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We're not using the grill as much as we used to for more reasons than just it's unbelievably hot out there, so I was intrigued today when I read about using a cast iron pan to make homemade pizza on top of the stove. Though a couple of 10-inch pizzas would be plenty for the two of us with leftovers, a large cast iron grill like the one I have would make a bigger pizza if you wanted one, as long as you don't mind an oblong pizza instead of a round one. You could use either the flat side or the griddle side, too.
I didn't need a recipe for making pizza dough or pizza sauce, so I just slimmed everything down into a list of what they suggested doing to make it on top of the stove. It took me a while to put it in an organized fashion, moving around some of the article's text and rewording some of it, so I decided to post it here.
Stovetop Pizza in a Cast Iron Pan
Making a 10-in. pizza in 12-in. pan.
Make-Ahead Pizza Dinner for One or Two
You can prep everything, including the dough and toppings, and keep it all refrigerated until you're ready to cook. With everything ready to go, actually cooking these stovetop pizzas takes 10 minutes, tops. It's okay if the dough is still a little chilly from the fridge; it will still cook just fine! Adding some mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, the classic margherita pizza, would be good enough for us.
One Pound of Dough makes Two 10-inch Pizzas
Stretch 1/2 pound of dough to a 10-inch round and use a 12-inch skillet so the dough is thin enough to cook through.
Heat Pan, Then Use Medium Heat
The tricky part when cooking pizza on the stovetop is making sure the crust gets baked but doesn't start to burn. Start by heating your pan on medium-high until it gets really hot. Reduce the heat to medium and add about 1 teaspoon olive oil until smoking. Medium heat should be high enough to develop golden, toasty spots on both sides without tipping it over into burning. It's fine to peek at the underside with a spatula and adjust the heat up or down as needed.
Cooking the First Side of the Pizza
Transfer the round of pizza dough to the pan. Cook until you see large bubbles forming on top and the underside shows golden spots, about 1 minute. You can deflate the bubbles with the edge of your spatula — or leave them! They'll turn into crispy bits once you flip the pizza.
Cover the Pizza to Cook the Top
Once you've cooked the first side and flipped the pizza crust, then add 1/2 cup sauce, and the toppings, like diced onions, diced peppers, cooked sausage, or any other favorite toppings EXCEPT pepperoni, which needs heat from above, and would just sit there getting flaccid and unpleasant, so don’t use it here.
Cover the pan to make sure the cheese melts and the other toppings get warmed through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Lift top to after 4 minutes to see if cheese is melted. For a more traditional oven-baked pizza, with all the crispy bits, you can run the pizza under the broiler for a minute or two toward the end of cooking. Once the cheese has melted to your liking, the pizza is ready!
I didn't need a recipe for making pizza dough or pizza sauce, so I just slimmed everything down into a list of what they suggested doing to make it on top of the stove. It took me a while to put it in an organized fashion, moving around some of the article's text and rewording some of it, so I decided to post it here.
Stovetop Pizza in a Cast Iron Pan
Making a 10-in. pizza in 12-in. pan.
Make-Ahead Pizza Dinner for One or Two
You can prep everything, including the dough and toppings, and keep it all refrigerated until you're ready to cook. With everything ready to go, actually cooking these stovetop pizzas takes 10 minutes, tops. It's okay if the dough is still a little chilly from the fridge; it will still cook just fine! Adding some mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, the classic margherita pizza, would be good enough for us.
One Pound of Dough makes Two 10-inch Pizzas
Stretch 1/2 pound of dough to a 10-inch round and use a 12-inch skillet so the dough is thin enough to cook through.
Heat Pan, Then Use Medium Heat
The tricky part when cooking pizza on the stovetop is making sure the crust gets baked but doesn't start to burn. Start by heating your pan on medium-high until it gets really hot. Reduce the heat to medium and add about 1 teaspoon olive oil until smoking. Medium heat should be high enough to develop golden, toasty spots on both sides without tipping it over into burning. It's fine to peek at the underside with a spatula and adjust the heat up or down as needed.
Cooking the First Side of the Pizza
Transfer the round of pizza dough to the pan. Cook until you see large bubbles forming on top and the underside shows golden spots, about 1 minute. You can deflate the bubbles with the edge of your spatula — or leave them! They'll turn into crispy bits once you flip the pizza.
Cover the Pizza to Cook the Top
Once you've cooked the first side and flipped the pizza crust, then add 1/2 cup sauce, and the toppings, like diced onions, diced peppers, cooked sausage, or any other favorite toppings EXCEPT pepperoni, which needs heat from above, and would just sit there getting flaccid and unpleasant, so don’t use it here.
Cover the pan to make sure the cheese melts and the other toppings get warmed through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Lift top to after 4 minutes to see if cheese is melted. For a more traditional oven-baked pizza, with all the crispy bits, you can run the pizza under the broiler for a minute or two toward the end of cooking. Once the cheese has melted to your liking, the pizza is ready!
