Cast-Iron Pizza with Store-Bought Dough

During hot summer days, I am trying to keep my kitchen cool and opt for light and refreshing meals. As soon as the weather cools down a bit, I start having cravings for more ‘substantial’ meals than salads or chilled soups. Still, it has to be a quick and easy solution so I don’t spend much time near a hot oven or stove. Homemade Cast-Iron Pizza with Store-Bought Dough is ready under 30 minutes and is a fun-alternative to take-out.

Yes, you can easily make a delicious pizza at home in a cast-iron skillet using store-bought dough and achieve thin and crispy crust.

Buy Pizza dough (or make it from scratch)

You can buy pre-made pizza dough in any grocery store or local pizzeria. Both frozen and refrigerated pizza dough will work just fine. In my recipe, I am using refrigerated dough that is usually sold as approximately 0.5 kg (1 lb) ball. Use just half of dough if you are making pizza for 2 people in an 10” cast-iron skillet. Keep remaining dough in the fridge for several days depending on the date it was made.

For a special occasion, when you aren’t pressed for time and need to impress making an elaborate pizza, by any means, make your pizza dough from scratch.

Toppings

In this recipe, I am using traditional toppings such as tomato sauce, pepperoni, ham and mozzarella but you can experiment with any toppings you like. You can also purchase the toppings in the same store area where they sell pizza dough.

How to handle Pizza dough

You have 2 options:

1. Start working with dough straight out of the fridge. Cold dough is slightly harder to work with as it’s less elastic. However, if you manage to properly stretch cold pizza dough you will get perfectly thin crust.
2. Warm up pizza dough to room temperature. To do so, place dough in a bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it sit out in a warm place for 30 minutes. Warm dough is easier to roll out and stretch.

Preparation Steps

This recipe assumes 2 servings – 1 slice for her and the rest are for him 😊

1. Roll out and stretch pizza dough.
2. Preheat oven to 475 F.
3. Place stretched pizza dough on the cast-iron skillet and brush it with olive oil.
4. Pre-bake the crust for about 2 minutes.
5. Remove the skillet from the oven and add tomato sauce and toppings.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.
7. Switch the oven to broil for 2 minutes.
8. Pizza is ready when the crust is golden-brown and the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Cast-Iron Pizza with Store-Bought Dough

Recipe by The Minty Tomato

4.0 from 33 votes

Course: EntryDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

14

minutes

Calories

356

kcal

Inactive time

30

minutes

Total time

29

minutes

Homemade Cast-Iron Pizza with store-bought dough is ready under 30 minutes and is a fun-alternative to take-out.

Ingredients

• 200 grams Pizza dough, store-bought

• 1/3 cup Pepperoni, sliced

• 1/4 cup Ham, sliced

• 1/3 cup Tomato sauce

• 1/3 cup Mozzarella, shredded

• 2-3 Sprigs of fresh thyme, picked

• 1 tbsp Olive oil

• Fresh basil, to taste

Directions

• On the working surface, spread a thin layer of all-purpose flour, place dough ball and gently roll it out with a rolling pin. You can also use the palm of your hand and fingers to flatten and stretch the dough by pressing dough out from the center, widening the dough disc into a larger circle that fits your skillet.
• In order to stretch even more (optional step as it might not be easy!) try to rotate dough in the air with your knuckles using gravity. Work your way around the dough disc, stretching only the edge. Try not to pull from the middle to avoid holes.
• Preheat your oven to 475 F.
• Using a brush or a paper towel, spread a thin layer of olive oil over the inside of your 10″ cast-iron pan.
• Carefully place stretched pizza dough on the cast-iron skillet pressing it down with your fingers and up the edges of the skillet.
• Brush pizza dough with olive oil focusing on the edges.
• Place the cast-iron skillet in the preheated oven and pre-bake the crust for about 2 minutes so the crust becomes crispier.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and place it on heat-proof surface. Be careful – the skillet will be very hot!
• Spread tomato sauce over the pizza crust.
• Add toppings – pepperoni, ham, shredded mozzarella and fresh thyme.
• Transfer the skillet back to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges become golden.
• Switch the oven to broil for 2 minutes or less, adjusting based on your oven.
• When the crust is golden-brown and the cheese is bubbly, remove pizza from the oven. Place the skillet on heat-proof surface and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
• Cut your homemade pizza into slices and garnish with fresh basil.