Weeknight Skillet Pizza
Store-bought dough crisped in a skillet on the stove, then finished under the broiler: a crackly-bottomed cheese pizza in about 35 minutes, no stone and no preheating.
This is the site's fast version, not a regional style. America's Test Kitchen worked out that a skillet can stand in for a pizza stone: the stovetop browns the bottom of the crust in a few minutes, and the broiler melts and browns the top, so you never wait for an oven to preheat. Its test cooks say the result beats takeout even with store-bought dough.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Store-bought dough crisped in a skillet on the stove, then finished under the broiler: a crackly-bottomed cheese pizza in about 35 minutes, no stone and no preheating.
🇮🇹 The original
In Naples, pizza is a soft, thin-centered disc with a puffy, blistered rim, topped with tomato, mozzarella and basil and baked in about 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven. See the Pizza Napoletana Margherita recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Stovetop first
A hot, oiled skillet fries and crisps the bottom of the crust in about 6 minutes, which is what a pizza stone needs an hour of preheating to do.
Broiler second
The top heat melts and browns the cheese fast, before the crust has a chance to dry out.
Step by step
- Step 1
Set a rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler. Brush the bottom (not the sides) of a 12-inch ovensafe skillet, cast iron or stainless, with 2 tbsp oil.
- Step 2
Roll one piece of dough into a 14-inch round on a floured counter, let it rest 5 minutes, then fit it into the skillet so it comes about 1 inch up the sides. Prick it all over with a fork, about 10 times.
- Step 3
Cover and cook over medium heat about 6 minutes, until the bottom is spotty brown (lift an edge with a spatula to check). Pop any big bubbles halfway through.
- Step 4
Spread half the sauce over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then sprinkle with half the pepper flakes, mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Step 5
Move the skillet under the broiler and broil about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and spotty brown. Use an oven mitt: the handle is now very hot.
- Step 6
Slide the pizza onto a cutting board and rest 5 minutes before slicing. While it rests, wipe the skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil and make the second pizza the same way.
Weeknight Skillet Pizza
Serves 4 (half a pizza each) · 2 pizzas, about 11 inches each · 35 min total
Pizza
- 1 1/2 lb store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature, divided in half
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup jarred pasta or pizza sauce
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 6 oz whole-milk mozzarella, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- Flour, for rolling
Method
- Set a rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler. Brush the bottom (not the sides) of a 12-inch ovensafe skillet, cast iron or stainless, with 2 tbsp oil.
- Roll one piece of dough into a 14-inch round on a floured counter, let it rest 5 minutes, then fit it into the skillet so it comes about 1 inch up the sides. Prick it all over with a fork, about 10 times.
- Cover and cook over medium heat about 6 minutes, until the bottom is spotty brown (lift an edge with a spatula to check). Pop any big bubbles halfway through.
- Spread half the sauce over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then sprinkle with half the pepper flakes, mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Move the skillet under the broiler and broil about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and spotty brown. Use an oven mitt: the handle is now very hot.
- Slide the pizza onto a cutting board and rest 5 minutes before slicing. While it rests, wipe the skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil and make the second pizza the same way.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Skillet Pizza for Two" by Alli Berkey (2017, serves 2), doubled into two pizzas made one after the other. ATK's listed time is 55 minutes, which includes letting cold dough come to room temperature; our 35 minutes assumes the dough is already at room temperature (take it out of the fridge about 1 hour ahead). America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- On an electric stove, heat the burner 3 minutes before the skillet goes on (ATK).
- A nonstick skillet works only if it is ovensafe to 500°F (ATK).
- Add pepperoni or leftover vegetables with the cheese; keep toppings light so the broiler can brown them.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Store-bought dough is fine. Documented (ATK says its skillet pizza beats takeout "even if you start with store-bought dough").
- Any ovensafe skillet works. Documented (ATK: cast iron, stainless or ovensafe nonstick).
Every other pizza
Pizza Napoletana Margherita
The Naples original: a soft, hand-stretched dough with a puffy, charred rim, topped with hand-crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil, and nothing else.
Pizza Marinara
Naples' other classic, and the older idea: tomato, sliced garlic, oregano and olive oil on a soft, charred crust. No cheese, and no seafood either.
Sfincione (Palermo-Style Sicilian Pizza)
Palermo's tall, spongy pan pizza: cheese and anchovies pressed into the dough, a sweet onion and tomato sauce on top, and a crunchy blanket of oregano and toasted breadcrumbs.
Roman Pizza al Taglio with Potato and Rosemary
Rome's sheet-pan pizza by the slice: a very wet dough, cold-risen for a day, baked airy and crisp, topped with paper-thin potatoes, rosemary and olive oil, and cut into rectangles with scissors.
New York-Style Pizza
The big, thin, foldable slice: a cold-fermented bread-flour dough with a little sugar and oil, a smooth cooked tomato sauce and grated low-moisture mozzarella, baked hot and long until the cheese spots brown.
Grandma Pizza
Long Island's thin square pan pie: an oiled sheet-pan crust, mozzarella first, then raw tomatoes tossed with garlic, olive oil and oregano spooned on top.
New Haven White Clam Pizza
New Haven's famous "apizza": a thin, charred crust with olive oil, garlic, oregano, grated Pecorino Romano and fresh littleneck clams, and no mozzarella.
Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza
A tall, flaky, buttery crust baked in a round pan, filled with a thick layer of mozzarella and topped with a chunky tomato sauce and Parmesan. Eat it with a knife and fork.
Chicago Tavern-Style Thin-Crust Pizza
Chicago's everyday pizza: a cracker-thin crust, a sweet herby sauce to the very edge, fennel-flecked sausage and mozzarella to the rim, cut into little squares.
Detroit-Style Pizza
A thick, airy rectangle baked in a well-oiled steel pan, with pepperoni under Wisconsin brick cheese spread to the very edge so it fries into a dark, crispy crown, and sauce spooned on top in stripes.
St. Louis-Style Pizza
A cracker-thin crust rolled out with a pin, a sweet oregano sauce, toppings to the edge and gooey, smoky Provel cheese, cut into squares.
California-Style BBQ Chicken Pizza
The pizza that told America anything goes: barbecue sauce instead of tomato, smoky gouda and mozzarella, roasted chicken, red onion and fresh cilantro.
Pan Pizza, Inspired by Pizza Hut
Inspired by Pizza Hut's Pan Pizza, not an official recipe: a thick, no-knead dough that rises in an oiled cast-iron skillet and bakes with a golden, almost fried bottom and cheese right to the edge.
Meatballs of the World
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Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
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Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
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