Pizza’s are a great way to use up any leftover meat or veggies you have in your kitchen. It’s delicious, simple and definitely a crowd pleaser. This cast iron skillet pizza recipe makes enough for two 12-14 inch pizza’s. Made in the cast iron, this pizza has a perfect crust and is always perfectly round.
I don’t know about you, but I’m no pizza dough twirling expert 😂
This cast iron skillet pizza can be as simple as sauce and cheese or as chaotically delicious as a “run through the garden”, meat lover, everything pizza.
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What you’ll need to make this cast iron skillet pizza
First off, you’ll need a cast iron pan. You can also use a pizza stone if that’s what you have. I’ve not found one of those that I love, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments.
Cast irons are simple to care for, easy to clean and so versatile. I love that cast irons can be used on my electric stove, or directly above a camp fire 🙂
Ingredients
For the dough we will need some:
- warm water, right around 110F is great
- active dry yeast, you can also use instant yeast in the same amount if that’s what you have
- honey or maple syrup, use local honey or pure maple syrup. If you don’t have either, basic white sugar can also be used in the same amount.
- sea salt, we love (as in only use) Redmond’s Real Salt.
- melted butter or you can also use olive oil
- organic, unbleached all purpose flour. You can also use whole wheat, or a blend of whole wheat and all purpose.
You can buy premade pizza sauce from the store. But if you’d like to make your own this is how I go about doing that.
For the pizza sauce you’ll need:
- One 15oz can of tomato sauce. You can also use an 8oz can and just add seasonings to taste.
- Italian seasoning, or a blend of your favorite Mediterranean herbs. We love the combination of parsley, oregano, and basil. If we have summer savory and marjoram we’ll use that, too.
- A bit of onion and garlic powder
- Sea salt, again we only use Redmond’s.
- And lastly black pepper, to taste.
Toppings for your pizza
You can literally use anything you have on hand. Sauce and cheese form the base, and you don’t even need mozzarella if you don’t have it. Cheddar works great if that’s what you have, or even just parmesan. Buy your cheeses in blocks to save money and improve the meltiness of your cheese.
Any veggies that you have in season can be thrown on top of a pizza as well. Squash, fresh tomatoes, salad greens, carrots, green beans, onions, peppers… you can get really creative here. Plus, mushrooms. Mushrooms are great on pizza’s especially if you are new to eating them.
What some meat on it too? Don’t feel limited to pepperoni! Upcycle some leftover ground or shredded meat from the night before, or cook up some sausage or plain old ground beef. Those meat options are probably healthier for you and your family than the highly processed pepperoni’s are.
How to make cast iron skillet pizza
Our first step will be making the dough. This dough recipe will make enough for two 12-14″ pizza’s.
Start off by combining your warm water, honey, and yeast. Let that sit for a few minutes to activate the yeast. It’ll be all bubbly and foamy.
Next, add the salt, melted butter or olive oil and stir to combine.
Now add the flour, starting with about half the total. Once that’s fully incorporated, add the flour one cup at a time until the dough form a cohesive ball and isn’t overly wet and sticky. A little sticky is good.
Knead the dough for a couple minutes until it forms a tight, mostly smooth ball. Set aside and cover with a damp towel for about an hour.
While the dough is rising, go ahead a prepare any toppings you’d like to add. Mix together the ingredients for your pizza sauce, cut up your veggies and cook up your meat. You can also go ahead and get your oven preheating now.
When the dough has risen sufficiently, dump the dough onto the counter and very gently knead it again to shape it into a nice ball. Cut the dough in half. You can either freeze the other half for later, or make two pizza’s in one night 🙂
Roll out the dough into a 12-14″ circle and place it into a greased cast iron skillet. I like to roll mine out slightly larger than my pan so that I can get about 1/2″ of crust up the side of the skillet.
Top with your sauce, cheese, and whatever other toppings you’d like.
Bake your cast iron skillet pizza at 425F for about 25 minutes or until the crust begins to brown. If you’d like an even fancier finish to your pizza, go ahead and broil for about 2 minutes or so. Everyone’s oven will be different so keep an eye on your pizza as it’s cooking. Especially if you choose to broil it. You can easily burn your food if left under a broiler for too long.
Let it cool for a couple minutes in the pan before transferring the pizza to a cutting board. You could keep it in the pan, I just find it easier to cut the pizza when it’s on a cutting board.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know how it went for you and what kind of combinations you use for your pizza toppings.
Happy Cooking 😊
Cast Iron Pizza
Equipment
- 12" – 14" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 1/2 cup warm water about 110F
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter can also use olive oil
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour organic, unbleached
Pizza Sauce
- 1 15oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning or 1 tsp each basil, parsley, oregano (or any combination of your favorite Mediterranean herbs)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- black pepper to taste
Toppings
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 lb ground meat beef, pork, chicken, turkey, sausage
- whatever your heart desires
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- Combine the warm water with honey and active dry yeast. Stir to combine and allow to sit for about five minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
- Stir in melted butter and salt
- Fully incorporate two cups of flour before adding more. Add only enough to make the dough easy to handle (not too sticky). Depending on your climate you may need to add more or less flour.
- Knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough has formed a smooth ball.
- Allow to rise for one hour. Meanwhile, make the sauce and prepare the toppings.
For the pizza sauce
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. This will make enough sauce to dress two pizza's with some remaining for dipping if you'd like.
- Brown your meat and drain out any excess grease.
- Prepare any preferred toppings now. We like to use sliced onions, olives, mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers.
Construct the pizza
- Preheat oven to 425F and grease your cast iron pan with olive oil or butter. (Or you could save the grease from the meat you cooked earlier and use that to grease your pan.)
- Divide the dough in half. You can either make two pizza's at once or freeze the other half to enjoy another day.
- Roll out the dough into a 12-14" circle, depending on how large your cast iron skillet is. I like to roll out the dough slightly larger than my pan to allow about a 1/2" of dough up the side of the pan.
- Gently place the rolled out dough into the prepared skillet, stretching it out as needed to fill the pan.
- Top with sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, meat and any other veggie toppings you'd like.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust starts to brown slightly.
- Optional, you can broil the pizza for about 2 minutes after it's finished cooking. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn.
- Allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes in the pan. If you'd like you can transfer the pizza to a cutting board before slicing it.
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