My favourite food of all time is Pizza. I am always looking for new recipes and toppings to try out. I came across this recipe recently and thought I should give it a try since my oven has a hard time crisping up pizza. This recipe has been adapted for baking on cast iron. The cast iron tolerates high heat and turns out a crispy crust. It worked beautifully so I wanted to share it with all of you!
This recipe bakes in a 10- or 12-inch frying pan although I doubled the dough recipe so I could make it on my large cast iron griddle instead. There’s hardly a way to fail other than having the water too hot, which kills the yeast.
The dough takes about two hours to rise. If you’re short on time for rising, there’s not much difference. After you put the dough into the fry pan, it will rise anyway while you add toppings.
Pizza in Cast Iron
CRUST (I doubled this recipe to accommodate my large cast iron griddle)
1/2 package dry yeast
1/3 cup warm or room temperature water
3/4 cup all-purpose or bread flour
3/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
TOPPINGS (Endless options but here is what I used!)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 pound pepperoni or Italian sausage
1/4 cup red pepper, sliced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 tsp oregano
Add the yeast to the water and let it sit for 10 minutes. It should begin to look slightly foamy. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and sugar in a separate bowl. Then add the yeast mixture to those dry ingredients.
Stir it until it’s well-mixed. The dough should be thick, requiring a little effort to mix it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm- or room-temperature place for about two hours. Grease your frying pan lightly if it’s not already well seasoned. I used butter to grease my pan.
After the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and lay it on a floured table or counter top. Knead the dough: Push down on it, pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand. Mound it up into a ball and push down on it again. After 50 or so pushes, the dough should be smoother and less sticky.
With a rolling pin, roll it into a round shape and lift it into the pan. Or push the dough into place in the pan with your fingers. The edges should come up a little on the side of the pan to form a rim.
Add toppings in order. There’s great variety in what can go on a pizza. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles up and the top browns.
Serve in the cast-iron fry pan, and use kitchen shears to cut it into wedges.
This is a great recipe for entertaining or for a fun family meal.
We hope you enjoy this!
For tips on how to clean your cast iron cookware, click HERE.
With Love,
Daily Tiramisu
