deep dish cast iron skillet pizza
my platonic ideal of a make at home pizza
i don’t think there’s a single human being upon this earth who doesn’t like some kind of pizza. if there is, i don’t know them and i don’t care to know them. from neapolitan to detroit-style, cracker crust to stuffed crust, there are so many different types of pizza that if you’re a bit lukewarm on one, there’s definitely another one (or two, or three) that you’ll love.
personally, i’ve always been big a fan of cast iron skillet pizzas. i think they might just be the best kind of pizza to make at home, especially if you, like me, are one of those *poor souls* without your own pizza oven. this specific recipe drew some inspiration from a few different styles of pizza (and focaccia, which i know is not pizza thank you very much) to create my platonic ideal:
it’s fluffy, thick and bread-y à la deep dish
the crust is crisp and golden brown with extra crunchy cheesy bits around the edges—thanks detroit!
it surprises and delights with a focaccia-ish edge of olives and mozzarella balls tucked into the thick crust
it’s extra cheesy and has a saucy top like a sicilian- or grandma-style pie
the dough is easy enough to make but does take a little bit of effort and planning ahead. it’s technically a no-knead dough, but you’ll need to fold it a few times to build strength before proofing it overnight. use damp hands to pull the farthest edge up, then bring it towards you and fold down onto itself. the dough should get progressively tighter and harder to stretch, so you can gently sort of wiggle it to give yourself a bit more room before folding. watch my video to see how it’s done, but don’t worry about getting it perfect. as long as you do your best and get it generally folded enough, with the dough getting noticeably smoother and tighter, it will be fine.
if you don’t like olives or want to try sinking in some other toppings too, i’m all for it! if you’re familiar with making (or even just eating) focaccia, you’ll know that there’s pretty much no limit to how you can top it. the general rule of thumb is to use ingredients that are already partially or fully cooked, so think things like roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, boiled potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, blanched broccoli, confit garlic, or ingredients that don’t need long to cook like thinly sliced red onion or shaved zucchini. salty bites like anchovies, capers or little pockets of pesto would be great here, too.
i personally like the look of parmesan cheese that’s blitzed until fine in a food processor to top this pizza; once you process the parm this way (just cut off the rind, chop into large pieces and pulse until fine) you can keep it in an airtight container for at least two months in the fridge. it’s great on pizzas or pastas, but also makes a really nice salad cheese. if you don’t have a food processor you could also grate fresh parmesan over the top of the pizza with a microplane or fine grater instead.
serves 2 - 4
for the crust
240 grams all-purpose flour (i’m using type 550, but if you have easy access to a higher gluten bread flour use it for an even chewier, fluffier crust)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
170 grams lukewarm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
for the toppings
15 whole, pitted green olives
125 grams mini mozzarella cheese balls (if you can’t find the mini ones, just cube up a bigger ball and use it instead)
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
75 grams shredded mozzarella cheese
250 grams canned, crushed tomatoes
25 grams finely ground parmesan cheese
fresh basil leaves for garnish
add flour, salt, yeast, water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a large bowl. mix everything together until combined, about 1 minute, then shape into a rough ball and cover with a kitchen towel for 5 minutes. with lightly damp hands, stretch the farthest edge of the dough up and then fold it down towards you and onto itself. turn the bowl 90 degrees and fold again until you’ve folded and rotated the bowl it a total of 4 times. cover for another 5 minutes and stretch, fold and rotate the bowl another 4 times. repeat this process two more times (4 times total) with the dough getting progressively stronger, smoother and more difficult to stretch and fold as you go, then cover and let rest in the fridge for 12 - 72 hours.
about 3 hours before you want to eat, add the remaining olive oil to a well seasoned 26 cm/10-inch cast iron skillet. spread the oil over the bottom and up the sides of the skillet with your fingers. add the dough to the skillet and flip to coat both sides in the oil, then use your fingers to press the dough like piano keys towards the edges of the pan. if the dough keeps shrinking back, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes, then repeat the pressing and stretching to get the dough to the edges of the pan; it’s okay if it’s not perfect. cover and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour and 45 minutes (if your kitchen is cold, this may take about 2 hours or slightly more) or until the dough looks puffy and has increased by about a quarter of its original size.
once the dough is almost done proofing, preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. tuck the olives and mini mozzarella balls into the dough, making sure each piece will have either an olive or a mozzarella ball. drizzle with a bit more olive oil and season with flaky salt before baking for 18 - 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown all over.
remove from the oven and sprinkle with dried oregano, chili flakes, black pepper and the shredded mozzarella, sprinkling the cheese all over from the center right up to the edges of the pan. dollop and spread the crushed tomatoes over the cheese, nearly to the edge of the pan, then bake for another 10 - 15 minutes, just to melt the cheese and make that crust really, really crispy.
remove from the oven and use a butter knife to loosen the cheesy bits between the pizza crust and the pan and ensure it doesn’t stick. let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then use a large spatula to remove the pizza from the skillet and transfer to a wire rack to cool for another 5 - 10 minutes. top with parmesan cheese and basil, then use a kitchen scissors to cut into pieces and serve.