By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- 4(299)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Featured in: Pan-Fried Pizza Time: About 2 hours
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Ingredients
Yield:At least 4 servings
- 2cups all-purpose or bread flour, more as needed
- ¾teaspoon instant yeast
- 1teaspoon coarse salt
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for cooking
- About 2 cups any light, fresh tomato sauce, warmed
- Sliced mozzarella to taste
- Salt and black pepper
- Prosciutto slices and basil leaves for topping (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Combine flour, yeast and salt in a food processor. Turn machine on and add ½ cup water and 2 tablespoons oil through feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a tablespoon or so at a time, until mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. (If mixture becomes too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time.)
Step
2
Put one tablespoon olive oil in a bowl and turn dough ball in it. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. When dough is ready, re-form into a ball and divide it into 4 pieces; roll each piece into a ball. Place each piece on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until each puffs slightly, about 20 minutes.
Step
3
When ready to cook, press one ball into about a 10-inch round. Use a little flour, if needed, to prevent sticking and a rolling pin, if desired. Film a 10-inch skillet with olive oil and turn heat to medium. When oil shimmers, put dough in pan and adjust heat so it browns evenly without burning. (If dough puffs up unevenly in spots, push bubbles down.)
Step
4
Turn dough, then top browned side with tomato sauce, cheese, a bit of salt and pepper, and, if you like, prosciutto and/or basil leaves. If top is now heavily laden, cover pan and continue cooking, or run it under broiler, just until toppings become hot. With only a couple of toppings, just cook until bottom browns. Repeat with remaining dough; serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
299
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Cooking Notes
KensCooking
I make pizza every Friday. My thoughts on this:
Step 2 - Let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 1-3 days - will taste way better.
Step 3 - Never rolling pin pizza dough. Use your hands. You can do it. I know you can. Then let that sit for 20 minutes or so.
Celeste
Although I used Sifton's Roberta's Pizza Dough recipe for the dough, I decided to try Bittman's pan fry technique, followed by letting people top their own pizzas and then finishing the pizzas in the oven--Wow! Best pizzas ever.
JEAN BURNETT
I love this, but would use pizza dough as sold by pound in my local supermarket. (blush )
DallasLaura
I used Suzanne Lenzer's Quick Pizza Dough recipe (which has become my go-to because it is SO easy) and it was delicious! I agree with KensCooking's comment - the dough is so much better after a few days in the fridge.
Topped it with left over kale pesto, grilled chicken, fresh tomatoes and feta and mozzerella cheeses and ate it my favorite way: topped with a lightly dressed arugula salad. YUMS!
Tony
When I tried to melt the cheese by putting the pizza (still In the skillet) in the broiler I burnt the bottom of the pizza. So I fixed this by taking the pizza out of the skillet and placed it on a pizza stone or cookie sheet in the broiler for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
NYPolarCat
Wow, this is delicious! What a wonderful way to enjoy homemade pizza and NOT heat up the home with keeping a 500 degree oven on for an hour.
Kylie
Probably never going to make pizza in the oven again. This was so convenient for summer cooking, no need to have the oven on for an hour!
Thomas
I know that it isn't healthy, but... this is fantastic. I would recommend watching the salt all around. I used the recommended salt in the dough, but used unsalted mozzarella, sauce (made of canned tomatoes, olive oil and salt) prosciutto de parma and salted the first pizza (which was a mistake). Even cutting salting the remaining pizzas, it was still a bit on the salty side for me. Everyone else enjoyed it though!
andrea karsh
I used arttisan bread dough with Kalamata olives that I had rising, homemade pesto,roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Heaven.
andrea
Needed to add significantly extra water & oil.
Candace Gallagher
Fabulous! Made this tonight as written - WOW! Best pizza ever and so easy! I kept it simple with a very light homemade tomato -basil sauce and fresh mozzarella. The crust is simply amazing! I froze two of the four dough balls to thaw and cook another time. I suspect it will work well!
Jennie
Love the method, used this with Roberta's pizza dough recipe in the past to raves. Today I forgot and just used this recipe and it was too dry, didn't rise well and for sure I won't forget and make that mistake again. Still the fry pan method of cooking rocks!
KatSteiger
Great option for making pizza for one -- no need to crank up the grill or heat up the oven.
KellyNC
Glad I stumbled on this recipe. Current heatwave means cranking the oven up is ridiculous. Surprised they haven't featured this recipe lately. Made it 2 ways, Trader Joe's crust worked just as well. I like peppers and shrooms too so I sauteed them with the prosciutto and basil then put it on the pie after moving it to a cutting board. The crust turns out wonderfully and the whole thing took just minutes. Great recipe. I may broil the cheese to brown in the winter but not now.
TechMaven
This is reminiscent of the pizza I had in Fiuggi in 1972. They would pan fry the dough on both sides, place it on a pizza paddle, add the sauce, cheese and other toppings, and then slide it into a furno that had been building heat all day for just a minute. It would come out perfectly charred on the outside, chewy, just unctuous enough, the most delectable dish imaginable. Of course all the ingredients were fresh - fresh ground flour, from scratch sauce from the day's tomatoes, fresh mozz.
mark clayton
Can I use a larger skillet?
andrea karsh
I used arttisan bread dough with Kalamata olives that I had rising, homemade pesto,roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Heaven.
JEAN BURNETT
I love this, but would use pizza dough as sold by pound in my local supermarket. (blush )
Kylie
Probably never going to make pizza in the oven again. This was so convenient for summer cooking, no need to have the oven on for an hour!
Tony
When I tried to melt the cheese by putting the pizza (still In the skillet) in the broiler I burnt the bottom of the pizza. So I fixed this by taking the pizza out of the skillet and placed it on a pizza stone or cookie sheet in the broiler for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Ellie
This so easy and fun! I used Sifton's Roberta's Pizza Dough recipe for the dough, and it worked out great - the kids loved it!!
DallasLaura
I used Suzanne Lenzer's Quick Pizza Dough recipe (which has become my go-to because it is SO easy) and it was delicious! I agree with KensCooking's comment - the dough is so much better after a few days in the fridge.
Topped it with left over kale pesto, grilled chicken, fresh tomatoes and feta and mozzerella cheeses and ate it my favorite way: topped with a lightly dressed arugula salad. YUMS!
KensCooking
I make pizza every Friday. My thoughts on this:
Step 2 - Let the dough rise in the refrigerator for 1-3 days - will taste way better.
Step 3 - Never rolling pin pizza dough. Use your hands. You can do it. I know you can. Then let that sit for 20 minutes or so.
NYPolarCat
Wow, this is delicious! What a wonderful way to enjoy homemade pizza and NOT heat up the home with keeping a 500 degree oven on for an hour.
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