simple and crispy pizza – amazing cuisine

Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and 1 tablespoon olive oil and use a spoon or dough whisk to combine, stirring the mixture several times to make sure there are no pockets of unmixed flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled and moves a lot when shaken, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours at room temperature. If you don’t need the dough until later, you can transfer it to the refrigerator for a while before it completely doubles and leave it there for a few hours or overnight.

Assemble the pizza: Heat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Coat a 30 cm (12 inch) round cast iron skillet with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape the dough into the pan, then turn it once so it is oiled on both sides. Dip your fingers in the oil to coat them and dig into the dough to the edges as best you can; it’s okay if it doesn’t fully stretch at this point. Set it aside, lightly covered, for 30 minutes to finish rising.

To assemble: Pour the sauce generously over the dough, covering it up to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella, then pecorino or parmesan. Season to taste with salt, pepper flakes and oregano, then drizzle a final tablespoon of oil on top before transferring to the oven.

Cook the pizza: For 30 minutes, until the edges are deeply browned and the top is toasted. Yes, this cooking time and temperature is correct. It seems like a really long time, but I’ve made a hundred of these pizzas and I always regret taking them out before 30 minutes, because the edges have a less satisfying crunch.

To serve: Sprinkle with fresh basil. You can serve it directly in the pan, but I prefer to protect my knives. Remove the pizza from the pan and slide it onto a cutting board before cutting it into quarters.

Do it in advance: Leftovers reheat wonderfully. I heat leftover slices on a foil-lined baking sheet at 350°F or 375°F for 5 to 10 minutes.

Seen here: I’ve had this cast iron skillet for 20 years! You can also use your Staub x Smitten kitchen braising pan. I use this dough whisk. And I’m obsessed with this gorgeous olive wood board I bought recently on Etsy. I want all sizes. Although you can also cook it in any old 9×13 inch baking dish, I bought this one simply because I wanted the cast iron edges to look as good as they do in a skillet. A pizza like this is such an easy win when the kids’ friends come over that I might buy a second one soon.