Pizza is always a good idea and this cast iron pizza is an even better idea. Making pizza has never been easier or more delicious and it can be a fun activity for the entire family. The cast iron helps get the crust nice and crispy without burning it. This pizza is probably some of the best I have ever made at home and I don’t think I will ever cook pizza another way. You can save some time on this recipe by using a pre-made dough from the grocery store, but I can’t guarantee it will come out as good. The dough here is so easy to make, it just requires some patience to allow it to rest and rise, but it is so worth it! Pizza night is always a fun night in our house – we get a ton of different toppings and let everyone make their own pizza so it is exactly what they want. The only inconvenience of this recipe is that most people probably don’t have multiple cast iron skillets, so it make require some extra time to cook all the pizzas – if you don’t have a cast iron at all, I highly recommend investing in at least one. They are a superior kitchen item because you can do so much with them. If you aren’t familiar with cast iron, make sure to do a bit of research on cleaning and taking care of it since you typically shouldn’t wash with soap (sometime ya just have to though if the dish just won’t come off). Anyways, make this for your next pizza night and you won’t go back to take out ever again.
For the Dough:
- 2 Cups Warm Water
- 1 Tsp Sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Active Yeast
- 5 1/4 Cup Bread Flour
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 16oz Can Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Basil
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tbsp Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
- Salt + Pepper, To Taste
Toppings:
- 6-8 Cups Shredded Mozzarella
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil
- Olive Oil
- Optional Toppings: Pepperoni, Black Olives, Mushrooms, Sliced Onions, Fresh Mozzarella
- Makes: 6 Personal Pizzas
- Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 18 Minutes *per pizza
To Make:
- First we need to make the dough so it can rest. You can do this by hand or with an electric stand mixer – I recommend an electric mixer if you have one. In the electric mixer bowl, add the warm water, sugar and sprinkle the active yeast on top. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the olive oil, flour, and salt and mix on low using a dough hook. Once the dough is loosely combined, turn the speed on 2 and continue mixing for 8 minutes.
- Next, grease a large bowl with olive oil, shape the dough in to a ball and lightly coat the dough in olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside for 2 hours so the dough can rest and rise.
- While the dough rests, let’s make the sauce. In a medium pot, add the tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, basil, onion powder, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper. Heat on high until the sauce starts to bubble. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce is done, remove from the heat and uncover – set aside until ready to use.
- After the dough has been been resting for 2 hours, gently punch the dough down and divide in to 6 balls. Set the dough aside and allow it to rest another 20 minutes.
- While the dough does it’s final rest, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cast iron skillet in the oven while it heats to get the skillet hot – this will help ensure the crust gets crispy. *If you have multiple cast iron skillets, this will definitely go quicker else you will need to cook the pizza’s in batches.
- When the oven reaches 450 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the cast iron skillet and it’s time to make the pizza! Coat the bottom of the cast iron with olive oil to prevent the pizza dough from sticking. *Make sure to put a pan holder down under the cast iron to prevent it from burning your surface – be very cautious while making the pizza since the cast iron will be very hot from the oven.*
- Take one dough ball and gently flatten and shape in to a circle – this initial step is easiest to do on a countertop. Once the dough is roughly the size of the cast iron skillet, transfer to the skillet and press down until the dough covers the entire skillet.
- Top the dough with the sauce and spread on top evenly. Next, sprinkle on some fresh basil and 1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella. To finish off the pizza, add any desired toppings.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the crust begins to become golden.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and turn the oven to the broil setting. Place the pizza back in the oven and broil for 1-1 1/2 minutes until the cheese starts to bubble and brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and carefully remove from the cast iron skillet, cut and serve!
- Repeat steps 9-13 until all the pizza’s are made. *make sure to reset the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit after broiling if doing this in batches.*
Aly Eats Food 
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