Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Anyone that knows me, knows I love pizza. LOVE it. So much that at my last job they hung a pizza box mobile from the ceiling over my desk. Caveat: I do work in design so things like this are completely normal. The thing is, I can eat any kind of pizza, any time of day and be perfectly happy. For me, there is something magical about the combination of tomato sauce, crust and cheese. Robust and crunchy, gooey and savory it really hits all the right notes for me.

I’ve had my cast iron skillet for awhile and have been waiting for just the right moment to experiment with pizza. This past week I attempted it and found it to be a home run. If you have a cast iron skillet I beg you to give it a try. I promise, you will not be disappointed!

I’m not going to post an ingredient list as pizza toppings are so individual. One thing that is universal however is the crust. If you want to make your own, go for it. If not, buy a good quality premade dough that can be rolled out.

Step-by-Step Directions:

Preheat oven as high as it will go. I preheated mine to 475.

Whisk about a tablespoon of honey, 3 tablespoons of water and some red chili pepper flakes together and set aside.

Place cast iron skillet on stove top at high temperature. Once the skillet is hot, lightly coat bottom of pan in a dusting of cornmeal and flour.

Next place dough (that you’ve already rolled out a bit) into the skillet and spread out to the edges with your fingers. Be careful! Pan will be hot!

Brush some olive oil on the top of the crust.

Once the crust starts to bubble, sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. Feel free to add any other herbs you’d like here.

Now to the toppings. I used fresh pesto, buffalo mozzarella and pizza sauce. You could obviously use anything in your pantry or fridge at this point.

After placing desired toppings on your pizza, slide into the oven. Be sure to use multiple pot holders as the pan will be hot and heavy.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until toppings are somewhat browned and bubbling. Don’t worry about anything leaking over the edges, it just adds to the flavor.

Pull pizza out of the oven. Set cast iron skillet on a trivet or pot rest. Brush the honey/water/red chili mixture on the crust only. Trust me on this, it adds a nice bite of heat and sweetness to the crust that I found delicious.

Cut into slices and eat!

The great thing about this recipe is it takes no time at all. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or a Saturday pizza party with friends. And the crust is seriously perfect. I loved the crispness the cast iron skillet gave it. No soggy dough here! Just one happy pizza-loving gal.

Bon appetit!