This one is a keeper, for sure. This Loaded With Tomatoes Cast Iron Pizza. Each and every time I make it, I get a thumbs up all around. It reminds me of a Mediterranean style tomato bread where grated tomato is rubbed over the top of toasted hearty bread.
Only with this one, you have a generous base of homemade pizza crust, topped off with cheese and lots of juicy tomatoes. A liberal sprinkling of fresh herbs on the just-from-the-oven beauty takes it right over the top.
Let’s start at the beginning…
The awesome pizza dough. Please don’t be tempted to skip this step by using purchased prepared dough. This one is super easy to make with no special equipment necessary. What you see here is all mixed by hand. With no strenuous kneading. Just a few folds here and there.
What you need for the dough…
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Instant yeast
- Extra-virgin olive oil
The entire mixing process takes about one minute by hand. Really.
- The dough won’t be perfect at this point …just make sure all of the dry flour is moistened.
- After a brief 5-minute rest, the dough is folded several times over the next 20 minutes.
- Once that process is complete, let the covered dough hang out on your counter for 40 minutes.
- It then goes into your fridge for at least 12 hours, but can live there for up to 72 hours.
- The longer it stays in the fridge, the more it will rise and the more developed the flavor will be.
- I’m always in favor of having some of my prep work done in advance.
The formula for this dough comes from King Arthur Baking and happens to be their 2020 Recipe of the Year. Once you give it a try, you’ll understand why it was the winner.
The list of pizza topping ingredients…
- Mozzarella cheese
- Tomato sauce
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly grated parmesan
- Fresh herbs for topping such as basil, oregano & thyme
On baking day…
Be sure to allow enough time for your dough to come to room temperature in its baking pan before proceeding. You’ll need about 3 hours of lead time before actually serving your Loaded With Tomatoes Cast Iron Pizza.
- About 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, prepare your pan.
- Pour the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil into a well-seasoned cast iron skillet that’s 10” to 11” diameter across the top, and about 9” across the bottom.
- Heavy, dark cast iron will give you a superb crust; but if you don’t have it, use another oven-safe heavy-bottomed skillet of similar size, or a 10” round cake pan or 9” square pan.
- Tilt the pan to spread the oil across the bottom, and use your fingers or a paper towel to spread some oil up the edges, as well.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat both sides with the oil.
- After coating the dough in oil, press the dough to the edges of the pan, dimpling it using the tips of your fingers in the process.
- The dough may start to resist and shrink back; that’s OK, just cover it and let it rest for about 15 minutes, then repeat the dimpling/pressing.
- At this point the dough should reach the edges of the pan; if it doesn’t, give it one more 15-minute rest before dimpling/pressing a third and final time.
- Let that hang out for a full two hours at room temperature.
- It will rise some more and become even more pillowy as it rests.
Now we’re ready to create some magic.
About 30 minutes before baking, place one rack at the very bottom of the oven and one toward the top – about 4″ to 5″ from the top heating element. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- When you’re ready to bake the pizza, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella (a scant 1 cup) evenly over the crust.
- Cover the entire crust, no bare dough showing; this will yield caramelized edges.
- Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese; laying the cheese down first like this will prevent the sauce from seeping into the crust and making it soggy.
- Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella.
- Arrange the halved tomatoes on top of the cheese, with some cut-side facing up and the rest cut-side facing down.
- Sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt, to taste.
- If you are using some tomatoes on the stem, you can leave the stem on for baking if you prefer.
- Remove the stems prior to cutting and serving.
This can be baked with just cheese and sauce …as the original recipe states. But believe me when I tell you that the topping of fresh tomatoes is what makes this so special.
For this one, I used a combination of yellow comets and mini kumato (sweet brown grape tomatoes) along with regular old on-the-vine cherry tomatoes cutting each in half before placing them on top.
- Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes.
- The cheese should be bubbling; the bottom and edges of the crust should be a rich golden brown (use a spatula to lift the pizza and check the bottom).
- If the bottom is brown but the top still seems pale, transfer the pizza to the top rack and bake for 2 to 4 minutes longer.
- On the other hand, if the top seems fine but the bottom’s not browned to your liking, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for another 2 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a heatproof surface.
- Carefully run a table knife or spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools.
- Let the pizza cool very briefly.
- As soon as you feel comfortable doing so, carefully transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface.
- This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
- If you’re not serving it right away, a cooling rack is the better choice to maintain a crisp crust on the bottom.
- If desired, top the pizza with freshly shredded Parmesan and chopped fresh herbs.
- Serve the pizza anywhere from medium-hot to warm.
- Kitchen shears or a large pair of household scissors are both good tools for cutting this thick pizza into wedges.
I can’t take credit for thinking of this gorgeous delicious topping. I’m a big fan of pastry chef, Zoë François and she came up with this combo. I followed Zoë’s lead here and left the stems on for a more dramatic effect. I just had to give it a try. We are all so glad I did.
This Loaded With Tomatoes Cast Iron Pizza is now part of our standard menu at family gatherings.
One word of advice …you may want to double this one and make two.
I learned the hard way. One is never enough for my crowd.
loaded with tomatoes cast iron pizza
Adapted from King Arthur Baking and ZOËBAKES
This one is a definite crowd pleaser - a thick delicate crust with crispy golden edges. Topped off with a gooey layer of cheese and a mountain of delicious roasted tomatoes.
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water (around 100°F)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (1 tbsp. for dough, 1 1/2 tbsp. for the pan)
Pizza Toppings
- 6 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (1 1/4 cups / 170 grams)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 40 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half (See Recipe Notes)
- coarse kosher salt, to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
- chopped fresh herbs, for serving (oregano, basil, thyme, as preferred)
Instructions
-
Place the flour, salt, yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer or other medium-large mixing bowl.
-
Stir everything together to make a shaggy, sticky mass of dough with no dry patches of flour. This should take 30 to 45 seconds in a mixer using the beater paddle; or about 1 minute by hand, using a spoon or spatula. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to gather the dough into a rough ball; cover the bowl.
-
After 5 minutes, uncover the bowl and reach a bowl scraper or your wet hand down between the side of the bowl and the dough, as though you were going to lift the dough out. Instead of lifting, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over its top. Repeat three more times, turning the bowl 90° each time. This process of four stretches, which takes the place of kneading, is called a fold.
-
Re-cover the bowl, and after 5 minutes do another fold. Wait 5 minutes and repeat; then another 5 minutes, and do a fourth and final fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest, undisturbed, for 40 minutes. Then refrigerate it for a minimum of 12 hours, or up to 72 hours. It'll rise slowly as it chills, developing flavor; this long rise will also add flexibility to your schedule.
-
About 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, prepare your pan. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil into a well-seasoned cast iron skillet that’s 10” to 11” diameter across the top, and about 9” across the bottom. Heavy, dark cast iron will give you a superb crust; but if you don’t have it, use another oven-safe heavy-bottomed skillet of similar size, or a 10” round cake pan or 9” square pan. Tilt the pan to spread the oil across the bottom, and use your fingers or a paper towel to spread some oil up the edges, as well.
-
Transfer the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat both sides with the oil. After coating the dough in oil, press the dough to the edges of the pan, dimpling it using the tips of your fingers in the process. The dough may start to resist and shrink back; that’s OK, just cover it and let it rest for about 15 minutes, then repeat the dimpling/pressing. At this point the dough should reach the edges of the pan; if it doesn’t, give it one more 15-minute rest before dimpling/pressing a third and final time.
-
Cover the crust and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. The fully risen dough will look soft and pillowy and will jiggle when you gently shake the pan.
-
About 30 minutes before baking, place one rack at the very bottom of the oven and one toward the top - about 4" to 5" from the top heating element. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
-
When you’re ready to bake the pizza, sprinkle about three-quarters of the mozzarella (a scant 1 cup) evenly over the crust. Cover the entire crust, no bare dough showing; this will yield caramelized edges. Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese; laying the cheese down first like this will prevent the sauce from seeping into the crust and making it soggy. Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella.
-
Arrange the halved tomatoes on top of the cheese, with some cut-side facing up and the rest cut-side facing down. Sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt, to taste. If you are using some tomatoes on the stem, you can leave the stem on for baking if you prefer. Remove it prior to cutting and serving.
-
Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom and edges of the crust are a rich golden brown (use a spatula to lift the pizza and check the bottom). If the bottom is brown but the top still seems pale, transfer the pizza to the top rack and bake for 2 to 4 minutes longer. On the other hand, if the top seems fine but the bottom's not browned to your liking, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for another 2 to 4 minutes.
-
Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a heatproof surface. Carefully run a table knife or spatula between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let the pizza cool very briefly; as soon as you feel comfortable doing so, carefully transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy. If you're not serving it right away, a cooling rack is the better choice to maintain a crisp crust on the bottom.
If desired, top the pizza with freshly shredded Parmesan and chopped fresh herbs.
-
Serve the pizza anywhere from medium-hot to warm. Kitchen shears or a large pair of household scissors are both good tools for cutting this thick pizza into wedges.
Recipe Notes
For this pizza, I used a combination of yellow comets and mini kumato (sweet brown grape tomatoes) along with extra large on-the-vine cherry tomatoes. The mini-kumato's and the on-the-vine cherry tomatoes weigh in on the heavy side increasing the total weight of the tomatoes substantially. If using all grape tomatoes, the weight needed will be quite a bit lower.
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