A customer told us about this pizza technique, and to be honest, we were skeptical. Everything about this pizza recipe is wrongheaded: dough that is neither kneaded nor rested; sauce and cheese spread to the edge of the dough and allowed to slip beneath; no preheating of the cast iron. But in the end, this pizza is quite fantastic. The crust is crisp. The sauce and cheese carmelize on the edges. And it stays hot for quite a while in the cast iron. If this pizza is wrong, I don't want to be right.
Ingredients for the crust:
2 1/4-2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/8 tsp quick acting (rapid rise) yeast
1/2 tsp Fleur de Sel
1 Tbl Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 cup water, heated to 110 degrees
Ingredients for the Sauce:
1 tsp Roasted Garlic Granules
2 Tbl Garlic Extra Virgin Olive OIl
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
Toppings:
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, Shrimp, Crawfish, Veggies...your choice
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Directions for the dough:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, yeast and sea salt to combine. With the processor running, drizzle in the oil then the water until a ball forms. Allow to rest 2 minutes and pulse again for 30 seconds. Add flour-a little at a time-if a ball does not form. Transfer the dough to the cast iron and press evenly along the bottom and to the sides--there is no need to pinch the edges. Just press evenly into the pan.
Directions for the Sauce:
In a pan, combine the olive oil and garlic granules. Allow to sizzle then add the crushed tomatoes. Simmer to about 15 minutes until it's thickened.
Spread the desired amount of sauce on top of the crust. This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, so store the remaining in the fridge. This sauce also freezes well. Add the desired topping and top with the shredded cheese. Spread the sauce, toppings and cheese to the very egde of the pan.
Place in oven and bake until cheese is bubbling and is evenly browned on top.