Why Do You Need a Cast Iron Pan for Homemade Pizza
Homemade pizza nerds are avid fans; for the timid newbie, the sheer amount of conflicting information available on the various pizza lovers’ forums isn’t reassuring at all. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to build a brick oven in your backyard or even buy a stone to make a great pizza – in fact, you probably already have everything you need.
After my pizza stone split in two with pickled jalapenos last year, I started using a preheated cast iron skillet for all of my high heat baked goods. I haven’t looked back: cast iron makes a phenomenally good pizza , it is more durable and versatile than ceramic stones. If you haven’t tried pan pizza yet, a treat awaits you. Here’s how to do it.
Preheat a cast iron skillet in the 500ยบ F oven for about an hour. Using the back of your wrists (don’t hang it over your knuckles, as this may cause a tear), gently pull the pizza dough ball into a circle slightly smaller than the diameter of your pan. Transfer the hot skillet to the stove, carefully insert the dough, bring to the top and return to the oven for about 15 minutes; Finish under the brazier if you like. Repeat until you run out of dough, filling and / or no room in your stomach. Putting the dough in a hot skillet takes practice – the rind will probably help – but once you’ve chosen the size, it’s easy. Also, that doesn’t mean deformed pizza tastes bad.
This method works for several reasons. First, cast iron obviously retains heat like no other, which means it achieves and maintains the incredibly high temperatures required for excellent crust structure. Second, the sides of the pan wrap this incredibly hot medium around the sides of the pizza so that the edges get charred too. The downsides are minimal – the two main downsides are limited space and a small learning curve – and the results, frankly, speak for themselves. Happy pizza, all of you.