Ingredients

For the Dough:

3/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp. instant or active dry yeast

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. honey ( subsisted for sugar)

Pizza Sauce:

28oz can whole peeled tomatoes

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 to 4 fresh basil leaves (I used 2 tbsp. dry basil)

1 tsp. dried oregano

pinch of sugar, salt and pepper

For the Pizza:

8-10oz fresh mozzarella balls

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

5 basil leaves chopped (I used dry basil)

We added sautéed spinach and mushrooms in the stuffing

Instructions

1. if you are using active dry yeast, combine the yeast in the 3/4 cup of water and let sit for 5 minutes. For instant yeast, you can just combine the yeast with the dry ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, cornmeal and instant yeast (if using instant). Add the water (or yeast/water if using active dry yeast), olive oil and sugar (or honey). Stir until moistened. Add flour in 1/4 cup or small increments until you achieve a dough that is neither sticky or stiff.

3. Remove the dough and place in a well-oiled large bowl and let rise at room temperature for one hour, covered with a tea towel.

4. While dough is rising, prepare the pizza sauce! Empty tomatoes into a mixing bowl and crush the tomatoes with a fork, leaving them a little chunky. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once sizzling, add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir all together and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil and oregano. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

5. If you want to insert some toppings into the pizza, this would be your time to do so while the sauce is simmering. We used cut up mushrooms and spinach. I sautéed the mushrooms with some olive oil until they were softer and then included the spinach at the last second and stirred for about 30 seconds. Set aside until needed.

6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of the cast-iron pan with olive oil and lightly dust with cornmeal.

7. When dough is ready, place on a well-floured surface and with a rolling pin (we used a water bottle since we didn’t have a rolling pin at the time), roll the dough into a circle a little bit bigger than the bottom of the skillet.

8. Transfer the dough into the cast-iron pan and press into the bottom and up the sides. Cover the bottom of the pizza with the mozzarella balls, add some parmesan cheese and then top with your toppings (spinach and mushrooms). Top with all of the pizza sauce and sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top. You don’t want your crust to extend too much higher than your filling, or the exposed part on the top will overcook.

9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and if crust is dark enough, cover loosely with a sheet of tinfoil and cook about 10-15 minutes longer.

10. Remove from oven, let cool and viola! Bon appetite.