I’m a lover of all types of pizza, as long as it has a crispy, charred bottom. For me there’s nothing worse than lifting up soggy, limp, greasy slice of pie. So, when I read an article about cooking pizza in a cast iron skillet—especially a pizza with a super secret ingredient—I couldn’t resist. I already knew that cast iron cooking makes everything taste better, and I had plenty of cast iron pans of all sizes, so I could make a family style size or a smaller personal pan pizza. What really intrigued me was the application of shredded Jack cheese as a border to the pizza, and just as the article promised, the Jack cheese melded into the pizza dough for an out of this world crust! (It apparently only works with Jack cheese.)
Watch my How-To Video for Cast Iron Pizza here!
Servings |
- 1 pound pizza dough (Store bought at Trader Joe’s or see recipe below)
- 10 ounces pizza sauce (Store bought at Trader Joe’s)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella or Italian blend cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- toppings of your choice (like pepperoni, mushroom, olives, peppers, sausage, etc.)
Ingredients
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- Coat the pan with olive oil. Remove the excess with a paper towel. After the dough has risen and is pliable, stretch and spread it on the bottom of the pan. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough leaving a ¼ inch border. Line the edge of the pan with Jack cheese, pressing down with your fingers to create a shallow wall. Sprinkle mozzarella over the pizza and arrange all of your favorite toppings over the cheese. Finish with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. (When the pizza is done and you want more charring on the bottom of the pizza crust, place the pan on the cook top and brown the bottom for just a few minutes.) Serve immediately.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons dried yeast (1 packet)
4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
Cornmeal, optional
Directions:
In a bowl or measuring cup, add water and sprinkle yeast over top of water. Stir gently and then let sit for about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, add flour, salt and sugar. Make a well and pour yeast into the center. With a fork, slowly begin incorporating yeast into dough until dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork. Flour your hands and begin to make it into a ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let double in size, about 45 minutes.