Friday pizza night, upgraded: the cast-iron skillet is the cheat code. A screaming-hot skillet gives you a crisp, golden, almost-fried crust edge that a pizza stone spends its whole life chasing — with dough you can buy at the store.
Makes one 12-in. pizza · Prep 10 min · Bake 12–15 min at 500°F (or oven max)
Ingredients
- 1 lb store-bought pizza dough, room temp
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup pizza sauce
- 1½ cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- toppings of choice (pepperoni, peppers, onion, mushrooms)
- parmesan + Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Put a 12-in. cast-iron skillet in the oven while it preheats to 500°F.
- Stretch the dough to a 12-in. round on a floured surface.
- Carefully lay the dough in the hot oiled skillet; add the sauce, cheese, and toppings.
- Bake for 12–15 min until the crust is deep golden; broil for 1–2 min for spotty cheese. Rest for 5 min before slicing.
Tip: Preheat the skillet, go easy on the sauce, and finish with a 2-minute broil for those leopard spots.