Cast iron pan pizza is a tasty alternative to pizzas made on a steel, or in a pizza-specific pan. This recipe uses our classic New York pizza dough, plum tomatoes, block mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano cheese, and since it’s made in a cast iron pan, it holds up well to adding any additional toppings you’d like!
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
3 ¼ cups (406 grams) bread flour
½ teaspoon (2 grams) instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons (8 grams) fine sea salt
1 teaspoon (4 grams) sugar
9 ounces (260 grams) cool water
1 tablespoon (14 grams) olive oil
For the cast iron pizza:
1 ~24 ounce dough ball from above
12 ounces crushed plum tomatoes drained of excess liquid
10 ounces low moisture block mozzarella cheese shredded, weight will vary, but use enough to cover the pizza completely
2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano grated
6 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 cloves garlic minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Sicilian oregano
INSTRUCTIONS
For the dough:
Place water into a bowl large enough to hold both the water and all the dry ingredients and still have room to spare. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl.
Add dry ingredients to water a bit at a time and mix thoroughly to form a dry rough mass.
Pour the oil over the dough, mix again to scrape off any dough residue stuck to side of the bowl, and place the rough shaggy dough onto a work surface.
Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait 30 minutes before resuming. Return to kneading (just make sure to knead for at least a total of 5 minutes).
Place the bowl over the dough once more and let sit for 30-40 minutes to warm up before forming the dough ball.
After 40 minutes pull the dough towards its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball. Pinch the seam side and place the dough ball seam side down into an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but preferably 1 day before using.
For the cast iron pizza:
Coat the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron pan with a ¼ cup of olive oil. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it into the pan. With your fingertips begin pressing the dough into the corners of the pan. You might not be able to do this in one attempt. Place plastic over the pan and let the dough warm up.
After 2 hours the dough should have filled the pan. If not, just press it into the sides of the pan with your fingers once more. Again cover with plastic and at this point, preheat the oven to 550f and set the rack to the middle level.
Drain the crushed tomatoes of any excess water. You will need approximately 1 ½ cups of drained tomatoes. Add a ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the tomatoes and set aside. Mix the minced garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.
Remove the plastic from the pan and if required press the dough into the edges. Spread the sauce to the edges of the dough and top with the mozzarella.
Drizzle the garlic oil all over the top of the pizza.
Bake the pizza for 14 minutes then remove it from the oven and top it with the Pecorino and oregano. Return to the oven and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
If the pizza’s bottom is not brown enough, simply cook the pizza in the pan over medium heat until the bottom is browned to your liking. Make sure to check frequently to not burn the pizza!
The total cooking time will be approximately 15-18 minutes. Let the pizza sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
– Different size pans can be used with the same size dough ball. This recipe will yield a thick 12-inch cast iron pizza or a thinner 14-inch pie. If using the 14-inch pan, you might need to stretch it a bit more and the pizza will cook in about 12-14 minutes versus 15-18. You will also need a bit more cheese and sauce.
– The dough can be cold fermented for as little as 12 hours in the fridge, to as long as 72 hours.
– The dough can be made in a stand mixer. Knead at low speed for 5-7 minutes then ball the dough and place it in an oiled tightly covered container overnight.
Cooking time will vary depending on the exact oven temp but should be around 15-18 minutes.
– If the bottom of the pizza isn’t brown enough, simply heat the pan over medium heat and cook to your liking.
