Anke
You will love my best cast iron pizza recipe. The crust is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. It’s simply delicious.
I enjoy cooking with my cast iron pan. In fact, I own three different sizes of cast iron skillets, and the food prepared in them always tastes amazing. My garlic naan bread or homemade stuffed cheese bread are great examples.
If it were up to my family, we would have pizza almost every day. In my best cast iron pizza recipe, I’m sharing a foolproof and easy method for making a delicious pizza crust, along with my favorite toppings and how I like to prepare my pizza sauce.
With that being said, feel free to change your pizza topping to whatever you like or prefer. You can also check out my pizza recipe made with a sourdough starter.
By the way, my recipe is enough to make two 12″ pizzas. If you want to make more, simply double the ingredients.
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Our Cast Iron Pizza Recipe
The Flour
For this pizza recipe, I am using bread flour, which has a higher protein content and, consequently, a higher gluten content. However, you could also use all-purpose flour or 00 flour, which is a finely ground Italian flour.
You might like to try for yourself which crust you like better using these different types of flour.
The Cheese
Using mozzarella cheese is almost a must, but I think adding another type of cheese gives the pizza more flavor. That’s why I also like to add grated parmesan or Colby cheese to my pizza.
I don’t use too much cheese, but ultimately, it is up to you how much or how little cheese you use.
Pizza Sauce
I have experimented over the years with different pizza sauces. I have used crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, but my favorite sauce is made with tomato passata, which I flavor with grated garlic, Italian herbs, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
Yeast
For my cast iron pizza recipe, I am using instant yeast. That means you can mix the yeast straight in with your dry ingredients. You can also use active dry yeast but then you need to mix it in with the lukewarm water and wait for it to bloom first.
Either way, you can use both types of yeast.
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How To Make The Best 12″ Cast Iron Pizza In A Few Simple Steps
Step 1 – Start Making The Dough
Mix the flour with salt and yeast and gradually add lukewarm water. I use either a fork or a Danish whisk to stir in the water.
Once the dough gets too hard to work with, use your hands to bring the dough together. Make sure to incorporate all of the flour.
Cover the bowl with plastic and put it in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Stretch And Fold
Instead of kneading the dough, we will use the stretch and fold method. Wet your hands (to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands), gently lift up one corner of the dough, and stretch it up. Then fold it over the doughball.
Rotate the bowl, take the next piece of dough, and repeat the process.
All up, do it at least four times.
Cover the bowl, and do the stretch and fold method again after 30 minutes.
Here is a quick video that shows you how to do the stretch and fold.
Step 3 – Let The Dough Rise
After the second stretch and fold, drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the dough ball to prevent the dough from drying out. Cover the bowl with plastic and put it in a warm place.
Let the dough rise for around 2 hours or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, let’s get s started with the pizza toppings.
Step 4 – Prepare The Pizza Toppings
For my best cast iron pizza recipe, I am using my favorite toppings: red onion, white mushrooms, and bell peppers (any color will do). To add more flavor, I sauté them in a little olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and a few chili flakes.
I also add a few slices of salami. Once you sauteed the veggies, set them aside for later.
Next up, I grate some cheese of my choice ( I like Colby cheese) and slice the mozzarella.
Lastly, I make the pizza sauce. I simply use tomato passata mixed with grated garlic, dried Italian herbs, and seasoning.
Step 5 – Put The Dough Into The Cast Iron Pan
After the dough has risen, I divide it in half and place one half into a cast iron pan that I’ve greased with olive oil.
Using my fingertips, I stretch the dough out and then allow it to rest for an additional 30 to 60 minutes.
After that, stretch the dough further until it reaches the edge of the cast iron skillet.
Step 6 – Make The Best Cast Iron Pizza
Let’s assemble our delicious pizza! First, spread the pizza sauce evenly over the crust.
Next, add the cheese and then arrange your chosen vegetable toppings on top.
Finally, layer on the salami.
Bake the pizza in a preheated oven set to the highest temperature with the fan on for 12 minutes. Keep in mind that cooking times may vary depending on your oven, so it might take a few additional minutes.
Step 7 – Enjoy!
Enjoy this delicious cast iron pizza with a glass of wine. I hope you will love this pizza recipe as much as my family.
Pro Tip: To make the bottom of the pizza even crispier, give a head start. Before you put the pizza in the oven, place the cast iron skillet on the stove and fry the pizza over high heat for around 3 minutes. Then put the pizza into the hot oven.
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Let’s Get Started With Our Best Cast Iron Pizza Recipe
I hope you enjoy my recipe for the best cast iron pizza. While you need to plan ahead for the timing, this cast iron pizza with its crispy exterior and chewy interior is worth the effort.
I would love for you to leave a rating and a comment with your feedback and any questions. Your feedback will help me improve my recipes even more.
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Are you feeling hungry? Then put on your apron and start making our amazing best cast iron pizza recipe.
Super Crispy & Delicious 12″ Cast Iron Pizza
Equipment
- A nonstick griddle or frying pan for sauteeing the vegetables
Ingredients
The Dough
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For The Pizza Sauce
- 1 cup tomato passata
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
Pizza Toppings
- grated parmesan and sliced mozzarella as much or as little as you like
- 1 red onion
- 1/2 bell pepper (any color)
- 6 white mushrooms
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10 slices salami optional
Instructions
To Make The Dough
- Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and mix with the salt and yeast.4 cups bread flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp instant yeast
- Slowly add the water by whisking it in. Once the dough gets too hard to work with, use your hands to bring the dough together.1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- Cover the bowl with plastic and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Now, we perform our first stretch and fold. Wet your hands, so the dough doesn't stick to your hands. Here is a quick video that shows you how to do a stretch and fold. https://youtube.com/shorts/yEMLj4DAz5s?feature=share
- Cover the dough again and leave for another 30 minutes. Then we perform our second and final stretch and fold.
- Drizzle a little olive over the dough and slightly rub it over the surface. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1.5 hours or until has doubled in size.1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Cut the dough in half. Grease a cast iron pan/skillet with olive oil and put one half of the dough in there. Gently stretch out the dough with your fingertips.
- Cover the dough again with plastic and let it rest for around 1 hour. While we are waiting, we get the toppings ready.
The Pizza Sauce
- To the tomato passata, we mix in the salt, pepper, grated garlic, and Italian herbs.1 cup tomato passata, salt and pepper to taste, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp Italian herbs
The Toppings
- Roughly slice the mozzarella and grate the parmesan cheese.grated parmesan and sliced mozzarella
- Slice the red onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms.1 red onion, 1/2 bell pepper (any color), 6 white mushrooms
- Sautee the vegetables with a little bit of olive oil and season to taste.1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Making The Pizza
- Preheat the oven to the highest setting using the fan-forced option. My oven heats up to 250℃/480℉.
- With your fingertips, spread the dough out until it reaches the edge of the skillet. Spread over some of the pizza sauce and add the cheese.
- Now add the sauteed vegetables. Make sure you leave enough for the second pizza. 🙂
- Finally, add the salami or leave the pizza as a vegetarian option.
- Put the skillet on the stove and fry for around 3 minutes to give the dough a headstart.
- Put the skillet in the hot oven and bake for around 12 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Enjoy!
This cast iron pizza is my family’s favorite pizza. It has a crispy crust and chewy inside.