This thin crust pizza dough recipe from Kenji Lopez Alt has become a part of my weekly routine at home here in Spain. The video shows how to make the dough, how to divide into six dough balls, and how to shape, top, and bake the thin crust pizzas in a cast iron skillet.
I topped this particular pizza with peppers, onions, braised pork, and chorizo.
If I had an outdoor grill, I would do this in the cast iron pan, on the grill, because my kitchen gets so warm in the summer with the oven cranked up! Would also be amazing to get some charcoal smoky flavor in there.
The dough is really easy to make, and keeps well, which is also why I enjoy making it so much.
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Ingredients:
300g all-purpose flour
150g cold water
30g neutral oil, like sunflower seed oil
7g white granulated sugar
7g salt
1g dry yeast
+ Whatever pizza toppings you would like!
Instructions:
(1) Mix all the dough ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer, until they are incorporated.
(2) Run the stand mixer on medium-low speed with the dough hook attachment for five minutes.
(3) Allow the dough to rest for five minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
(4) Divide the dough into six even sections, and form each section of dough into a ball. Don't be afraid if your dough balls aren't perfect! The pizza video shows how I do this by maintaining friction with the surface of the table as I roll the dough balls.
(5) Coat the outside of each dough ball lightly in oil, and place in an airtight container until you are ready to use.
*The dough will stay good in your fridge for about one week.
(6) When you are ready to make your pizza, preheat a cast iron skillet in your oven at 500-525F.
*The highest my oven goes up to in Spain is 240C, which is like 470F--I wish it got hotter. With pizzas, hotter is generally better. When my wife and I used to work together in MA at a spot selling, they kept the four pizza deck ovens at around 700F. It was hot, especially in the summer!
(7) Take one of your dough balls out of the fridge as your oven is pre-heating.
(8) Roll the dough ball using an oiled rolling pin or wine bottle into a circle that is roughly 8" in diameter, or the size of your cast iron skillet base. Note, this pizza is very very thin.
(9) When your skillet is ripping hot, carefully lay the thin crust dough into the base of the skillet. This takes a little practice to do well, don't get discouraged!
(10) Top the pizza with cheese, sauce, vegetables, meats, whatever you like. In this case I added some slow-braised pork that I make earlier in the week.
(11) Bake for roughly 9-11 minutes, or until the outer edges of the pizza and the bottom are crispy.
(12) Carefully remove the cast iron skillet from the oven, and use a fish spatula to separate the crust from the pan.
(13) Cut into slices, and serve immediately.
Equipment and Supplies:
For a decent, cheap metal fish spatula: https://amzn.to/46o237i
The cast iron Double Dutch ovens I have are here: https://amzn.to/46n0erl
Lodge makes a classic cast iron Dutch oven available here: https://amzn.to/3Xwmknh
For a set of pyrex leftover storage and oven-safe glass baking containers with lids: https://amzn.to/43V9jpS
A great stand mixer option: https://amzn.to/3JuKfgZ
This is the first video I shot using the new Smooth Q-3 iPhone stabilizer from Zhiyun: https://amzn.to/3r27xop
If you are in the market for a higher-end chef's knife: https://amzn.to/3qJ9xBA
A link to Kenji's Recipe and Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/dining/tavern-thin-crust-pizza-chicago.html
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