I’ve partnered with Rhode’s Bake-N-Serv to bring you my family’s favorite cast iron deep dish pizza. All opinions are my own.
Utilize frozen bread dough and your cast iron pan to create the ultimate deep-dish pizza with ease! Full of old-fashioned flavor and perfect for customizing to your family’s pizza loves…you’ll be making this pizza again and again!
You know I love Rhode’s Bake-N-Serv for SO MANY recipes. Using their products keeps my life easy and delicious. Using their frozen bread dough for my cast iron deep dish pizza creates the tastiest and easiest crust.
Love using frozen bread dough and rolls from Rhode’s Bake-N-Serv, like me? Try my easy Cinnamon Rolls, Almond Pull-Apart Bread, Hot Ham & Swiss Sliders, or Baked Brie bread bowls….just to name a few!
Secrets for PERFECT cast iron deep dish pizza:
For the perfect pizza sauce recipes: Homemade Pizza Sauces– the BEST recipes all in one place!
SECRET #1: Pre-bake the crust.
When we pre-bake the crust we help the bottom crispen up and not get soggy. Soggy pizza crusts are the WORST. Don’t add those toppings straight to the dough…bake the dough first.
Do I need to preheat my cast iron pan?
I do not preheat the pan when making Cast Iron Pizza. I do prebake the crust to help it get nice and crispy. Some people do this by preheating their cast iron pan instead. Personally, I know I’m guaranteed to burn my little fingers trying to spread the dough in a hot pan, so I opt for the prebake. But you can try both to see which you like!
Secret #2: Use room-temperature dough for Cast Iron Pizza
Letting your dough come to room temperature makes it easier to shape your Cast Iron Pizza. If the dough is too cold, it won’t stretch as easily. And even when you get it to stretch, you’ll see it inching back to the center rather than keeping its shape. (Don’t you just want to curl into yourself when you’re cold?)
SECRET #3: Season the dough.
Giving frozen bread dough a brushing of olive oil mixed with a bit of seasoning before pre-baking results in AMAZING flavor and a crispier crust. I pinky swear-you need to try this!
Dough seasoning ideas:
- Garlic and herb: Mix minced garlic and dried herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme into the dough.
- Olive oil and salt: Brush the dough with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Parmesan cheese: Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese over the dough before adding your toppings.
- Spice kick: Mix red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Rosemary: Mix in chopped fresh rosemary for a savory, fresh flavor.
- Honey: Brush the dough with a mixture of melted butter and honey for a sweet and interesting twist. Great for goat cheese pizzas!
SECRET #4: Shred your own cheese.
The cheese you buy in the store that comes already shredded needs to be mixed with a bit of flour to keep it from clumping in the bags. That flour, however, reduces all that good meltiness you want on pizza. Shredding your own results in melty cheese and perfect pizza!
Interesting Cheese combos to try:
- Mozzarella and Parm: This is the classic combination that always works great!
- Feta and Mozz: Feta cheese crumbles easily, so sprinkle it over the top of the pizza after it has been baked. Feta adds a nice salty and creamy touch to Mediterranean-style pizzas.
- Gorgonzola and Mozz.: Gorgonzola is strong so use it lightly. It works great for spinach and chicken pizzas!
- Goat cheese and Mozz.: Goat cheese is yummy with honey and white pizzas.
- Cheddar and Mozz.: Cheddar is a fave cheese for kids. Try it with ham, pepperoni, and the usual pizza toppings.
- Ricotta and Mozz.: Ricotta makes for a very rich and smooth cheese. It adds a “fanciness” to pizzas.
SECRET #5: Finish the baking at high heat.
Pizza needs a HIGH heat to keep a crispy outside on the crust. When making this recipe, we use a lower temperature at first because of the thickness of the crust (nobody wants doughy crust) and then crank it up to get that nice crispy crust and golden brown edge.
What pan should I use for my Cast Iron Pizza?
You can use pretty much any pan that’s made of cast iron for this Cast Iron Pizza. Keep in mind, you won’t get that nicely browned, crispy crust if you use a pan with an enamel coating. Personally, I use a 10-inch Lodge pan for this recipe.
Mistakes that make for a soggy crust:
Mistake #1: Using high moisture veggies without pre-cooking or salting.
Veggies that contain high moisture content (tomatoes are one!) need to have proper attention before putting them on your pizzas.
- Remove the seeds from tomatoes and other seeded veggies.
- Slice the veggies, lay them out on a paper towel, and lightly salt them. After a few minutes, you will find much of the moisture has come out of them
- Roast the veggies on parchment paper for a few minutes prior to putting them on your pizza.
Mistake #2: Not using high enough heat in your oven.
Pizza needs a HIGH heat. For thin pizza crusts, they usually will be fully cooked in the 5-7 minutes a homemade pizza needs to cook at high heats.
For deeper crusts, cranking the heat up towards the end of baking helps to ensure you have a full cook AND a crispy bottom.
Mistake #3: Not preparing your pan.
Crispy bottoms LOVE a bit of oil on the pan to help them crisp up. They also adore hot hot pans, particularly pizza stones. Take extra time to oil up your pans or stones and pre-heat them. TIP: make up your pizza on the counter (on parchment paper works well) and slide it to your stone.
What pizza toppings should I use?
If you want to get a group of people riled up, just ask them what the best pizza toppings are. Everyone has an opinion! I’ll tell you some of my favorite toppings for Cast Iron Skillet pizza. If I missed yours, let me know what it is in the comments!
- BBQ Chicken Pizza—BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, red onion, cheese, parsley
- White Pizza—garlic white sauce and cheese, cheese, cheese!
- Rustic Pizza—sliced tomatoes, onion, basil, and feta or mozzarella
- Classic Pepperoni—just pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese
- Everything—all the meats and veggies you love, topped with cheese
- Taco Pizza—taco sauce, taco meat, tomatoes, olives, and onions, topped with shredded lettuce and sour cream (after baking)
- Hawaiian Pizza—pizza sauce, ham, pineapple, and cheese (and jalapeño if you like spicy!)
- Sloppy Joe Pizza—Ok, I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m dying to try it with my favorite Homemade Sloppy Joe sauce!
Best Pizza Sauce to use?
Looking for the perfect pizza sauce? Try my EASY Homemade Pizza Sauce on this recipe! Or, for a fun twist, the ever popular Garlic White Pizza Sauce.
easy Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Rhodes Bake-N-Serv frozen bread dough, thawed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 4 oz fresh parmesan cheese, shredded about 1 cup total shredded
- 8 leaves fresh basil
- 25 pepperoni slices
Instructions
- Turn the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly spray your cast iron pan (I like to use a 10 or 12 inch pan) with cooking spray or brush with oil.
- Gently press your thawed Rhodes bread dough along the bottom and up the sides of your cast iron pan. If it isn't stretching nicely give it about 10-15 minutes to rest and try again.
- Mix the olive oil, garlic powder, dried basil, and oregano together and lightly brush it on to your prepared crust.
- To prevent bubbling, use a fork to prick a few holes in your crust. Bake your crust for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add your sauce, pepperoni, cheeses, and fresh basil.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Turn the heat up to 425 degrees and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe tester Melanie says…
“This was a great change for pizza night. My whole family loved it. We are normally a thin-crust crowd and this was awesome enough to win us all over. It was super easy to throw together in my 10” cast iron skillet. Next time I will thaw 2-3 loves of bread and make several with a few different toppings.”
