Skillet Pizza

Why this recipe works Making pizza at home is gratifying, and it almost always tastes better than what you can get from delivery. But achieving a pizza with a crisp crust in the home oven can also be a real challenge. You need to stretch the dough carefully, preheat a heavy baking stone, and then swiftly slide the topped dough round into a hot oven, making sure the pizza maintains its shape. In searching for a foolproof method for cooking pizza whenever the mood struck, we found that making truly great pizza is a breeze in a skillet. Our dough came together quickly in the food processor; after we let it rise, we rolled it thin and then transferred it to a cool oiled skillet, where we topped it with a fast no-cook sauce and slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. We placed the skillet over a hot burner to get it good and hot and to set the bottom of the crust. Once the crust began to brown, we simply slid the skillet into a 500-degree oven. In the oven, the hot skillet functioned like a pizza stone, crisping up our crust in just minutes and melting the cheese. We’ve featured a Margherita pizza topping here, adorning the sauce and cheese with just a sprinkle of basil. But if you’d like a more substantial topping for your pizza, feel free to sprinkle pepperoni, sautéed mushrooms, or browned sausage over the cheese before baking; just be sure to keep the toppings light or they may weigh down the thin crust and make it soggy. The sauce will yield more than is needed in the recipe; extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to one month.

MAKES: two 11-inch pizzas

RESTING TIME: 2 minutes

RISING TIME: 1½ to 2 hours

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 2¾ to 3¼ hours

KEY EQUIPMENT: food processor, rolling pin, 12-inch ovensafe skillet

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE DOUGH

• 2 cups (11 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
• 1⅛ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup (6 ounces) ice water

FOR THE SAUCE AND TOPPING

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced ¼ inch thick and patted dry with paper
  towels
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a food processor, pulse together flour, yeast, and salt until combined, about 5 pulses. With the processor running, add oil, then water, and process until a rough ball forms, approximately 30 to 40 seconds. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for an additional 30 seconds.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead it by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in size, which usually takes about 1½ to 2 hours. If you prefer, you can refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours. In that case, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping in step 5.
3. For the sauce and toppings, process tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of oil, garlic, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper in a clean, dry food processor until smooth, approximately 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and add reserved tomato juice until the sauce measures 2 cups. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and set aside the remaining sauce for another use.
4. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-inch oven-safe skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter, divide it in half, and cover each half loosely with greased plastic. Press and roll one piece of dough (keeping the remaining piece covered) into an 11-inch round of even thickness.
6. Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared skillet and reshape it as needed. Spread ½ cup of sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge. Top with half of the mozzarella cheese.
7. Place the skillet over high heat and cook until the outside edge of the dough is set, the pizza is lightly puffed, and the bottom of the crust looks spotty brown when gently lifted with a spatula, approximately 3 minutes.
8. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the pizza until the edges are brown and the cheese is melted and spotty brown, usually about 7 to 10 minutes. Using potholders, remove the skillet from the oven and slide the pizza onto a wire rack. Let it cool slightly, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of basil, cut into wedges, and serve. Repeat the process with the remaining oil, dough, ½ cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese, and basil, being careful of the hot skillet.