Best Crispy Pan Pizza

Since we’ve been in “stay-at home” status, we’ve made this pizza now four times, and I don’t know if we’ll ever order takeout pizza again.

Before the first time we made it, I pictured us all in the kitchen wearing flour-covered aprons discussing how yeast rises and spinning crusts into the air. So to the kid’s daily to do lists, I asked them to do a little research on yeast, teach me three things, and then we’d make the pizza dough. Fun, right?

The first thing I heard was, “Stop trying to make everything school, Mom.” Well, I never.

At this point there are no daily lists, we’re doing the best we can with school and sometimes chocolate chips is a side dish.

Back to the pizza.

I discovered this recipe on King Arthur Flour’s page and read it was chosen as their 2020 Recipe of the Year. So, we gave it a try. Making the crust is a little time consuming with all the steps and wait times, but trust me when I say it’s well worth it. And it’s super simple.

We begin this process the day before pizza night:

Mix the flour, salt yeast, water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir together to make a shaggy, sticky mass of dough with no patches of flour. This takes about 45 seconds using the beater paddle. Scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the dough into a rough ball and cover the bowl for 5 minutes.

Uncover the bowl and use your wet hand to go between the side of the bowl and the dough, as though you were going to lift the dough out and stretch the bottom of the dough up and over its top. Repeat three more times, turning the bowl 90° each time. This process of four stretches, which takes the place of kneading, is called a fold. Recover the bowl.

After 5 minutes do another fold. Wait 5 minutes and repeat; then another 5 minutes, and do a fourth and final fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest, undisturbed, for 40 minutes. Then refrigerate it for a minimum of 12 hours, or up to 72 hours. We typically do overnight. It’ll rise slowly as it chills, developing flavor.

About 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, prepare your pan. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil into a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Heavy, dark cast iron will give you a superb crust; but if you don’t have it, use another oven-safe heavy-bottomed skillet of similar size, or a 10” round cake pan or 9” square pan. Tilt the pan to spread the oil across the bottom and edges.  

Move the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat both sides with the oil. After coating the dough in oil, press the dough to the edges of the pan, dimpling it using the tips of your fingers in the process. The dough may start to resist and shrink back; that’s OK, just cover it and let it rest for about 15 minutes, then repeat the dimpling/pressing. At this point the dough should reach the edges of the pan. 

Cover the crust and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. The fully risen dough will look soft and pillowy and will jiggle when you gently shake the pan.

About 30 minutes before baking, place one rack at the bottom of the oven and one toward the top (about 4″ to 5″ from the top heating element). Preheat the oven to 450°F.

When you’re ready to bake the pizza, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella (about 1 cup) evenly over the crust. Cover the entire crust, no bare dough showing; this will yield caramelized edges. Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese; laying the cheese down first like this will prevent the sauce from seeping into the crust and making it soggy.

Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella and any extra toppings. We like to add pepperoni, mushrooms and sautéed colorful peppers. Finally, we add a thin later of freshly-grated parmesan cheese.

Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom and edges of the crust are a rich golden brown (use a spatula to check the bottom). If the bottom is brown but the top still seems pale, transfer the pizza to the top rack and bake for 2 to 4 minutes longer. On the other hand, if the top seems fine but the bottom’s not browned to your liking, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for another 2 to 4 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a heatproof surface. Carefully run a table knife or spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let the pizza cool very briefly; as soon as you feel comfortable doing so, carefully transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

Cut into eight wedges and serve.

More tips and details from King Arthur Flour can be found here.

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