Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

For a thicker pizza use this technique with your favorite pizza dough and toppings.

You can use your favorite pizza sauce or pesto for this pizza. We usually use a tomato based sauce.

We have been using dough from our rustic sourdough bread recipe. The bread recipe makes enough for 4 pizzas and is great for deep dish pizza. Our sourdough pizza dough recipe is less work, but does not quite rise as much.

If you have spent grain after a home brewing session, the spent grain pizza dough recipe is a great change from the ordinary.

Print Recipe

Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Equipment

• 12 -inch Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 dough for 12 or 13-inch pizza
• sauce for a 12 or 13-inch pizza about 1/2 cup
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 2 cups mozarella cheese shredded
• choice of toppings

Instructions

• If your dough is refrigerated, bring it up to room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
• Pre-heat your oven to 400 ºF.
• Coat your cast-iron skillet with olive oil.
  
• Place your dough ball in the center of the cast iron skillet. Use your fingertips to flatten the dough until it is even and just barely touches the sides of the skillet.
  
• Spread your sauce over the dough, but leave about 1/2 inch around the sides bare.
  
• Using your fingers, press the Monterey Jack cheese into the side of the skillet. Form a wall about an inch tall around the edge.
  
• Spread the mozzarella evenly over the sauce.
  
• Spread your toppings over the mozzarella.
  
• Bake in a 400 ºF oven for 30 minutes.
  
• Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then take a knife and run it around the edge. Use a thin spatula to sneak a peek at the bottom of the pizza. You want it to be browned.
  
• If it is not browned, then put the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for about 5 minutes to brown it.
  
• Transfer the pizza out of the cast iron skillet to a plate to cool for a few minutes and serve.
  

This recipe is based on one we once saw in Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

The lodge 12-inch skillet (or something similar) works well for this. The dual assist handles work better when using the pan in an oven than a long handle.