CAST IRON SKILLET PEPPERONI PIZZA (for ten)
Some recipes call for a preheated pizza stone, which they argue improves pizza by mimicking a brick oven, ensuring even heat distribution and allowing moisture to escape, resulting in a crisper crust. Others prefer to use a pizza steel that creates a very hot cooking surface that also produces crisp, brown crusts. Absent these special pizza tools, some simply bake their pies on a traditional baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet.
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 pound homemade or purchased fresh pizza dough
¾ cup homemade or purchased pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup sliced pepperoni
grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
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1. Preheat oven to 350*. Brush bottom and sides of a 12 inch cast iron skillet with melted butter. Press dough into pan. Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni.
2. Bake on a lower rack until cheese and crust are puffed and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. If desired, top with grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.
adapted from tasteofhome.com