Cast Iron Pan Pizza

Italian

90 m

If you haven't yet discovered the pan pizza, stop what you're doing right now. You NEED it in your life. The pan pizza is not like the others. In fact, I'd argue that, if properly executed, it has the best elements from every pizza out there. On one hand, you have the cheesy deliciousness you'd look for in any pizza. On the crust, you've got deep caramelization from the sugars in the tomato sauce and the cheese near the edges. And, of course, the dough (depending on what you use) provides a fantastic flavor and chewiness.

Ingredients

Zutaten

Dough
  • 1100 grams (7 1/2c) bread flour 
  • 38 grams (4 tsp) fine sea salt 
  • 2 gram (1/2 tsp) active dry yeast 
  • 780 grams or 3 1/4 cups of water
  • 2 cups low moisture mozzarella (shredded)
Pizza
  • 1 can crushed whole tomatoes
  • 5-6 leaves of basil
  • 2 tsp Osmo white flakey salt
  • 2 cups low moisture mozzarella (shredded)

Preparation

Zubereitung

Dough
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, salt, and yeast. Slowly add the water, and mix with a wooden spoon just to combine.
  2. Once the mixture is moistened, lightly flour a countertop or large cutting board and remove the dough from the bowl with lightly oiled or wet hands (to discourage sticking). Knead for 2-3 minutes to remove clumps and form into a dough ball.
  3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Place on counter and let sit 24 hours at room temperature.
  4. Lightly flour a large cutting board or your kitchen countertop, and place the dough on it. Wet or lightly oil your hands again.
  5. Divide dough into seven equal portions and make your dough balls. Place the dough balls into oiled cylindrical airtight containers (deli takeaway containers are ideal), date the containers, and place in the fridge for 48 to 96 hours.
  6. Remove from refrigerator at least 1 hour before use to allow the dough to come to room temperature; this lets the gluten relax and makes the dough malleable.
Sauce
  1. Roll basil into a tight log and slice thinly. Mix together sliced basil, tomatoes, and salt.
Pizza
  1. Spread your dough around the bottom of a cast iron pan.
  2. Lightly spread on your tomato sauce and place some along the edges to caramelize.
  3. Top with cheese, including along all the edges to crisp up.
  4. Bake at 450°F until golden brown and caramelized on top.
  5. To remove, slide a butter knife along the inner side of the pan to keep as much of the browned crust off the pan. Then slide out onto a cutting board, slice, and enjoy the crispiness!

Pairs well with

Flaky White Kosher Salt

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