Hot & Gooey Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza
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Hot, gooey, and delicious! Double-crusted skillet pizza, stuffed with a mixture of Italian cheeses, homemade pizza sauce, and spicy Calabrian-style salami. My recipes gives you find step-by-step instructions for how to make excellent rustic, thick-crust pizza at home in a cast iron skillet.
This rustic deep-dish pan pizza is the total opposite of the wood-fired thin-crust pizzas I usually crave, but it satisfies on a serious level. It’s one to add to your dinner recipe collection.
Every once in a while you gotta go big! If you’ve ever had Chicago-style pizza or Sicilian deep dish pan pizza dough then you know what you’re in for.
How often do you indulge in a seriously cheesy, thick slice of pizza? I sometimes try to “healthify” (like topping a pizza crust with mushrooms, kale and ricotta) when I create recipes, so it’s been way too long for me.
Along with a big pile of greens on the side, a slice of thick-crust pizza makes one of the best simple suppers. A deep-dish pizza is also an easy way to feed a crowd without a lot of work.
- This is a two-crusted stuffed pizza, using my favorite foolproof pizza dough recipe. The pizza dough is separated into two balls and rolled out with a rolling pin.
- One layer goes into a cast-iron skillet topped with thick rich, tomato ragu, a mixture of mozzarella and other cheeses, and thinly sliced salami. Then you add the second piece of dough and the rest of the toppings.
Homemade dough requires an extra planning step, but it’s so easy to make. However, to save time prepared store-bought dough will be your best friend.
Tips for making deep dish pizza:
- Preheat your oven 30 minutes in advance. Consistent high heat makes the best crust.
- For the sauce, use whole tomatoes packed in puree, if possible. Cook the sauce in a wide skillet (rather than a saucepan) so it will cook down and thicken quicker.
- We all love fresh mozzarella, but it’s not the best choice for this kind of pizza — it contains too much water and weighs down the dough. Whole milk low-moisture mozzarella is what you want.
- A cast iron skillet is key for this recipe. I recommend this sturdy inexpensive one made by Lodge. Aside from making amazing deep-dish pizza, it’s useful for so many other cooking adventures!
- Let the pizza cool a bit before slicing. The waiting is the hardest part, for sure. But cutting into a deep-dish pizza straight out of the oven is like doing the same to a lasagna – you get gloppy, sloppy slices.
- This pizza reheats really well. Cover it with foil and heat at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Hot & Gooey Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough (1 ½ pounds of store-bought pizza dough can be used instead)
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) cool water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 3 ½ cups (500 g) 500 grams all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons (20 g) fine sea salt
Thick Tomato Sauce
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes packed in puree
- Kosher salt
- ½ – 1 teaspoon crushed red chili
- Freshly ground black pepper
Pizza
- 1 recipe Slow-Rise Dough (above), or 1½ pounds prepared pizza dough
- ¼ pound (110 g) thinly sliced spicy salami, such as Calabrese
- 10 ounces (280 g) shredded Italian cheese blend
- 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Combine all the ingredients except for the salt in a heavy duty mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on medium speed until all the flour is incorporated.
- Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes, then add the salt and knead on medium speed for 2 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it on a counter for 1 hour, then place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Let the dough come to room temperature about 4 hours before baking.
To make the sauce:
- Put the onion, garlic and olive oil in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook until the onion is softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, 1 1½ teaspoons salt, chili and black pepper to taste. Break up the tomatoes a bit with a wooden spoon and cook uncovered over medium heat until the sauce is thickened, 20-25 minutes.
To make the pizza:
- Preheat oven to 425 (220 C) degrees for at least 30 minutes.
- Coat a 12-inch cast iron skillet lightly with olive oil.
- Punch the dough down and form into 2 equal balls. Let the balls rest 10 minutes, then roll the them out with a rolling pin on a floured surface into circles slightly larger than than the skillet.
- Transfer one piece of dough to the skillet and press it up the side of the pan. Arrange half of the salami on the dough, followed by half the cheese and the sauce. Top with the other dough round and repeat with the salami and sauce. Pinch the two pieces of dough together to seal the edge.
- Put the pan in then oven and place a jelly roll pan or piece of aluminum foil on the rack under the pan to catch any drips.
- Bake the pizza 20 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the pizza with the rest of the cheese and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, until the sides of the crust are golden and the cheese is bubbling.
- Cool to warm or room temperature, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- If you’re not making your own sauce, make sure to use a thick chunky premade one (about 3 cups). If it’s on the thin side, simmer in a wide skillet to reduce and thicken the sauce.
- Instead of making dough, use one pound of prepared pizza dough instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
WOW this pizza looks amazing!