Cast-Iron Skillet Pan Pizza

Making pizza from scratch can be daunting for a home baker. That’s why I love this easy pan pizza recipe. The dough is no-fuss, with very little kneading. Baking in a cast-iron skillet guarantees a nice, crisp, golden crust. The best part? It takes under and hour and a half to make this pizza. A large part of that time is just waiting for the dough to rest, so this is something that can be made between other things.

This recipe walks through making both the dough for a pan pizza in a cast-iron skillet and an easy homemade sauce. The sauce recipe makes more than double what you need for the pizza. You could easily make two personal pan pizzas at the same time, or save the sauce for later. It also makes a great sauce for pasta! The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or else frozen for several weeks. If you freeze the sauce, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using it.

For an extra kick of flavor, top the pizza with an additional pinch of Italian seasoning and/or crushed red peppers before serving.

Print Recipe

Cast-Iron Skillet Pan Pizza

This deep dish pizza (or pan pizza if you prefer) uses the EASIEST no-fuss pizza dough and is ready from start to finish in under an hour and a half!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bread, Pizza

Servings: 4 slices

Equipment

• 10-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2½ tsp dry active yeast
• ¾ cup hot water (between 105-115°F)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1½ tsp salt

Pizza Sauce (makes enough for 2 pizzas)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 28 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes (diced or crushed)
• ½ tsp salt (plus more to taste)
• 1 tsp dry italian seasoning mix
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 3 cloves of garlic
• pepper to taste

Toppings

• ½ cup shredded mozarella
• chopped fresh basil
• any desired toppings

Instructions

• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast begins to bubble.
• While waiting, you can work on preparing your pizza sauce ingredients and toppings. Wash and dry any fresh ingredients such as basil and mince or finely chop garlic.
• Whisk together the salt and flour, then add the flour to the wet ingredients. Use your hands, a wooden spoon, or a spatula to mix until everything comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and then knead the dough. This dough will only need to be kneaded for a few minutes (3-5) until the dough comes together.
• Form the dough into a flat disk, then put the dough into the cast iron skillet. Turn the dough once so that both sides are covered with olive oil, then cover the skillet with cling film and a towel and set aside. Allow to rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes.
• In the meantime, begin making the sauce. In a sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic to the hot oil and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the fire roasted tomatoes, salt, sugar, and Italian seasoning to the pan. Taste and add pepper and more salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Uncover the skillet and check on the pizza dough. It should have roughly doubled in size. Using clean hands, poke at the dough with your fingertips to spread the dough out until it is spread out over the entire bottom of the skillet.
• Top the dough with your pizza sauce. The pizza sauce may still be hot from cooking, but that's fine. If you are adding chopped fresh basil, either stir it into the sauce, or add it on top of the sauce before adding other toppings.
• Top the sauce with shredded mozzarella and any other toppings you desire, then cover the skillet with cling film and a towel once again and allow to rest for an additional 25 minutes. I suggest putting the skillet on top of the stove as you preheat the oven, since some of the heat from the oven will help with proving the dough.
• While the pizza rests again, preheat the oven to 450°F with the baking rack at the lowest tier.
• After the pizza has rested for 25 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and towel, and cover the cast iron skillet with aluminum foil.
• Bake covered for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and allow the pizza to continue to bake uncovered for an additional 8-10 minutes until the edges are crisp and the cheese has melted.
• Once out of the oven, pizza can be served immediately. I suggest removing the pizza from the skillet before cutting it to avoid scratching your skillet. Makes 4-6 slices depending on how big you want your slices to be.

Video

Want to support this blog? Check out the item(s) below used in the creation of this recipe.