If you want a homemade pizza that requires no kneading, no special flour, or long wait time (because who among us has ever said “what I really crave is pizza that will be ready 1 to 3 days from now”), you should really, really be making more pan pizzas at home. You might even consider it a worthwhile addition to your 2026 cooking bucket list.
They’re actually impossible to mess up, falling into none of the other traps that besiege most homemade pizza efforts. Not only do you not need to knead the dough, you can pile it with all of the toppings your heart desires and it will never sog or flop in the center. You don’t have to watch the oven like a hawk or end up with something that tastes more like a cracker than a pizza — it actually bakes at a high heat for a full 30 minutes, yet will forgive you if you pull it out a little late. You don’t need a fancy pizza oven; the extremely basic one in my apartment handles this like a pro.
But the texture of the pizza tastes like something you worked much harder for — a thick, airy dough, pillowy and rippled with blistered cheese and toppings that go all the way to the toasted cheese edges (one of my favorite parts), and browned to a seasoned crouton-like crisp underneath, the kind that makes an audible crunch when you cut through it.
Below is the pizza in its more basic format: sauce, two types of cheese, a little basil on top, approved by the buttered noodle contingent of the family (just kidding; she will eviscerate the basil). But toppings are easy to add. Sometimes I roast some while the oven preheats (thickly sliced mushrooms, diced onions, peppers, and more); others can be sliced thin and piled on (such as pepperoni or fresh vegetables) right before baking. Be generous with the toppings; it won’t weigh the pizza down.
Note: This is the pan pizza dough we use in the Spinach and Artichoke Pan Pizza, the Pizza with Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Onions, and the Angry Grandma Pizza (in Smitten Kitchen Keepers) but as I made it for dinner last week for the millionth time, I realized that the site was lacking in this household favorite with no bells or whistles.
P.S. If you’re my teenaged son reading along, wondering what kind of recipes you might include in that core recipe arsenal we discussed: yes, this! [Before you say anything, no, I’m not emotionally prepared to have a website that spans from pre-kids days to baby food to a learn-to-cook list for an 11th grader but here we are!]
Video
Simple Crispy Pan Pizza
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond brand kosher salt; use half of other brands)
- 1 cup lukewarm water (100° to 115°F)
- Olive oil
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce, prepared or homemade
- 6 ounces coarsely grated or torn mozzarella cheese (1 1/3 cup grated)
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
- Seasonings such as salt, pepper flakes, and dried oregano
- Handful fresh basil
Crust
To finish
Assemble the pizza: Heat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Coat a 12-inch (30-cm) round cast-iron skillet with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape dough into the pan, then turn it over once so it’s oiled on both sides. Dip your fingers in the oil to coat them and dimple the dough out to the edges as best as you can; it’s okay if it doesn’t fully stretch at this point. Set it aside, loosely covered, for 30 minutes to finish proofing.
To assemble: Spoon the sauce generously over the dough, covering it all the way to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella, then pecorino or parmesan. Season as you wish with salt, pepper flakes, and oregano, then drizzle a final tablespoon of oil over the top before transferring it to the oven.
Bake the pizza: For 30 minutes, until deeply golden brown at the edges and toasty on top. Yes, this baking time and temperature is correct. It sounds very long but I’ve made a hundred of these pizzas and always regret when I take it out before 30 minutes, as the edges have a less satisfying crunch.
To serve: Scatter with fresh basil. You can serve it right in the pan, but I prefer to protect my knives. Loosen the pizza from the pan and slide it onto a cutting board before cutting it into wedges.
Do ahead: Leftovers reheat fantastically. I heat leftover slices on a foil-covered sheet pan at 350°F or 375°F for 5 to 10 minutes.
Seen here: I’ve had this cast-iron skillet for 20 years! You can also use your Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser. I use this dough whisk. And I’m obsessssssed with this stunning olive wood board I bought myself recently from Etsy. I want every size. While you can bake this in any old 9×13-inch baking pan too, I bought this one just because I wanted the cast iron edges to be as good as they are in a skillet. Pizza like this is such an easy win when kids’ friends come over, I might buy a second one soon.
Previously
6 months ago: Focaccia with Zucchini and Potatoes
1 year ago: Potato Leek Soup
2 years ago: French Onion Baked Lentils and Farro
3 years ago: Cauliflower Salad with Dates and Pistachios
4 years ago: My Favorite Lentil Salad
5 years ago: Lemon and Lime Mintade
6 years ago: Roasted Squash and Tofu with Ginger
7 years ago: Plush Coconut Cake
8 years ago: Sheet Pan Meatballs with Crispy Turmeric Chickpeas
9 years ago: Chocolate Dutch Baby
10 years ago: Blood Orange, Almond, and Ricotta Cake and Cabbage and Sausage Casserole
11 years ago: Key Lime Pie and Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
12 years ago: Pear and Hazelnut Muffins and Warm Lentil and Potato Salad
13 years ago: Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard, and Garlic
14 years ago: Buttermilk Roast Chicken
15 years ago: Baked Potato Soup
16 years ago: Black Bean Soup + Toasted Cumin Seed Crema and Cranberry Syrup and an Intensely Almond Cake
17 years ago: Clementine Cake and Mushroom Bourguignon
18 years ago: Chicken Caesar Salad and Fried Chicken
19 years ago: Grapefruit Yogurt Cake
PERFECT! Will make this week. Love the spinach/artichoke pizza. I think that you mean 3/4 *cup* of tomato sauce, and that you “Coat a 12-inch (30-cm) round cast-iron skillet *with* 3 tablespoons olive oil.”
Thanks, now fixed. [Amanda, who helps me out behind the scenes, is on maternity leave so I’m probably going to have even more typos than usual, ha.]
You’re worth all the typos! Happy to be your proofreader if you need temp help :)
If I make the dough the night before, do I let it rise at all or just stick it in the fridge?
Thanks!!
11th grade?? He is NOT!! *faints
You beat me to my response! Fainting right beside you.
Can’t wait to make this! Which oven rack do you recommend? Thanks! #HugeFan
I use the middle of my oven but all ovens are different.
No!! I remember his little cinnamon roll swirl! How can he possibly be in 11th grade!?
Even more fainting when I looked at the bottom and the very last entry was recipes from NINETEEN years ago! Gah – can’t believe I’ve been here for almost that long!
1. I’ve been a reader since 2009 when another site i followed at the time posted your breakfast pizza. I made it and was made a permanent fan. Every recipe of yours seems like a recipe I would make if I could write recipes. They are always immediately at home with me.
2. Your Margherita pizza dough was my go to for a very long time
3. Your foccacia for a crowd dough has taken its place for pizza as I get lazier than the lazy Margherita dough…
5. This will be next as my kids prefer thick pizza…but do you think can I double it and use a ten inch and a 12 inch pan? My 12th grader eats an obscene amount of pizza.
6. I have children in your kids’ ballpark ages so the nostalgia for baby days is shared!
This looks fantastic and so very easy! I’ve gotten really into skillet pizzas lately as well. I’ve been using a technique from How Sweet Eats that has you heat a cast iron skillet for 8ish minutes, add dough and toppings to the hot skillet, and then finish under a hot, pre-heated broiler. It works so well, but it is always a little stressful to get the raw dough on the scorching hot cast iron skillet. I love the ease of your approach and look forward to trying it!
I make the artichoke pan pizza regularly, and always double the dough to make a second, smaller pizza for the kids! I think ours are 14″ and 10″, and it works great!
This looks amazing! Do you have any suggestions for tomato sauce?
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/10/lazy-pizza-dough-favorite-margarita-pizza/ I really do need to clean up this old recipe but this contains an almost no-recipe sauce from canned tomatoes plus garlic and seasoning. You don’t even need to cook the sauce before making the pizza, it cooks when the pizza does and has a great flavor. But, storebought works too, any jarred sauce you like.
Wondering about adaptability for a large group that is about half thick-crust lovers and half thinner-crust lovers.
Am I better off making this dough for one group and your other pizza dough for the other group? OR can I just stretch this one into a larger pan? I notice that it is a high hydration dough (90%) largely the same as your focaccia for a crowd, which is a family favorite. Our thinner crust dough is about 65% hydration (adapted from a different smitten recipe, I think).
So, I guess I am wondering — Is it the higher hydration that makes this a thick, forgiving crust, or is it the pan size? Or the combination? Thanks for another great idea.
This looks like your focaccia for a crowd (our favorite) done a pan pizza.
You can press this out more thinly in a pan but it will bake faster. But you can use the dough two ways. The combination of a thicker pan and high hydration allows that long bake time that gives us the distinct textures — a fantastically crunchy crust, pillow inside, blistered and browned on top.
I will definitely make this. But I just wanted to add that I have a college graduate (!) who will move out someday (?) and I’ve been thinking of making her a book of recipes, some of which will undoubtedly be yours.
The now 20-somethings who occasionally live at this house have, over the years, popped links into a Google Doc that we all share. There are some Smitten recipes in there.
Our now- 20-somethings (sniff!) also have a shared doc that contains a fair number of Smitten recipes.
(There’s also an entire section of “things to put on toast when you’re REALLY not up for cooking”)
Hi Deb, I was wondering if you have any tips for making this gluten-free?
Not Deb, but I do make a pizza like this with a gluten-free dough that I have spent the past 15+ years working on. It’s finally gotten to the point where even the gluten-eaters think it’s delish. You can honestly use the *exact* proportions in this recipe with 2 cups of gluten-free flour blend (make sure it has brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and xanthan gum). I mix it in my mixer although you could do it by hand. It will be pretty wet. I then oil a clean bowl with olive oil and scape the wet dough out into the new bowl, flipping it carefully so that it’s all covered in oil. I use an oiled rubber spatula for this. Then follow the rest of Deb’s recipe exactly.
Please drop the core recipe arsenal!
Every kid who will someday be an adult should know how to make a quesadilla, vegetable soup, an omelet, muffins, rice, a salad, roast potatoes/vegetables, and hot chocolate from scratch. If they’ve got those basics, they can tackle anything!
Add roast chicken.it will feed them for a week.
Another vote for this
Here for the learning to cook / teaching the hungry teenager to feed themselves in volume content :) So far my 12 year old has mastered smoothies and fried rice. Pizza sounds like a good next step!
I think you left out the 1 tablespoon measurement for the olive oil in the dough. Here’s what you have in the recipe for the Spinach and Artichoke pan pizza:
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond brand kosher salt; use half of other brands)
1 cup lukewarm water (100° to 115°F)
1 tablespoon (15 grams) olive oil
Thank you — now fixed!
Thanks for this! Good sleuthing! I had just opened the bottle of olive oil!
This looks amazing! Do you think a Detroit pizza pan would yield sad results compared to the cast iron?
They’re cast-iron, right? I think it will bake fine in it, but probably doesn’t need the full 30 minutes. In general, though, I say go as long as you think it can handle for a good crunch on the crust.
This dough seems similar to the angry grandma pizza in your book. Can I use that recipe and cook it in the cast iron?
Yes!
I can’t say exactly how long I’ve been reading, but certainly before *your* babies. My oldest is a sophomore in college, loves to host dinner parties (though I think Sunday brunch is becoming his specialty), and revived a Smitten Kitchen cookbook for Christmas. He loves your focaccia recipe. Very useful since his college is in a bit of a food desert. In the middle of Lake superior is a beautiful place to live, but not a good place to get bread.
This is so lovely to read!
Oh my god Serious Eats had a recipe like this I used to make in college 12 years ago. Memory unlocked. I can’t wait to make this for my kids now.
Could I bake this in a 10inch skillet, or would that be too much dough? What would be your recommendation to adjust??
+1 for this question!
A 10-inch round pan at 2 inches depth is 69% of the capacity of a 12-inch round at the same depth. (Volume of a cylinder)
You beat me to it! I was going to say it’s too much dough unless you desire a thicker pizza. It’s really easy to scale this dough up and down, though. You could just use 3/4 of the recipe (1.5 cups flour, etc.)
thank you so much!!
Yes, thank you! This was my question, too!
Actually, at the very top of the recipe she mentions using a 9 x 13 pan if you don’t have cast iron. I made this last night in a slightly larger pan—it was amazing but crust a little thinner than pictured. I think it would be way too much for a 10” pan.
I’m sorry, 11th grade??? How does time go by so quickly.
We love this pizza at our house. Even my thin-crust-is-better kid loves it.
Also a fan of the spinach artichoke pizza! I made this as written in a cast iron pan with a canned tomato sauce. Using a counter-top convection oven it did want 28-30 min to get a crispy bottom, but the color on top was good at 18-20 min so I tented with foil. I seasoned with Italian seasoning, basil, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes. Really delicious result!
11th grade, *wow.*
(this sent me on a nostalgia spiral: God, I miss the old internet in a way that I think old-school Smitten readers probably relate to more than most. The way this blog made New York seem… how aspirational it felt to be in-the-know about certain recipes before everything online was aiming to be ‘trending.’)
Different times. Never knew I would miss them. Thanks for still giving us the best recipes online Deb :’)
had a conversation about this with some other educators tonight – about missing the “old Internet”. Weird, eh?
And I’m old enough to miss magazines. Yes indeed kiddos, we once got our new recipes and cooking ideas from magazines! I have numerous notebooks filled with clippings to prove it! Company coming? Run to the store to buy Ladies Home Journal, Sunset, Gourmet, Harrowsmith, umpteen others for inspiration. “Send me the recipe” didn’t mean take a phone shot to text to your friend. It meant sitting down with pen and paper and copying it out by hand. Ahh, the Good Olde Days.
LOL….probably a lot of us old timers around….I have a box of recipes from the 1970’s forward… And..yes I still use them!!
May I use King Arthur pizza dough instead of all purpose? Trying to use some up.
Do you mean King Arthur pizza *flour*? The site says that it is suitable for focaccia, so you probably should give it a try.
Yes – it is also referred to as “00” flour I believe. Going to try with half AP flour, half of the KA pizza flour.
I loved the spinach-artichoke version, but since my kiddo was less convinced, we’ve been using the dough with a more traditional pizza like this. Delicious! I also like to dollop on some of the sauce from the ‘green angel hair with garlic butter’ pasta, along with the tomato sauce.
Gonna make this very soon! What kind of mozzarella is recommended? The kind that’s fresh or the kind that’s low moisture?
I prefer mozz that’s not packed in water for pizza. If yours is, just drain it well.
11th GRADE!!! When did that happen???? I remember when he was born.
It just doesn’t seem possible. Sixteen years already? Which means I’ve been reading Smitten for 18 or so. Yikes.
We haven’t seen a photo in a long time, I hope he still has that marvelous mop of curly hair.
Just freaking out that Jacob is in 11th grade!!!!
I made this last night. It was easy and delicious!
This looks delicious and like a good cooking project for this upcoming cold weather!
I don’t have a cast iron pan. You mention you could make this in a 9×13 pan. Would a 9×13 glass casserole dish work? Or does it have to be metal or cast iron?
Alternately I do have stainless steel but worry about it sticking.
Thanks!
Glass could work — I haven’t tested it, but it should be something you can bake this kind of pizza in — but it might be safest to bake it at 425 instead.
I have made pizza with this dough in my glass Pyrex 9×13, since I don’t have a metal 9×13. My only issue is that the finished pizza sticks, though I try to oil the pan well.
High hydration doughs like this stick like crazy to glass. (I’ve chipped focaccia out of many a glass dish.) A metal pan would work better if you’ve got it — the crust should release easily once it crisps up. Alternatively, you could always line the bottom of either with parchment.
I made two of these pizzas last night, one in stainless steel and one in le creuset. The one in the Le creuset stuck like crazy, it’s still soaking off!
Thank you all!
Just made this with a few topping mods and it was just like you said! Extra crispy crunchy dough on the outside and tender on the inside. I don’t have a 12” cast iron skillet and used a 10.5” one instead. It turned out wonderful!
It was super hard to leave it in the oven for 30 minutes, but I persevered for 29 minutes anyway, and I’m so glad you put the note in the recipe about the baking time. Great recipe!
I just have to join in the “holy wow, time flies” crowd! Also, I have loved a recipe of yours from a magazine forever (chicken with grapes and olives), and it spawned a family favorite pizza…pesto base, chicken (leftover is great) bits, red grapes and mozzarella! Amazing, it’s my 23 year olds favorite.
I had it! YamYam
I was going to ask if we could make this in *the braiser* and you beat me to it! I only have one 12-inch cast iron skillet so now I can double it no problem. Excited to try this during the big snow storm this weekend (as long as my power doesn’t go out!)
We love your Angry Grandma Pizza, & this looks like just the dinner to pull me out of my cold weather megrims. (I encountered this word while reading “The Moonstone” this week. After your challenge in the Weekly Yap, I decided to look it up. Well worth it, and now it’s a keeper!)
I’ve made this two days in a row in my stainless steel skillet and today with the dough divided between said skillet (which is 10″) and an oval ceramic baking dish to accommodate the extra volume. I’m in Europe so not sure if the issue is my oven settings (yesterday I did convection, today I did top+bottom heat) or my flour (German type 550) but I’m getting the top really brown and the bottom crust is still soft/mild golden at best. I love the recipe but could use some tips getting the crust across the finish line. Lower in the oven? Type 00 flour? Otherwise, though, really simple and fantastic recipe and really worth playing with – thank you for sharing.
I had the same problem (without convection & in US.) I let my oven heat for a LONG time, like let it come to temp & then put my dough in the pan to rest for 30 min. I started tenting my pizza with aluminum foil after 15 minutes because I use low moisture mozzarella & it was browning too fast. Lower in oven can only help, too- my rack is right at the bottom 1/3 line & that seems perfect.
But maybe it’s a pan thing? I use a well-loved, *dark* 9×13 cake pan that’s pretty heavy gauge metal. When I worked in a pizza place with a big gas-fired oven, the new pans were always garbage for crust.
I’m joining the club that cannot BELIEVE he is in 11th grade! I’m saying this as someone who started reading this blog in 2009, when my own oldest daughter was two and we were living in Vietnam and I was homesick and making recipes from your blog on a 2-burner, portable gas-stove and a tiny, countertop oven that was suspiciously EasyBake-like. It was the first baking I ever did. I still make your cream biscuits and cauliflower/red bean/feta salad and pecan sandies and everyday chocolate cake and asparagus-goat cheese pasta and black bean soup andandand… Thank you for being a home-chef lighthouse keeper for all these years, even while keeping dependents alive!
This has been made at least once a week since the crust was posted with spinach, etc.! I use an old 9×13 brownie pan & have doubled on a half sheet for leftovers (as long as the teenager doesn’t notice.) Other than needing to toss some foil over it @ 15 min due to wonky oven, no notes at all. So so so good.
Is anyone else lactose intolerant & have any suggestions?
Made this for dinner tonight and thought the crispy crust rivaled our favorite local pizza joint (Via313 for those in Austin). Great recipe that will be in our regular rotation.
Thanks for the fantastic recipe! If anyone’s wondering, it converts effortlessly to sourdough. I skipped the yeast and added 100g mature, fed starter. Mixed the dough this morning, did 4 sets of stretch-and-folds at half hour increments and then let the dough proof until dinner time. No kneading, no bread flour, I didn’t even bother to subtract the weight of my starter from the other ingredients. Just made the recipe otherwise as written and used a 14 inch skillet to accommodate the additional volume, and it was perfect. Crispy bottom, fluffy, airy, super-soft dough that filled the pan. This is going in my regular rotation!
Yum, will try with starter. Thanks so much for the tip!!
Thank you for this. Excited to try with my sourdough starter.
Interesting… I made this last night with sourdough discard, keeping the yeast but subtracting some flour and water to account for the added sourdough. I didn’t do any stretches or folds, just followed the recipe as written. My crust turned out veerrry soft and delicate, barely cooked despite 40 min baking, and certainly no crunch. Not sure if the problem was the sourdough itself, the lack of folding/stretching, or the pan (a metal 9×13) – or maybe too much liquidy sauce. Still ended up tasty!
Is the 12in pan measured across top? I have two large cast iron pans and one is huge with a 12in diameter at bottom and another pan is 12in across top and tapers smaller at bottom. Thank you.
Yes, we list pan measurements by the top diameter.
This looks similar to Alexandra Stafford’s Detroit pizza, which is a house favorite.
The best way to reheat pizza is very similar to the way I cook dumplings: in a skillet with (a little) water covered until warmed through and then with the lid off to recrisp the bottom
Making this now and I think you need to specify the amount of olive oil. I believe we need 1 tbsp in the dough (as per spinach artichoke pizza recipe)? And then 3 tbsp for assembly (as you say in the instructions).
Nevermind, seeing that this was already fixed when I reloaded the page!
We made this for dinner and enjoyed having a deep dish pizza for a change. I loved the crunch of the crust and you can still pick it up and eat it like a regular pizza slice. Would recommend removing it carefully from the pan because of possible excess oil on the bottom. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I topped mine with a little cheese and cold leftover spaghetti and meatballs (with sauce), which I can recommend.
After the dough is turned into the oiled cast iron pan, and while the oven is preheating, I place the pan under a moderate flame on the stove to pre-crisp the bottom of the dough and then proceed to top the pizza. This extra quick step results in a far crisper bottom crust. If you like a crunch/char, I rec the step.
This has been my go-to pizza method since you posted the spinach and artichoke pan pizza a couple of years ago. I most recently made it last week with Marcella’s tomato sauce, thinly sliced and par-roasted butternut squash, and crumbled sausage. It just hits every time.
This was the PERFECT snowmageddon/ice storm meal. The crust was easy, and the pizza came out perfectly! Thank you!
Doubled the recipe and made half of it in a 12” cast iron, half in a glass 9×13. The cast iron one (baked on the upper rack) turned out perfectly! The glass one (lower rack) totally burned- the whole bottom half had to be left in the pan. Bummer! I was trying not to babysit it but should have kept a closer eye. I’ll put the glass pan on the top rack in the future because this is a keeper, but my fam needs two pizzas at least!
Thank you for this and so many other recipes here and in your cookbooks. I’ve made so many over the years, and they never fail. You’ve made me a better cook.
Just made this and 1000000% Pizza Hut vibes!! I keep cutting off more wedges and eating them standing up. So good and will make again.
Hi! Made this today and it was incredible. Wondering if you’ve ever tried freezing the dough and if it was successful? Would love to make a few of these and freeze them for later for easier meal prep, but not sure if this dough would stand up to freezing. Thank you!
Would it turn out fine to use whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) instead of white flour? Or at least 1/2 whole wheat 1/2 white?
I made it with 1 part whole wheat, 3 parts white and it came out fine
Deb, I came here for cocoa brownies and now I’m wondering if the focaccia dough proofing on my counter could be repurposed with some tomato sauce and cheese on top…you are a wonder. Thanks for the idea!
So delicious! Our 11th grader made it, following the recipe exactly, and it was incredible. Would like to add to the dinner rotation. I wondered about 30 minutes at 450 but it was soooo good. Yum!
Just took the last bite of this and immediately came to the comments. I’m literally licking my chops!! So easy and so tasty. The whole thing is magical!
ELEVENTH GRADE. Following since 2008 and my mind is 🤯
I made the simple pan pizza and the dough was great. However the cheese on the top was solid black. Should I bake the dough 15 minutes and then add the cheese. Would that work.
This is my go-to pizza dough now! I use this dough for the broccoli pizza recipe, which I make frequently. So easy and so good!
This is just what I needed. Thank you! I’m also not prepared to have been here since Jacob’s bun in the oven post and now to have written a little book of recipes for my daughter in college but I have and it has so many Smitten Kitchen recipe’s – especially the favorite brownies and crispy chewy chocolate chip cookies. Goat cheese pasta is on the agenda for tonight!
Thank you this was AWESOME! I made a regular pizza and one that was gluten free and they were both delicious. I made the gluten free one with King Arthur GF bread flour and it was great. I just needed to add some extra water to the gluten free dough. Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!!!
Also how in the world did your tiny baby suddenly end up in 11th grade!!! It’s just not possible!
Wow this is amazing! I followed the recipe to a T and was rewarded with a delicious fresh pizza that is probably the best I’ve ever had. We put pepperoni on ours. Thank you for a true winner that will now be on weekly rotation. Also, it is SO easy – either I make it on a weekend when I have time to play with the dough, or you gave instructions for partial proofing so that I could make it on a busy weeknight.
Yes! I’ve been basically making this simple version since I decided I didn’t like the artichoke topping. In a 9×13 metal pan.
Now I can print it out without all those pesky pesto instructions. Congrats on the teenager. They keep getting older and dragging you with them.
You had me at 9X13″ pan! I’m still mad at myself for not treating my cast iron skillet the right way and getting rid of it years ago…this sounds yummy and doable.
Ermagersh. This was delish. I doubled it for my crowd, made one in a cast iron pan and another in a metal 9×13 pan (I only had one cast-iron, so I had to make do) and they were both fantastic. I added pepperoni to both and was a bit worried it might burn with the long bake time, but it was fine.
Such a great meal for a snow day!
Can someone who has made both compare this to the version from King Arthur “Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza”? The KA version does call for the long rise, which makes it a planning challenge.
I read through all comments several times and still not sure how to adapt this dough recipe in a 12 inch cast iron skillet to yield a THIN crispy pizza crust. I am so excited to make this pizza but we prefer thin crust. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR FABULOUS RECIPES. I MAKE YOUR INVISIBLE APPLE CAKE EVERY WEEK USING CUISINART SLICING DISK. 5 MINUTES!
Try the 13×9″ pan. It’s much thinner!
This recipe punches wayyyy above its weight. So easy and so incredibly, unbelievably delicious. I’ve been a fan of the artichoke pan pizza for a while, and so I was very excited to try this plain version. But also, already looking forward to trying out some additional toppings next time… anybody tried with mushroom, spinach, ricotta?
I made this over the weekend and it was incredible! I didn’t have a cast iron pan, so I quickly ordered one and boy oh boy was it ever soooooo delicious. Thank you Deb for another incredible recipe!
Made the pan pizza recipe, and it was pretty easy—as you said! Dying to try it, but have to be patient or I’ll totally fry my mouth!! 🔥 I used my braised, which was perfect! Added mushroom & peppers…. THANK YOU!!
A keeper! 100%
Easy and tasty! Crust came out nice and crispy.
Hey there, this pizza recipe sounds wonderful… Unfortunately I have a hubby who has celiac disease. Has anyone ever tried making it with the one for one gluten-free flour? I’m willing to take the risk and try it myself…. But I thought I’d throw the question out there to see if anyone else has any suggestions.
A couple folks have made it gluten free and offered notes in the comments. You can skim through or (if you are on a PC) use CTRL+F and type gluten into the search box that will pop up in the upper right corner. Questions about gluten are frequent on this site, so it is usually worth searching or reading the comments.
Hi Connie!
I made it with King Arthur GF bread flour and it came out great. I used the same weight of flour but I had to add extra water. Worked great!
Thank you so much for this report on using the gluten-free flour. I will certainly try it!
I also have a 12 inch tri-ply stainless saute pan. Can I make the pizza in that and still be successful?
This worked out well and was delicious! I don’t own a 12″ cast-iron skillet, so rather than using the 10″ skillet, I used a 10 x 13″ sheet pan. It was slightly too large, so I didn’t bother to reach the dough all the way to the sides. I really liked the texture and flavor of the dough. Next time might replace the mozzarella with a more assertive cheese (maybe just smoked mozzarella) and add mushrooms or another vegetable (fennel?) topping.
Love SK and have enjoyed this string of pizza recipes too! Would love to someday also have a crust that can be used similarly (the cast-iron pan is dreamy) but which leans more to the chewy side – this dough gives us springy, focaccia-like crust. That can be good! I just would love Deb’s signature attention to everyday technique applied to a chewier/less spongy crust style too. (Pizza is great because there are so many styles, right?)
How long do you let it warm up and proof in the pan if you put it in the fridge? Hour for room temperature in bowl and same proofing? Additionally, can you use two 9″ cake pans if you do not have cast iron? Thank you!
You can use 2 9″ cake pans. I don’t find it needs extra warming up time. 30 is fine once in the pan.
This has been on regular rotation in our house since Smitten Kitchen Keepers came out, and it’s a hit every time! My go-to homemade pizza dough recipe!
I made this pizza today, it looks like Deb’s,I can’t say to all of her beautiful recipes. This is exactly as reported. It’s delicious, I urge you to make it.
Deb, could you make the dough with active dry yeast instead of instant yeast? Was just reading up on that here https://www.marthastewart.com/7796997/active-dry-yeast-vs-instant-rapid-rise-yeast and it says to just increase the prooving time.
Thinking of prepping the dough day 1, letting it sit in fridge overnight, then baking my pizza on day 2 to allow plenty of time for the yeast to do its thing.
Absolutely. Two things with active dry yeast: I usually mix it with just the warm water to start. You can just give it 5 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients. And the second is that I often find doughs with active dry to proof faster, just keep an eye on it. [The “instant” in instant yeast is not about speed, just that no pre-hydration is needed.]
Do you need to follow the packet instructions for active dry yeast (1/4 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar), or use the same amount of yeast and water as noted in the recipe? Thanks!
Reporting back! I bloomed the yeast in 110 degree water for five mins, then followed the rest of the recipe. First proof was ready after 1 hr 15 mins and second proof 30 mins. The dough was INCREDIBLE!! We are already daydreaming of various toppings.
As with some other comments, the cheese was darker than I like but our oven runs true, if maybe a bit hot. But the crust was bang on. Such a great recipe.
That’s great. How much water did you use, if you don’t mind me asking? And did you add sugar?
This was delicious! I made lots of errors in mixing the dough and it STILL worked (so very forgiving). The cheese burned a bit at 30 minutes but the crust was AH-MAZING! Next time (and there will be a next time), I think I will add herbs to the dough and add some pepperoni.
Do you have a recipe for a cornmeal crust for pizza? I recently had one and it was DELICIOUS 😋!!! Keep up the great work in the kitchen, I appreciate it. Thanks, Kara
I made this tonight. I sautéed onions and onions while the dough rose and placed them on top. Although I worried about the long cooking time, I did it and it was FABULOUS. I have made many pizza recipes and I have a couple of favorites but this rises to the top especially because it is not only wonderful but I can put it together in an afternoon.
Gotta say, the 30 minutes at 450° really didn’t work for me, it came out burnt to a crisp.
My oven runs pretty true, and I followed the “30 minutes flat” guidance closely. I checked at 20 minutes and it looked on track, but by 30 it was a total loss.
I usually have great luck with your recipes, so this was a bummer. PSA for other readers: definitely start checking early and don’t treat the 30 minutes as absolute. At a time when wasting food is extra stressful, this one hurt. Fingers crossed I can at least salvage my cast iron.
I had the same issue. Deb’s recipes are spot on. I was bummed that I ruined it. However, I will persevere till I get it right.
Also disappointed. 23 minutes was too long. I wanted to follow the recipe & leave it in for the full 30, but smelled it getting burnt & had to pull it out. Cheese was overcarmelized & dried out, bottom crust was too dark & hard. I usually do 15 min at 445 w my other pizza recipe (same pan) & it comes out great every time.
Maybe start checking at 18 minutes?
2nd time, success!
Baked at 440 for 20 min, then put on the bottom rack at 450 for the last 5 to get the crust crisp. So much better this time around.
I had this same issue. I baked at 435 because I was nervous about it. Even with the lower temp, I checked about halfway through and the cheese was already too dark in spots but the crust wasn’t done yet. I covered it with foil and kept baking for the rest of the 30 minutes. It was fine, but next time I’ll adjust the temperature and time.
What kind of pan were you using?
Made this tonight – I didn’t have a regular ball of mozzarella so after 20 minutes I pulled it out and quickly dumped on some bocconcini balls that I’d squished a bit and let sit in a little garlic-infused olive oil (I was going to let them marinate a bit in some pesto but I was out so oh well). I put it back in for 12 minutes more (to make up for the transition) and the result was a gorgeous layer of molten mozzarella on top. Highly recommend!
Until now the King Arthur crispy cheesy pan pizza had been our go-to homemade recipe, but this is a new fave. The crust is much lighter (i.e. less bready), and of course being able to start the dough just a few hours before dinnertime is a huge plus. Because I was trying to use up what I had on hand, I used a generous cup of torn mozz as well as a generous cup of ricotta dolloped over the top, and it was super yummy.
This was really yummy and easy to make. Loved the crispy crust! My husband said that this made him nostalgic for Pizza Hut pan pizza circa 1990 in the best way possible.
Thank you for this, was delicious. For anyone using larger baking pans, I used a rectangular nonstick one (36cmx23cm), same amount of ingredients. Was perfectly baked after 20min, same as in photo :) Not too thin, crusty edges, focaccia-like interior…yum!
My topping was 1/2lb. Italian sausage, 6 slices pepperoni chopped, 1 small onion and 1/2 recipe of Alison Roman’s Shallot paste. This topping is rather dry so feel free to dilute with a little white wine. I will be making batches of the topping to freeze because that is the kind of cook I am.
Oh, I did do cheese also. I might try a piece of parchment in my pan so I can lift the pizza out. So good! Husband who only likes thin crust asked to have this again. Winner, winner!
My husband is a pro at making Neapolitan pizza in his fancy outdoor pizza oven. He usually starts 2 or 3 days before we get to eat it. But I’ve been craving a thick pan pizza like this for a while so when this popped up I immediately sent it to him. He made it tonight in our regular (old and rickety) kitchen oven and it came out SO good! And no waiting days! I somehow don’t have a 12 inch cast iron pan and my SK brasier was in use, so we used a 14 inch cast iron. Thought the dough would be thinner since it was stretched wider but it wasn’t! Looked just like the pictures. We’ll have to go back and try your other pizza recipes.
We made this tonight and it was PERFECT. Thank you!
For at least 50 years, I’ve made homemade pizza 45-48 Saturday nights of any given year. We liked this pizza so much that it’ll be added to the rotation. Detroit, Chicago deep dish, Chicago tavern-style thin crust, Roberta’s, St. Louis, Mexican, Pizza Hut personal pan, grandma style, stovetop cast iron, pour-in-the-pan, etc, etc.–this new-to-me recipe made it to the Top Five..
50 years! Impressive and a notable endorsement that it made your top 5.
Loved it! I piled it high with toppings so it needed about 5 more minutes, but in a stone 9″x13″ pan it turned out perfect! Will be making it again later in the week.
Delicious and easy enough to put together even on a weeknight. I’ve been making homemade pizza for two decades and have been searching for a crust that I love. This was my first time baking in a cast iron pan and I’m so glad I did. The center of the pizza was pillowy, the bottom and edges crunchy. I topped with tomatoes (straight from the can), mushrooms, and olives. Now I can finally get rid of the pizza stone that is taking up so much space in my cabinet and never seemed to produce the results I was looking for. And while I do imagine this would reheat well, we ate the whole pie. Thanks for another great recipe.
No modifications needed on this recipe! Perfect as written. Love all the pizza recipes on the site and my normal go-to is Lazy Pizza Dough. This was a great change up and, if I might say, even Lazier than the Lazy Pizza Dough recipe. I used recommended pan and the full 30 minutes in the oven. I did keep an eye at the 20 minute mark based on other reviews. Ended up covering the top with some foil after browning got to my liking (24 minutes). It did seem like a lot of olive oil in the pan but baked up beautifully. Wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks for another great one, Deb.
This is now known as “snow day pizza” in our house! We live in Charlotte, North Carolina and never get snow, but I made this during the ice storm last weekend and the snow storm this weekend (we got 11 inches!!!). Really hits the spot on a snuggly-blankets-on-couch-with-a-silly-movie-on, chilly kind of day. The first time it did stick to my cast iron pan despite all of the olive oil so I made it in cake pan rounds on the bottom rack of the oven on top of hot baking sheets and it was perfect.
Delicious! Went rogue and used Trader Joe’s crust and pizza sauce. (Am I allowed to admit…??) Was terrific but maybe a bit too done. Will check sooner next time.
Made a pesto version but otherwise followed the recipe. Spot on and delicious! Tented with foil at 25 minutes and continued baking for the full 30. Might tent a few minutes earlier next time. Also, started the dough at 4:00pm, and we ate at 6:20pm! Can’t beat that.
omg! you don’t knead this. just dump the ingredients in a bowl, stir, & let it do it’s thing for a couple hours. & roasting veggies in the preheating oven while the dough has it’s 2nd rise; I don’t get grease all over the cook top from sauteeing them. this is pizza chez moi from now on.
I’ve made this three times. First time, exactly as written but I found the dough too spongy, more like a focaccia? Second and third times I replaced half the AP flour with bread flour and got a chewier, heartier crust (still baked the 30 mins); maybe not the point of this recipe but we vastly preferred it. This recipe is so easy and will be a go-to for me. My only complaint is scrubbing the pan after. Thank you!
My picky five year old requested pizza for dinner at 4:30pm. I mixed up the dough at 5pm, let it do its thing until 6:10, put it in the pan for the second proof until 6:30 and it was out of the oven and on the table at 7. I thought it was doomed because I rushed it, but no! I Can’t BELIEVE how good it was! Crispy and hearty and perfect for a freezing cold night. My son gobbled it up and announced that we didn’t need to order pizza ever again 😂 Thank you, Deb! Your recipes always come through!
I’ve been a follower and a fan for years, but I’m confused why this recipe is shared with no reference to the almost-identical King Arthur Crispy Pan Pizza, which was their 2020 pizza of the year. One wonderful thing about the KA recipe is that you can make it anywhere from 12-72 hours ahead of time, which makes it a perfect recipe to make ahead for a busy evening.
I was curious so I looked it up. It’s a gorgeous pizza and I love King Arthur’s work but there’s almost nothing the same (not the dough process, water level, yeast level, pan size, schedule) except for both being baked in skillets. What I think makes this pizza special is the ease: no kneading, no folding, no extended dough-forming process with long rests. It exactly right for what I need in a pan pizza.
For those of us with a 10-inch cast iron skillet, three-quarters of the recipe is perfect for the decrease in size. I also made an additional half recipe and divided it into four to make breadsticks (I added a bit of garlic powder and parmesan to the top of them; I’ll add a little flaky sea salt next time).
But back to the pizza, I did the full 30 minutes at 450°F on a lower rack in the oven, plus a little extra with the oven off because my husband was running late. Perfectly crispy. Focaccia-like. 10/10.
Kate- this is the tip I needed, thanks!
So glad it was helpful!
Could we sub in a little whole wheat flour? Deb, what would you recommend in terms of proportion? And add a little extra water maybe?
I made this yesterday and it was great! The only skillet I own isn’t cast iron and it’s only 10 inches, but it worked perfectly. I did leave a little bit of the dough out because I was worried the crust would be too thick in the smaller skillet. It was crispy/no soggy bottom after 30 minutes at 450°.
WHOA. This knocked our socks off. We stood at the counter and inhaled it right off the cutting board. I feel like I’ve been chasing a New York pizzeria-blistered crust creation for *years*, that I just wasn’t meant to achieve in my little residential oven. But this was so satisfying, I could see us easily whipping it up every weekend or so. I did 1.25 times the recipe, as I had a 15” cast iron skillet. Loaded it with mozzarella, good quality parm that I grated myself, lots of Italian sausage, and lots of pepperoni, and it held up great. I did do 450° for 30 minutes, and might do 35-38 next time, the oily crunch was that good. Husband and kids were impressed. I loved this so much.
I know this a dumb question (and I normally just make the dough on time but – want to do two batches for Super Bowl) How do I know when is “right before it’s fully doubled” if I want to do the fridge overnight option? Would that be at like an hour of rising time? Or just a few minutes before the 90 minute – 2 hour mark?
Also – could you quadruple this? (I just made it from the doubled version out of keepers but, can you double that? I’m making in two batches because idk but I guess now typing this out I obviously could scale up more?)
How can I substitute regular yeast….it’s all I have
It works just fine here. I would mix it with the warm water to start, just to give it 5 minutes to wake up. I would check the dough on the earlier side. I often find that it proofs doughs faster.
Long time fan. Cannot believe how easy and indulgent this was. Thank you!
As a solo I did cut it in half, baked in it a smaller cast iron skillet and it was perfect. Next time though I’ll make the full dough recipe and freeze half for an even easier future dinner.
“Burnt” edges looked kinda scary but were the tastiest bits!
Can I use a dutch oven or do you think it would be too hard to get out?
This crust is delicious! It’s so crispy. It’s been in our dinner rotation the last year or so (“the angry grandma (pizza)” recipe from Smitten Kitchen Keepers). We use our Lloyd deep dish pizza pans over cast iron but I imagine it would have a similar crispy result. It makes Friday night dinner easy and delicious!
My 1st try resulted in a flat oily pizza. I can adjust the rise times to account for my drafty chilly apartment. But the 3 Tbs of oil in skillet and a drizzle over the top seemed too much. Thoughts?
Hmm. I had pretty bad results with a 9×13 Pyrex. Burnt edges, stuck crust, spongy dough. Maybe I’ll remove some dough and try my 10” cast iron next time
Did you reduce your oven temp by 25 degrees to account for the use of Pyrex? It can make a big difference.
That’s the focaccia dough you posted eons ago! I recognize it immediately because I’ve been using it at least once a week for years. Mostly for actual focaccia, but also for “fopizza” (which is the same thing as this, except I decide to add toppings after I’ve already let the dough rise a second time in a rectangular dish, and I add anything that’s in the fridge – broccoli and onions is surprisingly good). Sometimes I’ll add spices or herbs or garlic or cheese or all of the above to the dough. Sometimes I shape it into something like a Ciabatta. Sometimes rolls. Gosh I’ve been meaning to tell you this for ages, this simple dough is a real game changer! It can do anything!
I normally make one of those “ready in 24 to 72 hour” pizza doughs. So, psyched to try this one next week. We often use a 9×13 pan and for ease in removing it from the pan to cut, I line the pan with a sheet of parchment before adding oil and then the dough. Easier to remove without burning your fingers, no scrubbing crusted cheese out (although washing is still required) and no knive scratches on the pan. Just adding in case it helps someone else.
Made this today, and I’m very happy with it!
Don’t know if I’d consider it fool-proof exactly, but it feels quite close to it.
I made it partly with whole wheat flour (used about 110g whole wheat to 150g all-purpose), so decided to increase the water and the yeast by a little bit. I also made the dough in the early afternoon so transferred it to the fridge toward the double-in-size stage, as suggested, except I might’ve waited a little too long, because coming out of the fridge in the evening it has more than doubled, and felt quite soft (had a bit of structure, but still almost poured out into the pan). Was worried about messing up the ratios and about overproofing, but continued according to the recipe.
And it worked! Even with a generous amount of sauce, and a generous amount of cheese, and a generous amount of toppings (a mix of thinly-sliced zucchini and red onion with salami slices), it rose well in the oven and held it all without collapsing.
Like with previous attempts I made with whole wheat flour, the dough came out a bit more bready than a classic chewy pizza dough, but we still really liked it. A keeper for me.
I had only a 10″ cast iron skillet and a small 6″ skillet. I just pinched off a small ball of the dough and pushed it into the smaller pan to make a “garlic bread” (melted butter mixed with minced garlic and chopped herbs poured generously over the base and cover with cheddar cheese). Baked both pizza and garlic bread together for a very satisfying meal.
Only note: the base was nice and crisp on both but there there was a pool of oil left in the pan and got carried over to the cutting board? The ~3 tbsp olive oil seems like a lot, I will reduce it next time.
Also: genius idea to roast the mushrooms as the oven preheated. My husband was just eating the roasted mushrooms out of the pan.
I have made this pizza 6 times this month. EXCELLENT Everyone loves it!
I too have an 11th grade boy, and I’ve been reading along since the pre-baby days, enjoyed the shared journey from out here in Colorado. If you would generously consider making a post on that “Must Learn to Cook before Leaving the Nest” list, I would LOVE it!
Been thinking about this pizza nonstop since you mentioned it in your newsletter, and finally made it today! So easy & good. Used a 9 x 13 pan because I only have 10” cast iron. I was worried I’d miss out texturally, but I don’t think I did! It was perfectly crispy chewy.
Ok, I know Deb said to cut this recipe down by 1/4 for a 10″ cast iron – but I forgot to do that tonight and it was still marvelous in my 10″ as written – the crust was a little thicker, that’s all. I might do that again instead of the math :).
This was fantastic! Easy and turned out exactly as you said it would. Baked for the full 30 minutes and the crust was crunchy perfection.
I made this tonight and it turned out delicious but reaaaaaallly stuck to my cast iron. It’s a new cast iron though, so maybe that was the glitch? I will try again!
With some commenters noting the cheese browining a little faster, thoughts on getting the pan started on the stovetop then moving to the oven?
The 2nd time we made this we put the crust + sauce in for 15 minutes, took it out, added a little more sauce and the cheese and put it back in for the last 15 minutes. It was perfect! The cheese was still a little gooey, which is what we were looking for.
This is the most perfect recipe! It was a huge hit and I’m sure we will make it again and again. Our family has a rating system where if a dish is really tasty but it’s complicated to make, it has a lower rating than a dish that might not be quite as good but is easier to make. This pizza recipe is a 10/10 all the way!
I am never making another pizza again!! This has become a staple on our family rotation! Having fun experimenting with toppings….we did a pesto/potato combo, which was delicious! I’ve also been using 1/2 King Arthur ’00’ pizza flour, which turns out lovely. Thank you again Deb for being my go-to, no-fail recipe source!!
Has anyone tried to freeze a cooked pizza?
I was a devotee of the lazy pizza dough in your first cookbook (the only cookbook I own where I have “actual” bookmarks for the things I make on repeat) But I’ve now made this pan pizza a few times and I think I’m not gonna stop :). Definitely a new fave.