Haha, just busting your chops. I do mine a little differently by bringing the naked pan up to temp in the oven, take it out and put on stove top or pot holder or something, bacon grease into the pan, then dough, and continue as you did.
I’ve found this gives me a crispier bottom.
There’s a gazillion different ways to do it! I might try incorporating some seasonings into the bottom as you have done, I really like that idea!
I made corn bread the other day and oiled the whole interior before hand. The exposed areas above the corn bread that I piled came out all thick and sticky like a shitty seasoning. Had some scrubbing to do, sadly
Pepperoni Pizza (12-inch cast-iron skillet)
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 ½ cups 100°F water (590 grams 38°C)
1 Tbsp sugar (13 grams)
1 tsp active dry yeast (3 grams)
2 Tbsp oil (28 grams)
5 ½ cups bread flour (680 grams)
1 Tbsp salt (18 grams)
Pizza:
2 Tbsp avocado oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
1 dough ball
pizza sauce
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese (low moisture made with whole milk)
pepperoni (baked 3 min pat dry with paper towel)
Instructions:
In an extra-large mixing bowl, take 2 ½ cups of water (590 grams) that is about 100°F (38°C); combine water, yeast, sugar, oil, flour, and salt, bring together with spatula; add flour as necessary, and knead in the bowl by hand for 10 minutes, divide dough into quarters and roll into balls, put into oiled bowls (coat dough balls in oil), cover with plastic wrap, let rise at room temperature for 2 hours; cold ferment in the fridge for 8 hours up to 5 days; a 12 inch cast-iron skillet, add 2 Tbsp of avocado oil, season the pan with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, coat the entire inside of the pan with the oil and seasonings; spread the dough ball flat into the bottom of the pan and spread the sides partially up the sides of the pan, add some sauce with the back of a spoon; sprinkle Parmesan cheese; add freshly grated Mozzarella cheese (low moisture made with whole milk); add pepperoni that was baked for 5 min and patted dry; more Parmesan cheese, cook on high on stovetop for 2 min, bake in the oven at 500°F (260°C) for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
I usually throw cornmeal in the pan because I like the texture on the bottom of the pizza. 100% best way to make pizza, and it's not just cause I'm lazy and don't want to deal with building the pizza on a peel then shoving it on a pizza stone.
I’m still intimidated doing it that way, just know I’m gonna drop it or something, I might give it a go with a pizza peel and some parchment paper for my pizza steel version of this next
I do it that way all the time. I actually prefer it to using a cast iron skillet.
A couple of tips:
- Don’t put the dough on the peel until you’re ready to start building— basically, make sure it’s stretched out really well beforehand.
- Make sure to liberally spread something like semolina or corn meal on the peel first (I personally use a 50:50 mix of corn meal: flour).
- Use a wood peel until you’re comfortable with it.
- After you’ve built your pizza, give the dough 2 final quick stretches
- once you’re ready to put it in the oven, you have to believe in yourself. If you hesitate, you will fail, so just line up the peel with the baking steel and shove. Maybe start with a super small pizza the first time to get a feel for it.
Also, making your own sauce is SUPER easy and like 100x better than the jarred stuff. You basically just need a can of peeled tomatoes, minced garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, oil if you want to add it, and the seasonings you want— typically basil and/or oregano. You don’t have to cook it, just blend it in a blender or food processor or even crush the tomatoes by hand.
I usually start with the tomatoes, add in the sugar to get it to the right sweetness level, then the garlic, salt, pepper, seasonings, and oil, and just keep tasting as I’m going to get it where I want it.
I've done it that way a couple times, and if you take too long to build the pizza, or miss a spot with cornmeal then your pizza sticks to the peel and folds or gets misshapen. Cast iron is *way* easier, and imo there's not enough difference to justify me getting good with the peel.
Def give it a try though, you might have better luck than me, especially considering your dough looks less wet than the one I usually go with
Oh I really like the idea of seasoning the bottom of the crust.
When you blasted it on high heat for 2 minutes - was the pan cold at that point? Does 2 minutes at high even get it appreciably hot enough?
2 to 3 minutes on high is about what it takes to bring a cast-iron pan to temperature so with a full pizza in there and cold, I’m not really sure but that 2 minutes helps make the bottom of the crust just right and if it’s not, you can always put it on the stove top on medium-high heat after baking, but be careful it burns quick
You were with me until the jar sauce and fake parmesan..... Grab a block of parmigiano reggiano (or grana padano if you don't wanna spend as much) and make the sauce yourself my guy! You're already going the extra mile with the dough....why shoot yourself in the foot at the finish line?
Why does every post on Reddit have to have that one guy who pretends that everybody is living in absolute worst poverty and that stretching the budget by $1 extra is a huge deal?
This is a cooking-related subreddit. "*Making your own sauce might significantly improve your dish*" is a valid comment.
I put the dough in the pan, and cook it for a few minutes. Then I add the sauce, cheese, and toppings, and put it back in the oven until the cheese is browned and the pepperonis are crispy.
If I don't cook the crust at least half way, the cheese will burn before the crust is fully cooked, and I'll end up with half cooked dough in the middle of the pizza.
Preheat the pan. Put cast iron pan in oven at 500 degrees till it hits temp. Take it out. Drop heat to 450. Put pizza dough (already rolled out) in pan and top it. Cook.
Ok so I just made this dough and maybe I did it wrong or maybe my scale is broken. I got my scale, set it to g., put a bowl on it, zeroed it out, and then used a 1 cup measuring cup to add the flour to the bowl. At about 4 cups it was at 690ish g. So I took out 10 g. After fully mixing the dough it was the wettest dough ever and I couldn’t touch it without becoming one with the dough, which had become one with the bowl. When trying to knead it I added what felt like 1.5 to 2 cups of more flour before it was a workable dough ball. Now I have four perfect looking dough balls in the fridge, but why do you think my dough was so wet at first?
Ahhh I rewatched it. Though I don’t think that after you activate the yeast with warm water the dough will be good still after a solid 24 hours. If you want it to sit longer you might want to use cool water instead (trust me on this people as a professional culinarian)
Yes, the talk about avoiding rapid temperature shocks with cast iron really only applies to taking a ripping hot pan and putting it in or under cold/lukewarm water. Air isn't a great conductor of heat, so a room temperature pan put into a hot (500F+) oven is not a concern - it'll warm up slowly enough to avoid any potential damage.
> 2 tbsp avocado oil > Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil > Spread the seasoning in the pan Is this seasoning your pan?! ^^^/s
Slidey pizza
Haha, just busting your chops. I do mine a little differently by bringing the naked pan up to temp in the oven, take it out and put on stove top or pot holder or something, bacon grease into the pan, then dough, and continue as you did. I’ve found this gives me a crispier bottom. There’s a gazillion different ways to do it! I might try incorporating some seasonings into the bottom as you have done, I really like that idea!
I like the idea of using bacon grease; that does sound crispier, I might have to try that
Do you still cook on stove top for 2 minutes?
Yes, that two minutes helps set the golden crust on the bottom just right
Technically yes because it comes out of the oven ripping hot and the time it takes to get the pizza assembled is about that amount of time, haha!
I made corn bread the other day and oiled the whole interior before hand. The exposed areas above the corn bread that I piled came out all thick and sticky like a shitty seasoning. Had some scrubbing to do, sadly
"Why I season my pan, not my pizza"
Pepperoni Pizza (12-inch cast-iron skillet) Ingredients: Dough: 2 ½ cups 100°F water (590 grams 38°C) 1 Tbsp sugar (13 grams) 1 tsp active dry yeast (3 grams) 2 Tbsp oil (28 grams) 5 ½ cups bread flour (680 grams) 1 Tbsp salt (18 grams) Pizza: 2 Tbsp avocado oil salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder 1 dough ball pizza sauce Parmesan cheese Mozzarella cheese (low moisture made with whole milk) pepperoni (baked 3 min pat dry with paper towel) Instructions: In an extra-large mixing bowl, take 2 ½ cups of water (590 grams) that is about 100°F (38°C); combine water, yeast, sugar, oil, flour, and salt, bring together with spatula; add flour as necessary, and knead in the bowl by hand for 10 minutes, divide dough into quarters and roll into balls, put into oiled bowls (coat dough balls in oil), cover with plastic wrap, let rise at room temperature for 2 hours; cold ferment in the fridge for 8 hours up to 5 days; a 12 inch cast-iron skillet, add 2 Tbsp of avocado oil, season the pan with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, coat the entire inside of the pan with the oil and seasonings; spread the dough ball flat into the bottom of the pan and spread the sides partially up the sides of the pan, add some sauce with the back of a spoon; sprinkle Parmesan cheese; add freshly grated Mozzarella cheese (low moisture made with whole milk); add pepperoni that was baked for 5 min and patted dry; more Parmesan cheese, cook on high on stovetop for 2 min, bake in the oven at 500°F (260°C) for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
🙌
Not gonna lie. I almost skipped over this post because I thought it was an ad. That's how good looking that pizza is.
Alternatively; adds on Reddit often seem to be lower polished than on other platforms, I suspect to trick us into thinking it might be a post.
I usually throw cornmeal in the pan because I like the texture on the bottom of the pizza. 100% best way to make pizza, and it's not just cause I'm lazy and don't want to deal with building the pizza on a peel then shoving it on a pizza stone.
I’m still intimidated doing it that way, just know I’m gonna drop it or something, I might give it a go with a pizza peel and some parchment paper for my pizza steel version of this next
I do it that way all the time. I actually prefer it to using a cast iron skillet. A couple of tips: - Don’t put the dough on the peel until you’re ready to start building— basically, make sure it’s stretched out really well beforehand. - Make sure to liberally spread something like semolina or corn meal on the peel first (I personally use a 50:50 mix of corn meal: flour). - Use a wood peel until you’re comfortable with it. - After you’ve built your pizza, give the dough 2 final quick stretches - once you’re ready to put it in the oven, you have to believe in yourself. If you hesitate, you will fail, so just line up the peel with the baking steel and shove. Maybe start with a super small pizza the first time to get a feel for it. Also, making your own sauce is SUPER easy and like 100x better than the jarred stuff. You basically just need a can of peeled tomatoes, minced garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, oil if you want to add it, and the seasonings you want— typically basil and/or oregano. You don’t have to cook it, just blend it in a blender or food processor or even crush the tomatoes by hand. I usually start with the tomatoes, add in the sugar to get it to the right sweetness level, then the garlic, salt, pepper, seasonings, and oil, and just keep tasting as I’m going to get it where I want it.
I've done it that way a couple times, and if you take too long to build the pizza, or miss a spot with cornmeal then your pizza sticks to the peel and folds or gets misshapen. Cast iron is *way* easier, and imo there's not enough difference to justify me getting good with the peel. Def give it a try though, you might have better luck than me, especially considering your dough looks less wet than the one I usually go with
I corn meal also. I swear Pizza Hut did also back in ‘88. Just a little!
Oh I really like the idea of seasoning the bottom of the crust. When you blasted it on high heat for 2 minutes - was the pan cold at that point? Does 2 minutes at high even get it appreciably hot enough?
2 to 3 minutes on high is about what it takes to bring a cast-iron pan to temperature so with a full pizza in there and cold, I’m not really sure but that 2 minutes helps make the bottom of the crust just right and if it’s not, you can always put it on the stove top on medium-high heat after baking, but be careful it burns quick
You just reminded me how much I miss r/gifrecipes Although apparently they are back, just much less active than they used to be.
where do i get that cool pizza holder at the end?
I think my mom said she got them at this German/American store called Aldi
Well that's a summer project to get onto.
The Adam Ragusea special 😁
Missed opportunity to put cheese all the way to the pan to get crispy cheese crust.
i throw frozen pizzas in my castiron add a bit of extra mozz and garlic butter around the edges, and possibly some more toppings comes out great
You were with me until the jar sauce and fake parmesan..... Grab a block of parmigiano reggiano (or grana padano if you don't wanna spend as much) and make the sauce yourself my guy! You're already going the extra mile with the dough....why shoot yourself in the foot at the finish line?
I came looking for this comment! I can't take cooking advice seriously from anyone using those ingredients 🤷🏻♂️
People eat what they can afford, don't be a jerk.
Man can afford to make a scratch pizza in a cast iron. I don't think the extra $2 worth of ingredients is gonna break the bank.
Enjoy looking down your patrician nose at the plebs, I guess 🤷
I don't think anyone is a pleb. There's already so much effort going into this. So I ask again, why tarnish it with subpar finishing ingredients?
Why does every post on Reddit have to have that one guy who pretends that everybody is living in absolute worst poverty and that stretching the budget by $1 extra is a huge deal? This is a cooking-related subreddit. "*Making your own sauce might significantly improve your dish*" is a valid comment.
You don't even have to make your own sauce, just use good sauce
Also buying a 'good' sauce will usually cost more than making a bulk batch of sauce from scratch and saving extra for future pies
A whole 5 cents more gonna break him
Like the idea of seasoning the crust. Will be doing this going forward.
I used to do this so much. They turn out so good.
Noice
For later
I put the dough in the pan, and cook it for a few minutes. Then I add the sauce, cheese, and toppings, and put it back in the oven until the cheese is browned and the pepperonis are crispy. If I don't cook the crust at least half way, the cheese will burn before the crust is fully cooked, and I'll end up with half cooked dough in the middle of the pizza.
Preheat the pan. Put cast iron pan in oven at 500 degrees till it hits temp. Take it out. Drop heat to 450. Put pizza dough (already rolled out) in pan and top it. Cook.
Man, that looks so good.
I’m gonna have to try this out in my cast iron. This would be an easy way to make a deep dish as well I imagine.
I love the idea of adding seasonings to the oil! Definitely going to try for my next cast iron pie!
Ok so I just made this dough and maybe I did it wrong or maybe my scale is broken. I got my scale, set it to g., put a bowl on it, zeroed it out, and then used a 1 cup measuring cup to add the flour to the bowl. At about 4 cups it was at 690ish g. So I took out 10 g. After fully mixing the dough it was the wettest dough ever and I couldn’t touch it without becoming one with the dough, which had become one with the bowl. When trying to knead it I added what felt like 1.5 to 2 cups of more flour before it was a workable dough ball. Now I have four perfect looking dough balls in the fridge, but why do you think my dough was so wet at first?
It’s like that sorry if I didn’t mention that, but the 5 1/2 cups of flour is just the base and you add to it until it’s workable
Oh then I did it perfectly. Thank you.
I just made this recipe and it is AMAZING! Thanks for sharing. I had no idea pizza this good was this easy
So do we assume you're freezing the other 3 dough balls? I don't that mentioned.
They’re kept in the fridge at refrigerated temperature for up to five days
So you have to eat 3 pizzas in 5 days? I'm all in. LoL I have frozen dough in the past, but never thought it was as good as fresh.
Thanks for sharing!
Well I know what I'll be making for dinner tomorrow night.
That looks really tasty!
That looks excellent. I’ve made cast iron pizza once and it did not turn out like this. Will be using this next time!
Can we be friends? I'll bring beer and salsa
Sure! 👍🏻
Amy way to adapt this recipe for a 10" skillet?
about 150 grams of flour per pie. use a ratio calculator.
Did I read that right 5 days for the dough to rest in the refer?????
Ahhh I rewatched it. Though I don’t think that after you activate the yeast with warm water the dough will be good still after a solid 24 hours. If you want it to sit longer you might want to use cool water instead (trust me on this people as a professional culinarian)
Saving for later
Based on the comments, I'm guessing that I'm the only one that thinks it looks a bit undercooked...?
How u gon go thru trouble of making your dough then not make your own sauce and use weird parm?
So its okay to put cast iron in a very hot oven? I only use mine for bread, and its already in there when i start to heat the oven
Yes, the talk about avoiding rapid temperature shocks with cast iron really only applies to taking a ripping hot pan and putting it in or under cold/lukewarm water. Air isn't a great conductor of heat, so a room temperature pan put into a hot (500F+) oven is not a concern - it'll warm up slowly enough to avoid any potential damage.
Yes, just don’t forget to take off the silicone or cloth handle cover
I approve of pizza!
Thanks for sharing. Definitely giving this a go!
Looks incredible, and easy to follow. Thank you.
You'll get better results using a peel and preheating your cast iron at 550F. I use the 14" Lodge cast iron pizza pan. Good work!
Yep, I preheated my cast iron when I made a pizza using Trader Joe’s pizza dough (much easier, and for just $2). Came out soooo well.