Cast Iron Pizza

Lombardi's Pizza in New York City.  I've had the privilege of dining there on two separate occasions.  They make the kind of pizza that I strive to recreate at home. 🍕#pizzagoals

In my very complex pizza ranking system, Lombardis pizza is only second to the pizza that I ate in Italy. 🤣It's hard to compare the pizza that I ate in Italy to the pizza that I had in New York City.  Maybe it's the water or the flour or the tomtoes but there's just something special about a pizza made in Italy.  I'm pretty sure that sitting at a table for 2 in a bustling piazza in the heart of Venice, nibbling on a hand crafted pie influenced my taste buds. 🇮🇹The smells, the sounds, the people - eating pizza in Italy is a memorable experience.  

We can actually get pretty decent pizza here in Georgia but my favorite pizza and the one that I try and recreate at home is the pizza we ate in Italy.  It's hard to find pizza places that have mastered the perfect combination of crust, sauce and cheese.  So I've taken matter into my own hands and I've got to say that the process of learning to craft the perfect Italian pizza in my own kitchen is one of my favorite cooking experiments of all time.  👩🏻‍🍳

My favorite way to cook pizza at home is on my Big Green Egg.  Check out my recipe here: https://www.mystoryinrecipes.com/blog-posts/thin-crust-pizza.  If you prefer a heartier pizza with a thicker crust, (or you don't have a Big Green Egg at your disposal) you need to check out this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Pizza.  

Think of it as an upgraded version of the Pizza Hut pan pizza.  But this is WAY better than any ordinary take out pizza.   This might not be Italy or New York City quality pan pizza but it's way better than the take out pizza in my town.  It's hearty enough to hold up to big pieces of vegetables and piles of meat but still soft and chewy.

Cast Iron Pizza
Dough
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast
1 cup warm water

Sauce
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes

Pizza
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 3/4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Combine flour, salt and yeast in bowl.  

Add water and knead for 1 minute. 

Transfer to a greased 9" cake pan.  Pat dough into a 7-8" circle.  

Spray top with Pam, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

Process tomatoes, oil, garlic, sugar, salt, oregano and pepper in food processor. 

Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Coat bottom of cast iron skillet with oil.  Transfer dough to skillet. Flatten with fingers.  

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 1 1/2 hours. 

Spread 1/2 cup sauce over dough leaving a 1/2" border.  

Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese over border forming a 1/2" wall on side of skillet. 

Evenly sprinkle Mozzarella over sauce.

Bake 25-30 minutes on lowest rack at 400.  

Transfer to stovetop and let sit 3 minutes.  Cook pizza over medium heat until bottom is evenly browned. 

Transfer pizza to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  

​Slice and serve.

I was hesitant about putting Monterrey Jack cheese on a pizza but let me tell you - don't knock it till you try it.  It's pretty darn delicious.  Watch out mozzarella and provolone - there's a new pizza cheese in town.  

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe