Home » Lifestyles » A skillet adds a crispy twist to deep dish pizza

When we think of childhood and our favorite meals, pizza is sure to pop up sooner rather than later.

I for one carried that love of the dish into my adult years as well, and as such, I am always looking for new ways to elevate it.

In that search, I came across my new favorite way to make pizza, a skillet.

You may be wondering how that works, but it’s the same principle as cornbread.

The cast iron skillet disperses the heat more evenly making for a crispy crust that can’t be beat.

I discovered this method while looking for a way to make a deep dish pizza that wasn’t doughy in the middle, because not much is worse than taking that first bite of pizza only to be met with a gooey center.

My mother had a cast iron skillet that had been around for as long as I could remember, so I figured it was perfect for just such an endeavor.

I then got to work.

While figuring out my ingredients, a lightbulb went off, and it would turn out to be the game changer.

I found my little container of garlic butter that I had purchased from my local grocery store for the purpose of making mozzarella bites, and I wondered “Could this work?”

So, once my dough had risen, I took the leap of faith.

I spread it out in the skillet and brushed the melted garlic butter on it.

After baking it for a few minutes to meld the initial brushing with the dough, I dressed the pizza with my toppings and into the oven it went. The Dispatch delivers the most in-depth, responsible journalism straight to your inbox. Sign up here. Sign Up

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When it was done, I was still cautiously optimistic about the end result because many times, my culinary “lightbulb” ideas turn out to be duds, however, this was not the case.

When I took the first bite, I knew I was on to something.

The garlic butter was definitely present, but it was in no way overwhelming.

The crust was perfectly crispy and airy as well.

The cheese is gooey (in a good way) and it acts as a solid base for the chosen toppings.

I myself am a fan of the classic pepperoni, however, the only limit is your imagination and personal tastes.

Another great aspect of this is that you can make different sizes, making the dish versatile enough to adapt to different sized crowds.

A smaller skillet can be used to make a personal pan pizza, whereas a large skillet could feed multiple people.

The best thing is this dish isn’t seasonal and can be enjoyed year-round.

So, if you are looking for a way to make a crispy deep dish pizza in your own oven, then I cannot recommend this method enough.

SKILLET PIZZA Dough recipe courtesy of cdkitchen.com.

Dough: 1– .25 oz dry active yeast 1 Tbsp sugar .5 Tsp of salt .25 cup nonfat dry milk powder 1 1/3 cup warm water 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 4 cups all purpose flour

■ Combine the yeast, sugar, salt and dry milk in a mixing bowl. Add the water and mix. Let it sit for two minutes or until the yeast begins to bubble. ■ Add the oil and stir. ■ Add the flour one cup at a time, stirring after each one. ■ Place the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. ■ This makes three dough balls. ■ Place 3 oz. of oil in the bottom of the skillet and tilt to spread. ■ Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to the desired size. ■ Brush on melted garlic butter (optional) ■ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake it for 5-7 minutes until the dough is set. ■ Remove the skillet and dress the crust with sauce and desired toppings. ■ Bake until brown around the edges and toppings are hot and bubbly. ■ When it is done, remove and let it set for about 5 minutes. ■ Slice and serve!

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