Homemade Cast Iron Pizza Dough

Author: Jessica Milnes

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Homemade Cast Iron Pizza Dough

Homemade pizza night is even better when the pizza comes straight out of a cast iron skillet. This dough bakes up with a beautiful golden crust that is crispy around the edges while staying soft and chewy inside.

One of my favorite things about making homemade pizza dough is making enough to put some away in the freezer. I can make the mess once, freeze the extra dough after its first rise, and have homemade pizza dough ready for another night.

Top yours however your family likes it. That is half the fun of homemade pizza!

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 1 packet
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 to 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour or 00 pizza flour

For Each Cast Iron Pizza

• Olive oil for greasing the skillet
• About 1/2 cup pizza or tomato sauce
• About 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Your favorite pizza toppings
• Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
• Italian seasoning, optional
• 1 egg beaten with a splash of water for an egg wash, optional

Instructions

1. Warm the milk until it is just slightly warmer than lukewarm. You want it warm enough to activate the yeast without being hot.
2. Pour the warm milk and lukewarm water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and sugar or honey. Stir together and let the mixture sit for about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the room temperature eggs and olive oil and mix until combined.
4. Add 5 cups of flour and the salt. Mix until a soft dough begins to form. Add additional flour a little at a time if needed.
5. Continue mixing for about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
7. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the bowl.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
9. Once the dough has completed its first rise, punch it down.

If Making the Pizza Right Away

1. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.
2. Cover loosely and allow the dough to rise again for about 1 hour.
3. Lightly grease a 10 to 12 inch cast iron skillet with olive oil.
4. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll or stretch one dough ball until it is slightly larger than the bottom of your skillet. Keep the outer edge slightly thicker to create the crust.
5. Place the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet and use your fingers to gently shape the edges.
6. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest and rise in the skillet for about 1 hour.
7. While the dough finishes rising, preheat the oven to 500°F.
8. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the dough, leaving the outer crust uncovered.
9. Add shredded mozzarella and your family's favorite pizza toppings.
10. If desired, lightly brush the exposed crust with egg wash and sprinkle the pizza with Italian seasoning.
11. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
12. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Let the pizza rest for a few minutes before slicing. Finish with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Jessica's Freezer Method

1. This is how I like to make pizza dough because if I'm already going through the trouble of making homemade dough, I might as well make enough for another pizza night!
2. After the dough has completed its first rise, punch it down and divide it into portions.
3. Take whatever dough you aren't going to use that day and wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it immediately, before allowing it to go through its second rise.
4. When you're ready to make pizza, remove a portion of dough from the freezer, unwrap it, and allow it to thaw and come completely to room temperature.
5. Once the dough is thawed and at room temperature, continue with the recipe just as if you had made the dough fresh. Allow it to complete its remaining rise, shape it for the cast iron skillet, let it rise in the skillet, add your toppings, and bake.

Notes

Pizza dough is one of those things I love having tucked away in the freezer. It doesn't take much more work to make several portions at once, but it makes another homemade pizza night so much easier.

The important thing for me is freezing the extra dough after that first rise and before the second rise. I punch it down, portion it, wrap it really well in plastic wrap, and put it straight into the freezer.

When I'm ready for it, I pull it out and let it come all the way back to room temperature. Then I treat it exactly like the fresh dough and continue with the remaining rises.

And when it comes to toppings, use whatever your family loves. That's the beauty of homemade pizza!