Cast Iron Pizza Recipe with Garden-Fresh Ingredients

I have been making homemade pizzas since I was a child, so I consider myself to be a bit of a pizza-making expert (check out my basil, pepperoni & mushroom pizza recipe). I usually make pizzas in a standard pizza pan, but I also like using a deep dish pan (I am from the Chicago area, after all). That all changed once I thought of making pizza in a cast iron skillet a few weeks ago. It’s been cast iron pizzas ever since then & I’m not sure if I will ever return to my old pizza pans. The cast iron method makes the perfect soft on the inside & crispy on the outside pizza crust. Add my fresh from the garden homegrown/homemade pizza sauce, plus homemade crust with homegrown herbs & I feel like I hit the summer pizza jackpot. Keep on reading to see how I make cast iron pizza.

Ingredients

• 1 T Olive oil
• Pizza dough (check out my herb pizza dough recipe)
• 2 T of melted butter
• 1 t garlic powder
• Pizza sauce (I made my own using my homegrown tomato sauce recipe)
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Pepperoni
• Mushrooms

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cast iron pan in the oven to heat up.
2. Remove hot cast iron pan from the oven & evenly coat with olive oil.
3. Stretch out pizza dough & place in the cast iron pan. Carefully spread the dough until fits the pan.
4. Mix together melted butter & garlic powder. Spread the mixture on the edges of the pizza to make a garlic butter crust.
5. Spread pizza sauce on the dough. 
6. Place fresh mozzarella on top of the pizza sauce. Top with pepperoni & mushrooms.
7. Bake for 16 minutes, turning the pizza halfway through. Pizza is done when the crust is golden brown & the cheese is melted & slightly toasted.
8. Enjoy!

Tips

• I left out measurements for most of this recipe because pizza is so customizable. I like a lot of cheese & toppings while others take a more minimalist approach. More is more when pizza is concerned for me, but your taste may vary. Use as much or as little as you like.
• Let the pizza dough rest for a few minutes if it keeps pulling back to its original size while you’re shaping it & continue to stretch the dough once it is more workable.
• Be very careful when working with a hot cast iron pan, especially when stretching the dough. It might be easier to use a wooden spoon, instead of your hands for this step.
• I like making my pizza in layers, with cheese & topping layers alternating. A lasagna pizza strategy, if you will.

I mentioned in my herb pizza dough recipe how we have been on a fresh mozzarella kick for a few months now & we’re still on that flavor train. The only downside of using fresh mozzarella in pizzas is that the crust tends to get soggy. Not so with a cast iron skillet, which may be the main reason why our cast iron has become such a pizza-making fixture lately. The cast iron skillet still makes the crust crispy & soft even with fresh mozzarella. As far as I’m concerned, fresh mozzarella pizzas & cast iron skillets are a match made in heaven. I may venture back to my old pizza pans every now & then if I’m using regular mozzarella, but it’s cast iron from here on out if fresh mozzarella is the cheese of the day.

I am slowly but surely using more & more homegrown & homemade ingredients in my pizza. It started with using homemade sauce from my homegrown tomatoes, garlic & herbs. Then I moved on to homemade dough made with homegrown herbs. It’s definitely a lot more work than using store-bought tomato sauce & pizza crust, but believe me, it is worth it. The flavor is just incomparable & it’s a great way to treat yourself with the bounties of your garden. Give it a try if you already have your own homegrown tomatoes, garlic & herbs. Give it a try if you don’t. Tomatoes, garlic & herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow & growing your own is a decision that you will never regret. Plus, think of all the pizzas you could make!