Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Want to learn how to make restaurant-quality pizza in your cast iron skillet? Just grab your pan and a ball of pizza dough (at room temp), prep your toppings, and get ready for pizza night!
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) or 2 (6- to 10-inch) pan pizzas
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or pizza pan
- Cutting board and knife
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Oven mitts
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough (I recommend longer-fermented doughs like my Overnight Dough, Sourdough Pizza Dough, or Neapolitan Style Dough, but any pizza dough will work.)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sauce and desired toppings (You'll need ⅓ to ⅔ cup of sauce, 4 to 6 ounces of cheese, and ½ to 1½ cups of chopped veggies or cooked/cured meats per 10- to 14-inch pizza.)
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle position of the oven and preheat to 500°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- If your dough was refrigerated, place it on the counter and let it come to room temperature while the oven preheats. If you are working with a 12- to 14-inch cast iron skillet or pizza pan, keep the dough ball in one piece. If your cast iron skillet is 10 inches in diameter or smaller, cut the dough ball in half to make two pizzas. (Cover the second half of dough with an upside-down bowl while you make the first pizza. Then, when the first pizza is done, quickly slide the baked pizza onto a cutting board and assemble the second pizza using the instructions in step 6.)
- Mix your sauce, grate or cube your cheese(s), cook your meat(s), and/or chop raw veggie toppings. (See ingredient list above for general topping quantities for a 10- to 14-inch pizza.)
- Transfer the pizza dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll or stretch it out to the size of your cast iron skillet.
- Place the cast iron skillet or pan on the stove, turn the heat to medium, and let it heat up for 3 to 5 minutes. Then, quickly add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or 1½ tablespoons if you have a 14-inch cast iron pizza pan), tilt the pan to coat the bottom, and carefully lay the dough in the pan.
- Let the dough cook for about 2 minutes, just until it bubbles a bit and the underside begins to turn golden brown (use a spatula to check the underside of the dough after 1½ minutes). Next, turn off the heat and add sauce, cheese, and toppings. If desired, season with a pinch of salt, a grind or two of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Using oven mitts, carefully place the cast iron skillet on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake the pizza for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden around the edges and the bottom is evenly browned.
- Put your oven mitts back on and remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Carefully slide the pizza out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Let it cool down for a few minutes, then slice and serve.