Perfect Skillet Pizza

We rarely have bad pizza, but here’s how to make great skillet pizza with a thick crust when you don’t have a stone.

We’re making pizza in a cast-iron skillet. A cast-iron skillet is a great option for making pizza at home with a thick, crispy crust. It’s also a particularly good choice if you don’t have a pizza stone to use.

I did a lot of research in order to come up with the recipe for the dough I shared previously and the steps you’ll read more about in this post. From Bon Appétit to Food Network to America’s Test Kitchen to Serious Eats, I took a little bit from each site to come up with this recipe.

The great thing about pizza is that it’s difficult to make bad pizza. I mean . . . think about it . . . any pizza, no matter how good or bad it is, is better than no pizza at all.

Just the other week I was invited over to a friend’s house with the lure of making pizza. It wasn’t until I arrived that he confessed to the truth: the dough we were using was from a failed roti recipe and our pizza dinner would be an experiment. Though the circumstances weren’t ideal, our “pizza” concoction was still relatively tasty.

That’s all to say don’t be scared of making this cast-iron skillet pizza at home. Anything with enough cheese is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

Click here for the dough recipe and follow the steps below to make it in your skillet.

Perfect Skillet Pizza

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• Author: Aaron Hutcherson
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 1 skillet pizza (4 servings) 1x
• Diet: Omnivore

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Description

Thick crust, big flavor. Perfect skillet pizza, even without a pizza stone!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Pizza dough (makes 1 skillet pizza):

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water (about 110°F)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for bowl

For the pizza:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) jarred pasta sauce
• 1 cup (237 ml) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 oz (85 g) sliced pepperoni
• Romano cheese, freshly grated, to taste

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Instructions

Make the dough:

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add the flour, salt, and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled. (Store-bought pizza dough works too — skip directly to step 4.)

Make the skillet pizza:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and swirl to coat. Transfer the pizza dough to the skillet and gently press into a flat disc the diameter of the skillet. Let rise for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).
3. Press the dough into the corners of the pan with your fingertips. Spread the sauce over the dough, sprinkle with mozzarella, top with pepperoni slices, and grate Romano cheese on top.
4. Place the skillet on the stove over medium to medium-high heat and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the cheese is golden brown and crisp along the edges, 10–15 minutes.
6. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

The stovetop-then-oven method gives the crust a thick, crisp bottom without a pizza stone. Keep the heat medium — too high before the oven and the bottom will scorch before the top is done.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 13 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Oven-Baking
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 pizza
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 5
• Sodium: 700
• Fat: 25
• Saturated Fat: 10
• Unsaturated Fat: 10
• Carbohydrates: 50
• Fiber: 4
• Protein: 15
• Cholesterol: 40

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