Ingredients for Dough

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp table salt
• 2 + 1/3 cup bread flour
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

Take the water and heat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. The temperature should be ~90-110F.

Add the 2 tsp of instant yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1.5 tsp table salt and the 1.5 tbsp olive oil.

Mix until everything is well combined – doing this separately creates a more cohesive dough.

If you’re using active yeast instead, allow to bloom for ~5-10 minutes.

If using instant yeast, the blooming isn’t necessary; Move onto the next step.

Use a Stand Mixer and a Dough Hook

Add to the mixer bowl the 2 + 1/3 cup bread flour. To this add your yeast mixture and mix on low for 1-2 minutes.

Use a spatula to scrape the sides down and then mix again for 2-3 minutes.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead a few times until slightly sticky on the fingers.

Grease a bowl with 1 tbsp of olive oil, add your dough ball and cover with a damp, warm towel for 1 hour.

While Dough Rises, Make Sauce

You will need:

• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I use Cento)
• 1.5 tbsp granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp table salt
• 7-8 tbsp tomato paste

Note: This is enough sauce for 3-5 pizzas depending on how much sauce you use. Any that you don’t use, feel free to freeze, it reheats perfectly fine.

Grab a non-stick skillet and set to medium-low heat. Add 7-8 tbsp of tomato paste to the pan.

Heat for ~2-3 minutes to remove tinniness from the can, then add this to a small pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend with an immersion blender; If you don’t have one, a regular blender suffices – in which case skip the pot.

You could even opt to just blend it in the crushed tomato can.

Grab Your Cast Iron Skillet and Add 2-3 tbsp of Olive Oil

This might seem excessive but it helps crisp the edges, the cheese, and the sauce and browns the dough like a pan pizza.

Put your dough into the skillet and stretch it out with your finger tips like you would do with a focaccia.

You’ll notice the dough at the edges wants to retract – this is normal.

Allow it to proof in the pan for another 10 minutes. Then stretch the dough one more time until it reaches the edges.

You want the edges to curl up the pan slightly.

Add Your Sauce, Cheese and Toppings

From the above sauce we made, add ~1/3 cup-ish and spread out to the edges.

Use a low-moisture mozzarella and spread around the edges first so that the cheese is touching the pan – add extra here for more crisp later.

Then cover the rest of the pizza with cheese and other toppings like pepperoni.

Note on Veggies

I’d strongly suggest slicing these thin with a mandolin and dry brining with salt during the hour that your dough is proofing.

The salt will draw moisture out of the veggies and won’t impede browning later due to extra water on top of the cheese and pepperoni.

Just be sure to rinse the veggies a few times to remove the salt and then pat them dry with paper towel to remove even more moisture.

Set Your Oven to 550F

Put on the middle rack for 15 minutes – and allow to bake.

Half-way through I like to rotate the skillet 180 degrees to get even browning – this is because it’s hottest towards the front of my oven.

Once done, take out of the oven.

Use a metal spatula to scrape around the edges of the pie in case any bits are stuck and then take out to rest for ~2-5 minutes.