The best pizza you can make with no pizza equipment at all. A wet, unkneaded dough goes into an oiled skillet, proofs there, bakes in the oven, and finishes on a burner so the base fries in its own oil. The skillet does the job a steel would.
Method
- Stir everything together with a spoon until no dry flour remains. No kneading at all.
- Cover and leave overnight until the surface is bubbled.
- Pour two tablespoons of oil into the skillet, tip the dough in, and coax it to the edges with oiled fingers.
- Proof two hours until it has visibly puffed and the edges have met the pan wall.
- Top it, then bake on the lowest rack.
- Finish on the stove: set the skillet over medium heat for two or three minutes until the base is browned and releases. Lift an edge with a spatula to check.
- Slide it out onto a rack immediately or the base steams.
Fermentation
| Stage | Time | Temperature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk, no knead | 12 h | 21°C / 70°F | Overnight on the counter. |
| Pan proof | 2 h | 22°C / 72°F |
Times are a guide. How to read the dough instead of the clock →
The bake
Oven260°C500°F
Time15 minutes + 3 on the burner
Surface. Cast iron skillet, oven then stovetop
The stovetop finish is the trick. Without it the bottom is merely baked, not fried.
On top
- Sauce
- Anything. Uncooked crushed tomato is easiest.
- Cheese
- Low moisture mozzarella, out to the pan wall for a Detroit-style edge.
- Toppings
- Keep them light, the crumb is already rich.
You got it right when A deep gold, crunchy base that releases from the iron in one piece.