Meat-eaters Deep Dish Skillet Pizza

By vealam

This is a deep and hearty pizza, perfect for meat lovers. Use the homemade pizza sauce recipe included or feel free to use a store-bought pizza sauce.
For those wanting even more meat, a layer of pepperoni would be very nice in this pizza, as well.

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp. instant or active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 – 2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. honey or sugar
• Pizza Sauce:
• (or you can use 2 cups of store-bought pizza sauce)
• 1 large 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, in juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 fresh basil leaves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Pinch salt
• Pinch fresh ground black pepper
• Pinch sugar
• For the pizza:
• Mozzarella cheese, cut in 1/4-inch thick slices from a block (12-15 slices)
• Hot or Mild Italian sausage, crumbled (5-6 links)
• Cooked bacon, broken into bite-sized pieces (4-5 slices)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for topping (about 1/2 cup)

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from seasonsandsuppers.ca

Preparation

Step 1

If you are using active dry yeast, combine the yeast in the water and let sit for 5 minutes. For instant yeast, you can just combine the yeast with the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook, combine 1 cup of the flour, cornmeal and instant yeast (if using instant). Add the water (or yeast/water if using active dry yeast), olive oil and honey or sugar. Stir until moistened. Add more flour in 1/4 cup increments until you achieve a soft dough that is neither sticky or stiff. Remove dough to a well-oiled large bowl and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare the pizza sauce. Empty the can of tomatoes into a mixing bowl and coarsely crush the tomatoes with a fork or your hands, leaving them just a little chunky. In a heavy bottom 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until slightly translucent. Add the garlic and saute about a minute until golden. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the fresh basil and oregano. You can add a touch of sugar if tomatoes are tart. Simmer on a low, stirring often for at least 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature until needed.

While sauce is simmering, cook your sausage and bacon. If your sausage is links in casing, cut a slit down the casing and remove the sausage from the casing. Discard casing. Cook sausage in a skillet, breaking up into small pieces with a spoon, until cooked and browned. Set aside until needed. Cook bacon and crumble.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Grease the bottom and sides of cast-iron frying pan with olive oil and lightly dust with additional cornmeal.

When dough is ready, roll into a circle a little bigger than the bottom of your skillet. Transfer dough to prepared cast-iron frying pan and press into bottom and up the sides about half way up. Cover bottom of pizza completely with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese. Top with sausage and then bacon. Top with all of the pizza sauce and sprinkle top generously with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. *You don’t want your crust to extend too much higher than your filling, or the exposed part at the top will overcook. If it extends too high once your filling is in, push or crimp it down to closer to the level of your filling.

Bake in pre-heated 425° F. oven for about 30 minutes. Check at 30 minutes. If crust is dark enough, cover loosely with a sheet of tinfoil and cook 5 -10 minutes longer, to be sure the crust is cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully remove pizza to a cutting board and cut into pieces with a sharp knife.