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From Serious Eats

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

Okay. I stumbled across this recipe because, in a weird half-dream, I thought about using cast iron to solve the eternal problem of home pizza makers. That being the problem of conventional home ovens never, ever getting hot enough to make truly excellent home pizza.

I've got a stone. I crank my tiny apartment oven as high as it can go. I take out the batteries in my smoke alarm and open every window. And I'm pretty sure I've suffered mild smoke inhalation on more than one occasion. Still, no matter these efforts, my pizza has ended up good, but not G-R-E-A-T. Charred. Bubbly. Chewy. That's what I'm looking for.

So anyway, while in a pizza mood this evening and with a ball of dough thawing on the counter, I thought about how well cast iron holds heat. A quick little Google search on "cast iron pizza" lead me straight to, and to my delight, Serious Eats. This confirmed the crazy idea in my head; if you guys had something on it, it had to work.

I followed Blumenthal's procedure and all I have to say is: FINALLY. CHARRED, BUBBLY, CHEWY, PERFECT PIZZERIA PIZZA IS FINALLY POSSIBLE AT HOME. Done. That's all she wrote. Finished.

iamshirley at 10:47PM on 04/08/09

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From Serious Eats

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

Okay. I stumbled across this recipe because, in a weird half-dream, I thought about using cast iron to solve the eternal problem of home pizza makers. That being the problem of conventional home ovens never, ever getting hot enough to make truly excellent home pizza.

I've got a stone. I crank my tiny apartment oven as high as it can go. I take out the batteries in my smoke alarm and open every window. And I'm pretty sure I've suffered mild smoke inhalation on more than one occasion. Still, no matter these efforts, my pizza has ended up good, but not G-R-E-A-T. Charred. Bubbly. Chewy. That's what I'm looking for.

So anyway, while in a pizza mood this evening and with a ball of dough thawing on the counter, I thought about how well cast iron holds heat. A quick little Google search on "cast iron pizza" lead me straight to, and to my delight, Serious Eats. This confirmed the crazy idea in my head; if you guys had something on it, it had to work.

I followed Blumenthal's procedure and all I have to say is: FINALLY. CHARRED, BUBBLY, CHEWY, PERFECT PIZZERIA PIZZA IS FINALLY POSSIBLE AT HOME. Done. That's all she wrote. Finished.

iamshirley at 10:47PM on 04/08/09

From Serious Eats

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

I tried this and I had a few problems I'm hoping someone can correct...
1. My pan got WAY hot on the burner and turned ashen in the middle. The burner coil coating flaked off when I removed the pan to put it under the broiler. Maybe I left it on too long (25 minutes or so)?
2. The dough was really difficult to manage being so thin and flimsy. It was hard to maneuver accurately, and dealing with such extreme heat, I decided to put the pie on the upside down skillet before placing it under the broiler. It cooked while I was holding it.
3. 1 minute 35 seconds under the broiler was maybe too long as the bottom turned to coal.
4. Have to say, all this aside, that was one delicious pie. Willing to try again with a few adjustments, provided I didn't ruin my pan or my stove coil.

jtsmith01 at 8:51PM on 07/20/09

From Serious Eats

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

Cast iron pans are a great way to get a good pizza. Very tasty. In fact, I made a how to video on this very subject!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDrELqxz45w

Enjoy!

bynkman at 12:38PM on 04/27/09

From Serious Eats

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

I just saw this posting yesterday and tried it tonight. I used Mark Bittman's Basic Pizza Dough. I used 2 cups KA bread flour and 1 cup KA white whole wheat flour. I heated my cast iron skillet in the oven while it was preheating (I don't quite understand why you would put it on the stove and then put it in the oven). Then I slid my pizza in and my gosh! This was gorgeous. Thin in the middle with a nice thick brown crust. The bottom could hold its own and it was cooked so fast. I will never go back to cooking pizza on a cold pan again at a low heat!

xwafflesx at 6:52PM on 04/17/09

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