Two of my steadfast life rules:
First, I’ll eat anything you put in a tortilla. Second, everything tastes better when cooked in a cast iron skillet, including pan pizza.
I have many suburban memories of birthday parties, Pac-man arcade games, and hot pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Before the Hut went in the crapper.
This easy, same day cast iron pan pizza recipe tastes like 80s nostalgia in the best possible way. Also? It’s dead simple to make. And flexible. You can make the dough the same day or throw it in the fridge and use it three days later.
Did I mention it’s no knead, too?
This cast iron pan pizza is soft, airy, and chewy in the middle and crisp, golden, and crunchy by the crust. It’s the best of both worlds. Thick enough to support a heavy load of toppings, or fine just plain with sauce and cheese. Have it your way.
Cast Iron Skillet Pan Pizza
Ingredients
- 200g bread flour
- 200g AP flour, plus more for dusting
- 10g kosher salt
- 4g instant yeast (about 1teaspoon)
- 275g water
- 8g extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 teaspoons),
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil in a large bowl. Mix with hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.
- Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap then let proof at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24.
- Sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour, then transfer it to a well-floured work surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces and form each into a ball by tucking the dough underneath itself, rotating it until it forms a tight ball.
- Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the bottom of two 10-inch cast iron skillets. Place 1 ball of dough in each pan and turn to coat evenly with oil. Using a flat palm, press dough around the pan, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and edges of the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
- After one hour, preheat over to 550F.
- After 2 hours, dough should have spread almost to the edge of the pan. Gently press it with your fingertips the rest of the way. Pop any large air bubbles that have formed.
- Top each round of dough with 3/4 cup sauce, spreading sauce to the very edge with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, all the way to the edges. Add other toppings as desired.
- Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is golden brown and bubbly and bottom is golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a thin spatula, loosen pizza and peek underneath. If bottom is not as crisp as desired, place pan over a burner and cook on medium heat, moving the pan around to cook evenly until it is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the pizzas and transfer to a cutting board or wire rack to cool slightly, then cut and serve.
Notes
This pizza works best with dry mozzarella. Fresh is too wet.
If you want to bake only one pizza at a time, you can transfer one ball of dough to a sealed zipper-lock bag or container in step 3 and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. Continue with step 4 when ready to bake.
Lightly adapted from Serious Eats.
