Cast Iron Skillet Gourmet Pizza

Earlier this week, I pinned a Martha Stewart recipe for homemade 3 cheese pizza on my pinterest and with the whole family recovering from Rotavirus, today was a perfect day to try it out and get some much needed carbs in our system!
I make homemade pizza quite often and I am pretty proud to say I have perfected my pizza crust. It's a hit with anyone who tries it and I used my recipe for this pizza instead of Martha's.
I also changed up the recipe quite a bit and made it my own.
Mine includes 3 ooey gooey cheeses on top of a homemade herb oil base (making it lighter and fresher than a tomato base).
The pizza came out AHHHHMMMMAAAAZZZZINNNNGGG. We liked it so much, I made a second one to bake off later!
So please take the time to make this tonight for your family! It is totally worth an hour and a half of your time!!

Wendy's Pizza Dough Recipe -Made in a Kitchenaid mixer with the hook attachment.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (I keep mine in the freezer to keep it alive and fresh)
2 teaspoons fresh honey
1 cup luke warm water
3 cups AP flour
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
warm water as needed

Directions:

1. Put yeast, honey and 1 cup warm water into the bowl of the mixer. Stir together and let the yeast activate by foaming up (should take 5 minutes or so). 
2. add flour, salt, EVOO to yeast mixture and start the mixer on low.
3. Add warm water until the dough JUST comes away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. Then knead in the Kitchenaid on Medium speed for 8 minutes.
4. Form dough into ball (it should be SLIGHTLY sticky) and cover the ball with olive oil. 
5. Set back in bowl and cover with seran wrap or damp towel. 
6. Put bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen and let rise for 1 hour.

Herb Oil Base Recipe:

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Garlic cloves sliced

Fresh herbs of your choosing (I used about 4 Tablespoons of  fresh from the garden Oregano, Basil and thyme....but you could use anything you have on hand). 

pinch of salt

1. Put EVOO in saucepan on low/simmer. 
2. Add garlic and herbs and salt and let simmer for 5 minutes (DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC). Make sure your pan is on low and that the oil is just barely bubbling.
3. Strain out herbs and garlic and as easy as that- Herb oil!

Pizza Assembly:

EVOO

Fresh Mozzarella

Feta cheese (in brine) Costco has a very high quality one that we buy!

Fresh Ricotta

Parsley 

Red Peppper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. After 1 hour rise time on your dough take it out and split it in half. 
3. Add some EVOO in the bottom of a large cast iron skillet (this is KEY in getting a crispy crust on the outside and a soft flaky crust on the inside). Use this instead of a pizza stone, it works better and is easier to clean up!
4. take one dough half and knead it with your hands inside the cast iron skillet until it reaches all sides of the pan. It should be very pliable and easy to work with. You can easily make a raised crust at this point by pushing the dough up the side of pan until the crust is the thickness you desire.
5. Spread some herb oil on the base of the pizza. Add mozz, then some spoonfuls of ricotta and crumble some feta on top of it all.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Top with freshly chopped parsley and some red pepper flakes.
8. Enjoy eating this delicious pizza!!!
   
   

   

   The finished product hot out of the oven