Cast Iron Pan Pizza

Cast Iron Pan Pizza is perfect for a pizza night at home. This tasty homemade pizza dough is cooked in a cast iron pan so it’s nice and crispy on the outside but still soft and chewy on the inside. Topped with marinara, layered with fresh mozzarella and tomato slices, and then baked till melted and bubbly! For a quick overview on this recipe, check out my web story for How to Make Cast Iron Pan Pizza.

Pizza Night at Home

Our family loves having a make your own pizza night on the weekend. We gather a bunch of different toppings and everyone gets to customize their pizza however they like. We partially bake all of the crusts and then let the kids top their own pizzas. They love being able to help out in the kitchen and create their own dinner. Growing up, I actually didn’t like pizza - crazy I know. Pizza was just never my go-to comfort food or quick dinner. Now that I am older and have perfected my homemade pizza dough recipes, I love doing pizza nights with my kids. 

Cast Iron Pizza Dough 

I originally developed this pizza dough recipe a few years back after diving into Michael Ruhlman’s book, Ratio. It’s an amazing book if you want to learn more about standard ratios for baking. It gives you the basic ratios for things like bread, dough, and batters and allows you to use those to build and create your own recipes. This book really cracked the code of the mystery of baking and allowed me to become more comfortable with creating recipes. This homemade pizza dough recipe works really well for cast iron pan pizza. If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can also use a pizza stone or even a sheet pan.  

Pizza Topping Ideas

There are probably a million different pizza topping combinations that could be created. You can be simple with your toppings and just select a few standard ones or you can get pretty wild and crazy and top your pizza with just about anything! Sliced tomatoes and mozzarella with a little bit of fresh basil is my favorite combination. Here are some other favorites:

• Crumbled Italian sausage with sliced black olives
• BBQ sauce with shredded chicken 
• Ham and pineapple
• Sauteed mushroom and spinach
• Mini meatballs and parmesan cheese

How to Make Cast Iron Pizza from Scratch

First, you need to start with your dough. If you aren’t feeling up to making dough from scratch, you can make cast iron pizza with store-bought dough. For those that are up for the challenge, here’s how to put it together:

1. Mix your yeast with warm water in a bowl to give it time to start activating.
2. Then mix in your olive oil, salt, and most of the flour and give it a good stir to start forming the dough.
3. Next, turn the dough out onto the counter and start kneading, adding flour as needed until the dough is tacky to the touch, but not sticky. This will let you get a good idea of how much flour you need without adding too much.
4. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, let it rest in a ziptop bag in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes. It can sit in there for up to 8 hours if you want to make it ahead of time.

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Finishing it Up…

Now that your dough is ready to go, it’s time to finish it up. This dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas using a 10” cast iron pan. I love Lodge cast iron pans and use their 10.25” pre-seasoned cast iron skillet for this recipe.  Here’s how to make cast iron pizza in the oven:

1. First, sprinkle your cast iron pan with cornmeal to prevent sticking and divide the dough into two pieces. Take one piece and flatten it out onto the bottom of the pan and up the sides the best that you can.
2. Then, start cooking your crust on the stovetop. As your dough heats up, push the dough more evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan to create your crust.
3. Once the dough is bubbly and starting to cook on the edges, remove it from the heat. Create some divets in the dough with your fingers, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. The crust is now cooked enough to hold its shape so it can be removed from the pan so you can repeat with the other piece of dough. You can also add your toppings and finish it in the oven and repeat after the entire pizza is done.
5. After your crusts have been pre-baked, add your sauce and toppings and finish them in the oven either in the cast iron pan, a sheet pan or directly on the baking racks. I like to use my Old School Italian Gravy for my pizza sauce.
6. Remove the pizza(s) from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before cooling.

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Can Pizza Dough Be Made Ahead of Time?

This homemade pizza dough can be made ahead of time to make things easier come serving time. Store the premade dough in a ziptop bag for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. I like putting it together in the morning to make things easier when it comes to dinner time. This pizza dough can be made then pre-baked and stored for later use. I like wrapping the prebaked crusts in plastic wrap and then storing them in a ziptop bag in the freezer. They should stay good for up to 2 months when stored like this. Thaw them completely when you are ready to use the crusts. Then place them in a cast iron pan and crisp them up for about 5 minutes on the stovetop. Now they are ready for toppings!

More Pizza Love...

I hope you enjoyed this recipe for my Cast Iron Pan Pizza as much as our family does. It's such a fun activity to do with friends or family. For all of you pizza lovers out there, here are even more pizza recipes to check out on the blog:

• Pizza on the Grill
• Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese
• Italian Flatbread Pizzas
• Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Lastly, if you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as well, if you make any of my recipes. It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.

Happy Cooking!

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**This post was originally published in September 2017 and was re-published in January 2021