Cast Iron Pizza
This is a delicious twist on traditional pizza. The dough is cooked in a cast iron skillet, giving it a crispy crust with a chewy interior.
Servings: 8 slices
Ingredients
Ingredients for the pizza dough:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Ingredients for the pizza:
- Pizza dough from above
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 10 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or cut into slices
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Basil leaves for garnish (optional)
For pepperoni pizza:
- 20-25 slices of pepperoni
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Gradually add the warm (not hot) water and olive oil to the flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-6 minutes, until the dough is smooth.
- Place the dough ball in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to fit the size of your skillet.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and carefully brush the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to the skillet and press it against the bottom and sides of the skillet.
- Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce, followed by the grated Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- If making pepperoni pizza: Arrange the pepperoni slices on top of the cheese.
- Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the pizza.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
The longer you allow the pizza dough to rise the lighter and airier the crust will be.
To speed the rising process of the dough, place the covered dough in a microwave or oven but, don’t turn either on. This creates a more humid environment that encourages growth.
To get a nice crispy outer crust layer, make sure to heat the skillet in the oven so it’s quite hot. Oftentimes with homemade pizza the dough doesn’t cook evenly and the crust is overcooked but the bottom and inside is still undercooked.
This dough recipe can easily be doubled or tripled and the remaining dough can be saved and placed in the refrigerator or freezer for future use. Just make sure to thaw in advance.