce and go big with this pan pizza!

We have just found the perfect way to top your pizza with a whole bunch of meatless pepperoni and cheese! To make sure that it tastes how  it looks, put even more on. Next time, however, instead of red onions, try green peppers or black olives for another delicious flavor combination.

It’s Time to Bake

The dough is similar to biscuit or pie crust and will turn a beautiful golden brown. But the bottom of your pizza needs time! The toppings can't cook too quickly, so you must place it in the oven close to the top rack where it'll have enough room for hot air circulation all while baking.

It takes about 12-15 minutes at 500 degrees F, but give it more cooking time than usual when making sure deep caramelization is happening on the edges - even better if they're charred black with fire from being right up against those; hot metal walls!

Vegan cheese is a more challenging ingredient to work with for pizza-making, so make sure your crust has time to get crispy before you add any toppings. Once it’s cooked and browned on the bottom of the pan, separate it about 6 inches away from the broiler that's been preheating in anticipation. Turn off this burner (or lower its heat) and turn on another one if necessary!

The 8" distance will keep hot air blowing over both sides at once without burning either side too much while they toast up together into perfection. Add some dried oregano or crushed red pepper flakes after everything cools down just enough to handle comfortably — but not until then! 

Final Words

If you’ve been looking for a vegan pizza to try, look no further! This recipe is so easy and tastes amazing - it doesn't get any better than this. The crust can be baked or fried, but I recommend baking if you're cutting carbs since this will result in an even crispier texture.

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