Greggy's Pan Pizza

Think it's hard to make your own pizza? Think again! Here's a super easy recipe on how to make your own Pan Pizza at home! Put away the pizza stone, peel, and wallet- trying to purchase a brick oven, because all you need is a cast iron skillet! My family has had this set of cast iron pans foreverrrrr (like 30 something years). Don't have one yet? I suggest investing in at least one. Just don't expect the same flavor and function right off the bat. The more love you give to it, the better. What I love about these pans is that, it gets so well-seasoned, that it develops it's own natural non-stick coat. It's non-stick to the point where I can cook cheese on it and it comes right off! Great for making grilled cheese sandwiches with Parmiggiano toasted on the outside. Mmmmmm, I digress. The point is, cast iron skillets are a total game-changer.

I've stuck with this recipe for quite a while. It's my fave. I'm not a big crust person, but dunkin' it in ranch, (don't judge) is well..."fuh-getta-'bout it." I love me a good, thin slice of pie from The City, but I'm obsessed with a fluffy, crisp and airy foccaccia-like crust. And yes, I use this pizza for Focaccia with sundried tomato, topped with fresh figs, Prosciutto di Parma, shaved Montasio and basil. Boom.

If you're a pizza whore, just like me, I'd double or triple this recipe to save yourself some time. You could totally divide and freeze it, after it's final proof.

I'm a total meat lover and lately I've been obsessed with my subscription with The Carnivore Club. I've been spoiled in meat galore and have been trying to figure out what to do with the snausages other than munching on ridiculously amazing charcuterie plates.

The sky's the limit when it comes to variations of this pizza (duh). This dough works great with a simple, white pizza and fresh garlic or a spicy bbq chicken pizza with ranch drizzled on top (there I go again with the ranch). Obsessed.

There's this on-going debate about why NY pizza is better. You've heard it all before. They say it's the water, so I get super paranoid and use filtered water for this. To be honest, I'm not sure if it makes a difference.

This is what I came up with:

Homemade pan pizza with Finocchio Parma Sausage, garlic, onions, Mozz, Provolone, Pancetta, Pepperoni, Hot Sopressata, and Chorizo Seco. (I kind of wish I had olives on-hand and my poor basil plant is down to it's last leaf.) Although, smothering it in all of these beautiful handcrafted meats, keeping it pure is what made this pizza, BOMBIESSSSS.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 ounce active dry yeast
2 tbsp. sugar

For the Pizza

Marinara sauce. Sometimes "ain't nobody got time f'dat," but if you do, just mix a 6 oz. can of tomato paste with a 15oz can of tomato sauce with your fave herbs, like oregano, garlic, basil etc. A lil' bit goes a long way with making pizza, so make a small batch, if possible.
Finocchio Parma Sausage
garlic
thinly sliced onions
Mozz
Provolone
Pancetta, rendered
Parma Pepperoni
Hot Sopressata
Chorizo Seco

Directions:

1. In a Kitchen Aid bowl/stand mixer bowl, or big bowl, mix yeast, 1/4 cup of of the warm water, and sugar and let it stand for about 5 minutes, until it gets foamy.

2. Stir in salt, remaining 1/2 cup water and olive oil and add combo of both flours in increments. Knead with a dough hook or your hands, until the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl. I love using a bowl scraper/dough scraper for this.

3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes elastic and smooth. Place the ball of dough back into a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a cloth towel. Allow the dough to double in size (this takes about an hour).

4. After it doubles in size, press and spread the dough into an olive oil greased, 10" cast iron pan. Cover with a cloth towel and allow it to double in size for another hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

6. Press down on the dough starting from the center, and making a dam/ leaving the outer rim protruded (the crust). I like to stipple/dock the center with my fingers to get a lil' bit extra sauce in the crannies.

7. Drizzle the dough with olive oil, then spread a thin layer of marinara. Layer away. Oh, I like to sprinkle a bit of Parmiggiano or any type of hard cheese on the crust, before baking.

8. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.

9. Serve and enjoy!

I'll be making a video on how to make this, so be on the lookout for it on my channel. Don't forget to subscribe for more videos and recipes. It's free!