Skillet Pizza Crusts
In the early 1990’s I started making skillet pizza crusts. They became a favorite and a part of my “once a month cooking” recipes. This is a nice thing to do with a group or your family because you can talk and visit as you work together to chop the veggies or just make your own pizza. When I am ready to assemble I preheat the oven, chop some veggies, set out a jar of pizza or pasta sauce, and set out the pepperoni and cheese. You CAN make them all yourself if you wish but it is more fun to let each person make their own. Call the group in a few at a time to assemble their pizza just the way they like it. If you have a large group you may want to use parchment paper on your baking sheet and write each person’s name on it so that their pizzas do not get mixed up. My baking sheets hold 4 on each one. I can usually bake on both racks. They each take 10-15 minutes to bake. I bake them until the cheese is melted.
Here is my recipe for Skillet Pizza Crusts. I usually get 10 individual crusts from each recipe.
3 packages or Tablespoons of yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
3/4 cup of water (105°-115°)
3 cups all-purpose flour ( I like to use a mixture of wheat and white)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of additional water
2 Tablespoons oil
cooking spray
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine the yeast mixture, flour, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn your dough to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and knead lightly. Divide your dough into small pieces. I usually just pinch off a small blob of dough (my grandma used to “pinch” biscuits as she called it). I roll these out one at a time and use a small saucer as a pattern to cut around. This will make the crusts a bit more uniform. They will still change shape a bit but no problem they taste great. I cook them on the stove in my iron skillet medium heat, 1-2 minutes on each side. When they slightly start to brown I flip them and cook the other side. Cool on wire racks and then either freeze them or use them.
To assemble pizzas:
Preheat oven 350 °. Put the crusts on a baking sheet. Spread each crust with sauce. Put on toppings and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, usually 10-15 minutes.
Some of our favorite toppings:
Artichokes – canned, chopped
Green onions chopped
Mushrooms fresh or canned
Spinach fresh is best
Bell peppers – we especially like the colored ones
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese
You may wish to make your pizza a Hawaiian, veggie, or sausage or whatever your favorite may be.
If you have leftover crusts freeze them. They are great to use for tostadas, or just with melted cheese. Either way, they are economical to make and a lot of fun and they disappear rather quickly!
Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Cooking!