Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Pizza night is a Friday tradition at my house. Although I really don’t think my husband would be too upset if everyone Night was pizza night. We love making all sorts of savory homemade pies in our kitchen, but our current goal is this thick and chewy pan pizza that’s light enough to be a late-night affair.

This recipe proves that making pizza from scratch is easier than you might think. Keep it classic with sauce and lots of melty mozzarella, or spice it up with your favorite toppings!

The best pizza dough and the best sauce

If time permits, make the pizza dough and sauce from scratch. I suggest this Easy No-Knead Pizza Dough, which can be made up to 2 days ahead, or longer if kept frozen. This red pizza sauce takes less than 30 minutes to make, and you’ll have enough left over to freeze and use on future pizzas.

I often don’t want to be busy making both from scratch, so I’ve made this pan pizza countless times using 1-pound store-bought pizza dough and jar pizza sauce – I’ve never been disappointed.

A note on store-bought pizza dough: Feel free to use regular or whole grain, chilled or frozen. You should move frozen dough from the freezer to the fridge the night before to thaw. Let the refrigerated dough sit on the kitchen counter for about 20 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature. It will be easier to stretch.

The best pan for pan pizza

I recommend a 10-inch cast iron skillet for this recipe. When heated, cast iron retains heat better than other materials, which means it browns food exceptionally well. This is the secret of the golden brown pizza crust.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, prepare the pizza in an ovenproof skillet. The crust may not be quite as crispy, but it’s delicious.

While it’s tempting to serve the pizza straight off the cast-iron skillet, a pizza cutter or knife will scratch and mar the surface, so I recommend placing the pizza on a cutting board to slice.

How to make pan pizza

Making a pan pizza is easy. Follow these simple steps:

• Add just enough olive oil to coat the inside of the cast iron skillet. This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of olive oil for a 10-inch skillet.
• Shape the pizza dough into a round disc about the size of the pan. Put the dough in the pan. Use your fingers to pull the batter to the outer edges of the pan and make indentations with your fingers. This will prevent the crust from puffing up too much during baking.
• Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on top of the dough to keep it from getting soggy from the sauce. Then it’s on to the sauce, followed by more cheese. Add other toppings if using.
• Bake pizza for 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown around edges and cheese is melted. Then grill it for a minute so the cheese will brown in a few spots and the pizza will be that much tastier.
• The pizza will come out of the oven hot, so let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Pizza topping to try

Experiment with toppings as you like, though Only use up to 1/2 cup total. Any more will make the pizza too heavy, dense, and possibly mushy. A few combinations to try:

• Hot peppers and thinly sliced ​​white or red onion
• Sausage and sautéed mushrooms
• Sliced ​​roasted red peppers and chopped black olives
• Crumbled bacon and caramelized onions
• Fried eggplant and capers

Red sauce left? Use it for:

• Weeknight pasta with zucchini, eggplant and peppers
• Steamed mussels in tomato sauce
• Pepperoni Calzone
• Turkey Meatballs
• BBQ Meatloaf Bites