Enjoy family dinner night at home with this easy recipe for Homemade Pan Pizza. Recipes for homemade pizza dough and sauce are included!
NOTE: This post was originally published March 2015 and is still one of the most popular recipes on the blog.
In my opinion, there is no better way to bake a pizza then in a cast iron skillet. This recipe for Homemade Pan Pizza is so easy and fantastically delicious that you may never order take-out pizza out again.
I love hand-tossed pizza but there is nothing quite like the crispy crust of a pan pizza. Also, there are no worries about building the perfect foundation and having to get that crust to an even thinness.
Just plop the dough ball in an olive oil coated cast iron pan and use your fingers to pat it to the edge. The dough is left to rise for a couple of hours, then topped with a sauce and toppings, and baked at a high oven temperature.
The result is a super crispy thick crunchy crust with a fluffy interior. AND you can use extra sauce and toppings without overloading the pizza and making a soggy crust.
Homemade Pan Pizza as an easy meal (even on a weeknight!)
Want to know how to make your own homemade pan pizza just as easy as picking up from the pizza place down the street? Well, it’s a little extra effort but totally worth it!
Start by making the dough the night before (or use pre-made pizza dough from the store) and letting it rise in the refrigerator overnight in a covered container. The next day, let the dough take a second rise in a cast iron pan, then top it with pizza sauce, veggies, meats, etc, and bake it off. BOOM! Dinner is served and it’s way tastier than that pizza pie from down the street.
A little tip: Save money by NOT buying that canned pizza sauce on the store shelf. Make your own at home by purchasing a good quality regular tomato sauce (with no sugar or any other “extra” ingredients) and mix it together with simple seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, and dried oregano. Add as little or as much seasoning as you like and leave the sugar where it rightfully belongs, in cake.
P.S. Make a batch of this homemade marinara sauce and meatballs (or leave out the meatballs for a vegetarian sauce) and freeze the leftovers, then take it out later to use in a homemade pan pizza.
It’s hard to see in this picture but there was chopped up white button mushrooms in this particular homemade version of marinara sauce. The favor of the mushrooms baked in the sauce combined with the sliced meatballs and ooey gooey melted cheese was simply divine. If you love mushrooms, put them on this pizza. You won’t regret it.
See that lovely browned crunchy edge combo of cheese and sauce? That’s why I love baking pizzas in a cast iron pan.
Hope you and the family enjoy this Homemade Pan Pizza next time the craving for take-out pizza hits!
- FOR THE DOUGH:
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1¾ - 2 cups bread flour
- ¾ cup warm water (105-110 degrees)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- FOR THE PIZZA:
- 2-3 Tb olive oil
- 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
- 2 cups whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
- various toppings of sliced vegetables and/or meats (like mushrooms, onions, peppers, black olives, artichokes, grilled chicken, pepperoni, pre-cooked meatballs and sausage, etc. Ham and pineapple too. Yummy!)
- 2 Tb fresh basil, chopped (optional)
- FOR THE DOUGH:
- In a large bowl, stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon of flour, and ¼ cup of warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes or until mixture looks foamy. Stir in remaining water, salt, and olive oil. Add flour, ½ cup at a time, until dough pulls away from side of bowl.
- Knead dough on light floured surface until it becomes a soft, smooth, and elastic ball of dough. Loosely cover bowl with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour. Or can place in a covered container and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
- After the first rising of the dough or right after removing dough from refrigerated overnight rising, place 2-3 Tb olive oil in a 10 inch or 10½ inch cast iron pan and put dough ball in the pan. Lightly press dough down into the oil and spread it to the sides of pan. Cover with a cloth and let sit in a warm area for 2 hours.
- FOR THE PIZZA:
- Preheat oven to 550 degrees.
- Lightly press down on dough in the pan to release any air bubbles that may have formed while rising and to push dough to edge of the pan. Spread sauce over top of dough to the edge of the pan. Top with cheese and desired amount of vegetable and/or meat items.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until bottom of crust is a golden brown and the cheese is fully melted and lightly brown.
- Top with fresh chopped basil, if desired. Remove pizza to a cutting board and cut into 6-8 slices.
- Enjoy!
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