Here’s a great pan pizza that I saw in Bon Appetit. While I pretty much made my pizza according to their recipe, I’d actually think of this as a base recipe for any type of pan pizza you like.
Next time I make this, I’d probably use a tomato-based sauce or just brush on olive oil, salami and some sharp Italian cheeses besides the fresh mozzarella. Oh, and some sautéed mushrooms—then top the pizza with caramelized onions after it’s done cooking.
With all that said, this was delicious, as is.
What you’ll need:
- 6 oz. mixed mushrooms, cut or torn into large pieces (about 3½ cups)
- 2T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough, room temperature
- 0.33+ cups barbecue sauce
- 6 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn into chunks
- 2 oz. smoked Gouda, coarsely grated
- 0.5 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes and cilantro leaves—I think you can safely skip these if you wish. I did, with no ill effects.
What to do:
Place a rack in the upper third of your oven and begin heating it to 475°.
Put the cut-up mixed mushrooms into a large bowl and drizzle them with olive oil, tossing them to coat. Set them aside when you’re done.
Swirl 2T extra-virgin olive oil in a 12″ cast-iron frypan to coat bottom and about 0.5” up the sides. Shape the room-temperature pizza dough into large circle and place it in the frypan, then stretch and press the dough so it fills the frypan. If the dough shrinks from the edges, cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest 10 minutes before stretching it again.
When the oven has reached 475°, bake the crust until it is just starting to set but hasn’t taken on any color—about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the frypan from the oven and spread the barbecue sauce over the entire surface of the crust. Top with the fresh mozzarella, smoked Gouda, sliced red onion and the reserved mushrooms. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper.
Return the frypan to the oven and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown underneath, the cheese is melted, and the mushrooms are golden—16–20 minutes.
Now switch the oven to high-heat broil and broil the pizza until the mushrooms are browned and crispy and the cheese is browned in spots and bubbling—about 2 minutes. Check after 1 minute, though.
Top with optional crushed red pepper flakes and cilantro leaves.
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