Cast Iron Skillet Deep Dish Pizzas

I am crazy about cast iron pans.  I have recently started to collect them. I have also been scouring the local library and internet for any recipes that look tempting.  There are a lot of great cast iron cookbooks to check out! These are only some of them that I have found....

Well, when I saw the cast iron skillet pizza on Jenny Can Cook's blog I KNEW I had to try it and try it soon!!  The homemade crust is SO simple to make the night before.  Once cooked the crust gets super crispy from the oil in the bottom of the skillet.  A great tip that Jenny had is to microwave any veggies or pepperoni that may cause the crust to become soggy in between paper towels for around 30 seconds or so..  I tried it with the mushrooms and onions and it really worked well!

Click on the picture above to visit Jenny's website.

Cast Iron Skillet Deep Dish Pizzas

(printable copy)

Serving size 1 pizza

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold water (I needed a bit more)

1 Tablespoon oil for greasing the pan

1/3 cup sauce of your choice (I used Pesto and tomato sauce)

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 Tablespoon oregano

toppings of your choice (I used sausage crumbles, red onions, mushrooms and black olives)

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add cold water and mix well.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 12 to 18 hours. 

After resting time, dough will be double in size, puffy and soft with lots of bubbles.  Sprinkle the dough with a little extra flour and mix until it forms a ball.

Grease 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet.

Place dough in the skillet, spreading with oiled fingers.  It's okay if it doesn't make it quite to the edge.  It will once it's risen again.  Cover with a cloth and let rest for an hour or two.  

Preheat oven to 550 degrees.  

Add the sauce, cheese and toppings and oregano.

Cook on stove top burner for exactly 3 minutes over medium high heat.

Place in oven and bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  (Start checking around 12 minutes)

I made mine with both pesto and tomato sauce.  They were both amazing and my son Tanner claimed them to be the best pizzas I've ever made and I make A LOT of pizzas!  We even have an outdoor pizza oven and he liked these best!  That's high praise!  I'm definitely making these again soon!   Thanks Jenny!

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