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In my house, we eat a lot of pizza. So, its nice to be able to make pizza that is prepared in different ways so the meal doesn’t get boring. I also tend to load it up with vegetables so that it can be a healthier meal than you may get when ordering take out. And just when I thought I had perfected the art of making pizza, I watched a video on bonappetit.com that taught me a whole new cooking method of cooking that might just create, the perfect pizza.
Learn how to do it yourself and enjoy your next pizza night even more than the last.
Special tools needed:
Cast-iron skillet
Oven that heats up to at least 500 degrees
Ingredients
- Pizza dough (homemade or bought from a local store pizza restaurant like Pinky G’s Pizzaria)
- Cornmeal
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Toppings of your choice (suggestions include fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, asparagus, broccoli, Boursin cheese, pine nuts, sausage, etc.)
Instructions
- Let your pizza dough proof unrefrigerated for at least an hour before you are ready to cook it. Preheat the oven as high as it will go (mine goes to 550 F and that works fine but up to 700 F is great too) Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium high. Toss or hand form the dough into a round shape as large as the skillet, being careful not to tear any holes in the dough as it stretches. Over the bottom of the dough with a generous layer of cornmeal and place it in the pan. Let it heat, un-topped until bubbles are forming on the top of the dough (approximately 2-3 minutes). Sprinkle dough with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then add your toppings, being careful not to overcrowd the top (pizza that has too many toppings will get soggy). If the bottom starts to burn, turn the stove off. Once topped with the toppings of your choice, place the skillet in the oven and cook until all the toppings are melted, slightly brown and it appears done (about 5 minutes depending on the toppings and the thickness of the dough).
- Remove and let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes before you cut into it. Enjoy!
Posted in Recipes, The Dish, Allison's News & Guide Column