Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 2 cups (11 ounces/312 grams) bread flour (For the Dough)
  • 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast (For the Dough)
  • 1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon table salt (For the Dough)

Pizza Sauce

  • 1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon coconut sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon dried Oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon dried Basil
  • ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder

Difficulty : Easy

Serves : 4

This recipe delivers a plush yet crisp crust, caramelized cheese edges, and a simple, fresh sauce made from pantry staples. It’s foolproof for beginners, too—no rolling or stretching drama here. The cast iron skillet ensures every bite is golden and delicious.

Why A Cast iron

Baking the pizza in a generously oiled cast-iron skillet gave the crust a golden, crispy exterior, almost like it had been fried. Some people suggested bacon grease or Ghee is a good alternative too. To take it a step further, I moved the skillet to the stovetop for the last few minutes of cooking, ensuring the bottom of the crust turned perfectly crisp.

Why Does it Take 14 Hours To Rest?

Instead of kneading the dough, I let it rest overnight in the refrigerator. During that time, the gluten developed enough to create a crust that could support all the toppings while still being soft and tender. I know that seems like a long time to wait but I promise it’s worth the wait and it only takes 5 minutes to prep and let it sit. You can do it!! I started with a simple, no-fuss dough made from bread flour, salt, yeast, and warm water. The warm water helped jump-start the yeast, giving the crust a light, airy texture.

Cheese Crust Is The Best Part!

For the irresistible crispy cheese edge—known as frico—I pressed shredded Monterey Jack cheese around the edges of the dough and slightly up the sides of the skillet.

For The Sauce

If you’re feeling up to it, I would recommend making this the same time you’re making your dough! The longer the dried seasonings marinate and open up in the sauce creates such a robust flavor! As for the tomato sauce, I used canned whole tomatoes because its less processed and taste fresher than the pre-crushed ones- (Source), I crushed them by hand to drain off excess juice; If you don’t drain them your sauce will be too watery for your pizza. Blend them with a few simple seasonings in my food processor—no cooking needed. You can definitely use regular canned sauce to shorten the time; I am trying to consume less processed food as much as possible so I spent a little more time on this. I treat this recipe like I’m making a micro dose of spaghetti sauce. The reason my portions seems small, i.e. 1/4 teaspoon, is because we are not making a lot of sauce it like we would for spaghetti. The result? A thick, flavorful sauce that stayed perfectly in place on the pizza.

Cooking Steps

  • 1
    Dough: Prep this the day before! (See explanation above) Mix the dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl. Then pour in warm water (105-110 degrees). Mix with your wooden spoon and then knead with your hand until it forms a sticky ball. Coat a pie pan with olive oil and place your dough in it, then cover with plastic wrap and leave in your fridge until the following day.
  • 2
    Pizza Sauce: Drain the canned tomatoes by placing them in a fine-mesh strainer. Use your hands to crush them and remove excess liquid. Transfer the crushed tomatoes to a food processor and blend with the olive oil, minced garlic, and seasonings until smooth, about 30 seconds. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 3 days.
  • 3
    Preheat your oven to 400°F
  • 4
    Take the dough out of the refrigerator two hours before baking. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • 5
    Coat the bottom of your 12-inch cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the skillet and use your fingertips to press it out, leaving about ⅛ inch of space from the edge. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it looks slightly puffy, about 1½ hours.
  • 6
    Spread ½ cup of the prepared sauce evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Save the remaining sauce for later use. Sprinkle the shredded Monterey Jack cheese along the edges of the dough, pressing it slightly into the sides of the skillet to form a cheese wall about ½ to ¾ inch tall (some cheese may not stick). Spread the mozzarella evenly over the sauce.
  • 7
    Bake the pizza for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese at the edges is deeply browned and bubbly.
  • 8
    Move the skillet to the stovetop (do not turn your burner on) Simply let it rest until the sizzling subsides, about 3 minutes. Run a butter knife along the edges to loosen the pizza. Using a thin metal spatula, lift the pizza slightly to check the bottom crust. If it needs additional browning, cook the pizza over medium heat on your stovetop for 2 to 5 minutes, but be cautious as the skillet handle will be hot!
  • 9
    Carefully transfer the pizza to a wire rack using two spatulas. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Products Used In This Recipe

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