Griddle Pizza
Makes one 10-inch pizza.
By Dennis W. Viau; an original idea.
I’ve made Skillet Pizza, but to get a nicely browned top the pizza needs to go under the broiler. My skillets have plastic handles, which would be destroyed by the broiler. I ordered a 10½-inch cast iron griddle from Amazon. It was the perfect size and depth to make a pizza. This is the closest I’ve come yet to achieving a wood-fired oven pizza. The focus here is on making a successful pizza crust; the toppings can be almost anything. Use your favorites.
Crust Ingredients:
8¼ ounces (234g) (about 12/3 cups) bread flour
½ tablespoon sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast*
5½ fluid ounces ounces (156g) water
½ tablespoon (cooking) olive oil
½ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cooking oil with a high smoke point, such a avacado or safflower oil
Toppings
There are so many possibilities, it's not practical to provide a complete list. I used:
Pizza sauce
Italian sausage meat, cooked and crumbled
Full fat mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Olive oil
Directions:
Combine the flour, sugar and yeast in a food processor. Pulse to blend.
Add the water, oil and salt. Blend to form a dough, about 30 seconds. Process an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute to knead the dough.
Transfer to a floured surface and knead lightly by hand. Shape into a ball.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the dough and place in the Instant Pot for 1 hour at the yogurt setting to rise. Or cover the bowl and place in a warm place and allow to double in bulk, about 60 to 90 minutes.
Stretch and shape into a pizza dough, trying not to deflate the dough much. Coat the inside of a cast iron griddle with oil and heat until the oil barely begins to smoke.
Place the dough in the griddle and, working quickly, garnish with toppings and cook about a minute or two. Depending on how hot the griddle is, the dough could burn on the bottom quickly. Keep in mind cast iron holds heat well. The crust will continue to brown after the pan is transferred to the oven.
Transfer to a heated broiler (top rack) and brown the top, watching closely.
Remove from the oven and transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Let cool 10 minutes, then cut and serve.
*Use the lesser amount if you prefer to ferment your dough overnight (or longer) in the refrigerator.
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