I used to hate making pizza. I have round vented pans with holes. I have pizza stones. Nope. Didn’t work. Then I discovered I could make pizza in my cast iron pan. Mind blowing.
The key is to have a hot cast iron pan. Do not use a cold cast iron pan. It won’t work. You need a screaming hot pan that’s been in a 500F oven for several minutes.
You want the pan hot enough so the dough sizzles when it touches the pan. I admit it’s a little scary, but just be careful not to burn yourself. Drizzle some olive oil in the pan. Smack that canned pizza dough open. Carefully, stretch the dough out until it’s the width of a 12-inch pan and plop it over the pan. Yes, your first few attempts will be fugly. Don’t worry. It’ll taste delicious.
Add some bottled pizza sauce. Hey, I was tired. Make homemade another day.
Add bacon. Because everything is better with bacon.
I chose a non-smoked provolone from the deli. I’m a cheese snob. Sorry, but true. Then drizzle a bit of olive oil on the crust because it’s just yummy that way.
Stick it in the oven and watch it. It might take anywhere from 10 minutes to more. You want to see that gently toasted cheese.
Yum! Have some patience and wait for 15 minutes unless you don’t mind destroying the roof of your mouth.
Cast Iron Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 can pizza dough
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus a little more
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- Toppings (such as bacon or pepperoni)
- Cheese (such as provolone or mozzarella)
Instructions
- Preheat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in a 500F oven.
- Stretch the dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Drizzle the olive oil into the skillet. Carefully transfer the dough to the skillet. Listen for sizzle to let you know the pan is hot. Fold the edges over to create a crust. Spread the sauce over the dough. Add your toppings and top it with cheese. Drizzle the crust with olive oil. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown, at least 10 minutes or more.