Recipe: How to make deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet

Who doesn't love the crisp crust of a deep dish pizza? You can create pizzeria-style deep dish with your cast iron skillet. Whether you are new to pizza making or a dough pro, this is an easy recipe to follow.

First you'll need to make a dough. If you don't have the time or desire to make your own dough, buy a pre-made pizza dough at the grocery store and skip this step.

Step one:

Gather

3 cups flour (bread flour is better, but all-purpose will do)

1 package of dry active yeast

1 cup milk

1 Tbs. salt

1 Tbs. oil

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl. It should form a stiff dough ball. If there is flour left add a little water. If it is too wet to form a stiff ball, add a little flour. Knead this ball for 10 minutes on a floured surface. Put the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 24 hours in the refrigerator. For an even better result, let it rise for 48-72 hours.

Take the dough out of the fridge an hour or so before you plan to use it. When it is room temp, roll it out until it is roughly the size and shape of your skillet. Put 2-3 Tbs of oil in the bottom of your skillet and swirl it to cover all surfaces of the skillet. Gently press the dough into the skillet. Let rise for 30 min.

While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 425. Add your favorite toppings to the pizza and put it in the oven on the bottom rack of the oven. This adds crispiness to the bottom of the pizza.

Let it cook for 15 minutes or until the cheese and crust are golden brown. Enjoy.

If you want to use a lot of toppings, I recommend cooking them before you put them on the pizza. Pepperoni, for example, has a lot of extra oil that comes out when you cook it. If you pre-cook it and drain the fat off, your pizza will not be as greasy in the end.

Those jars of pizza a sauce at the grocery store are a scam.

You can make your own sauce on the cheap.

You'll need

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs Italian spice mix

1 clove of crushed garlic or 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix these ingredients in a saucepan on low. Let it simmer until it makes  thick sauce. Use what you need and freeze the rest.

No cast iron skillet?

If you do not have a cast iron skillet you can use 9 inch cake pans. I split the dough between two of them to make personal pan pizzas.

Pizza too greasy?

A common complaint about deep dish pizza is that it is too greasy. To help with this problem, use reduced fat mozzarella and pre-cook your pepperoni. To pre-cook: Microwave your pepperoni for 1 minute between paper towels.

Crust not crispy?

Move your oven rack to the lowest rung in your oven. Preheat to 450 then reduce to 425 after you put the pizza in. This allows your pan heat up quickly, but lowering the heat should keep your pizza from burning before the inside is done.