Spicy Pepperoni Pan Pizza

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 08:46:26 GMT

Step 1

Grab a medium-sized mixing bowl, preferably one with a lid. Add the flour, salt, yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to stir it all together. Once it’s come together into a rough mass, use your hands to continue forming it. Scoop up and gather any dry bits of flour or loose pieces and press them into the mass.

Step 2

Form the mass into a ball and place it into the ball. Cover it with the lid or a kitchen towel and walk away for 5 minutes. Grab a small bowl and add some lukewarm water to it, place it beside the bowl of dough.

Step 3

After 5 minutes, dip your hand into the bowl of water, let the excess drip off, and then reach into the bowl underneath the dough. Tuck your fingers beneath it as if you were about to lift it out but instead grab the bottom, pinch it a bit, and stretch the bottom of the dough over the top of itself and push it down into the top. Turn the bowl 90º and repeat. Repeat three times, for four stretches.

Step 4

Cover the bowl back up for another 5 minutes, then repeat. You’re gonna do this 5 times, then drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Turn the dough ball to coat in the oil, then transfer to an air-tight container or cover it tightly in the bowl with beeswax or plastic wrap if it doesn’t have a lid. Stick in the fridge and let it rest there for at least 12 hours, up to 72 hours.

Step 5

During the period while the dough is resting make the pizza seasoning, and combine the pizza sauce and Calabrian pepper paste together. Set these aside for when you’re ready to make the pizza.

Step 6

About 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, pull the dough from the fridge and prepare the pan. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into your 10″ cast-iron skillet. Use a basting brush or paper towel to spread the oil evenly over the entire surface and up the sides of the pan.

Step 7

Transfer the dough ball to the pan. Use your fingertips (or you can try using your knuckles as I did) to “poke” the dough, pressing it outward toward the edges of the pan as you go. At first, the dough might shrink back or resist the spreading, but that’s normal. After you’ve spread it out a little bit, cover it with a paper towel and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. After the time has passed, uncover and poke it out toward the edges some more. If it still doesn’t reach the rim, cover and let it rest again before poking it one more time.

Step 8

Now, cover the crust back up with the paper towel and set it aside to rise undisturbed for two hours. It will be noticeably puffy the next time you see it.

Step 9

When you’re ready to make the pizza, arrange your oven racks with one at the top and one at the bottom and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Step 10

Sprinkle about a cup of mozzarella over the entire crust, all the way to the edges; I mean it! TO THE EDGES!! You don’t want to see any bare crust.

Step 11

Next, dollop about a tablespoon of pizza sauce evenly atop the cheese. Refer to the video if you need visuals. Next, sprinkle on about a teaspoon of pizza seasoning, then sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella.

Step 12

Place the pizza on the bottom rack for 18 minutes – the cheese should be bubbling and at least starting to brown. While the pizza is baking arrange the pepperoni on a paper towel-lined plate and microwave it for 10-15 seconds on high. This will par-cook the pepperoni and release some of the greases. Pull the pizza from the oven around that 20-minute mark, and arrange the pepperoni evenly on the top of the pizza all the way to the crispy edges. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and return to the oven, this time on the top rack for 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Step 13

Remove the pizza from the oven and run a butter knife between the edge of the pizza and the pan to prevent the crispy cheese crust from adhering itself to the pan. As soon as you can do it without burning yourself use a pair of heavy-duty spatulas to lift the pizza from the cast iron pan and transfer it to a cutting board.

Step 14

Sprinkle on a bit more pizza seasoning to finish it off. Use kitchen shears or a very sharp pizza cutter to cut this pizza into slices without disturbing the toppings or crust too much. Dassit! Enjoy.

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