Cheesy Pan Pizza with Turkey Sausage

This cheesy pan pizza with turkey sausage begins with a light and airy yet thick crust which is topped with lots of mozzarella cheese, cooked turkey sausage, and a little bit of marinara sauce, and then baked in a cast iron pan for an extra crispy crust.

Because the cheese goes all the way to the edge of the dough, just like with Detroit pizza, each slice of pizza is crispy from edge to edge. To ensure that the dough does not get soggy, you place most of the cheese on the dough first, then a few dollops of sauce, and finally more cheese.

Unlike a Chicago-style pizza, this pan pizza is light on toppings (except for the cheese of course). If you are adding any extras, such as meats or veggies, use a light hand so that the cheese shines and the airy crust is not weighed down.

This crust on this pizza is sort of a cross between grandma pizza and focaccia.

How to make airy pan pizza crust:

This no-knead pizza dough is super easy to make, and with its overnight rest in the refrigerator, it has tons of flavor.

First, you mix flour, salt, water, and yeast in  a large bowl with a dough whisk, your hands, or a spatula. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for five minutes.

Next, do stretch and folds from all four "sides" of the dough and cover the dough for five minutes. Repeat the stretch and folds three more times, every five minutes, and then cover the dough in the bowl and let rise for 40 minutes at room temperature.

After that, move the dough to the refrigerator for 12 to 72 hours.

What is "Stretch and Fold?"

"Stretch and Fold" is where you take a side of a dough ball, pull it toward you, and fold it over the top of the dough. It helps develop the gluten as well as air in the dough. 

About three hours before you are ready to bake the pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it into an oiled cast iron pan. If you don't have a 10 inch cast iron pan, you can substitute a cake pan or an oven proof skillet.

Gently dimple the dough with your fingertips so that it spreads out over the width of the pan. Once you have coaxed the dough over the pan, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 2 hours.

At this point, the dough is ready to top with cheesy deliciousness.

I used sliced mozzarella cheese on this pizza, which I tore into pieces and laid over the risen dough right up to the edges.

You can also use grated mozzarella cheese if you prefer.

For the cast iron pan, I used the lid from my 3 quart Lodge multi-cooker, (affiliate link) the same pan I often use to bake bread. It's just the right size.

This pizza recipe is fabulous for beginners. Don't be intimidated!

One of my favorite things about this pizza is that you can use kitchen shears to cut the pizza into slices. I didn't believe it until I tried it, but it's pretty much the best method for slicing this pizza.

Some of my blogger friends, hosted by Hezzi-Ds Books and Cooks, have pulled together pizza recipes for National Pizza Day.

I'm excited to check out everyone's pizzas!

Check out all the other great National Pizza Day Recipes:

• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Flatbread Pizza from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cheesy Pan Pizza with Turkey Sausage from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dill Pickle Pizza from Kate's Recipe Box
• Goat Cheese and Pickled Jalapeno Pizza from The Spiffy Cookie
• I Give You My Heart Pizza from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Indian Inspired Pizza from Foodette & Family
• Pizza Pull Aparts from Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Cheesy Pan Pizza with Turkey Sausage

This cheesy pan pizza, with a light and airy crust, is loaded with crispy cheese. It's so delicious and so much easier to make than you might expect.

Cheesy Pan Pizza with Turkey Sausage

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

This cheesy pan pizza with turkey sausage begins with a light and airy thick crust which is topped with lots of mozzarella cheese, cooked turkey sausage, and a little bit of marinara sauce, and then baked in a cast iron pan for an extra crispy crust.

ingredients:

For the Dough

• 2 cups (240 grams) unbleached all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm (90 degrees) water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For the Topping

• 6 ounces  thinly sliced mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces. 
• 1/3 cup marinara sauce
• 3 ounces fully cooked turkey sausage slices

instructions:

How to cook Cheesy Pan Pizza with Turkey Sausage

1. Add the flour, salt, yeast, water, and a tablespoon of the olive oil into a large bowl. 
2. Mix everything together with your hands or a dough whisk until the dough comes together. 
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for five minutes.
4. Stretch and fold the dough 5 times, every five minutes. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes. Move the dough to the refrigerator and let it continue to rise for 12 to 72 hours. 
5. When you are ready to make the pizza, oil a 10 inch cast iron frying pan with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. 
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it into the pan and turn it to coat both sides with the oil. Gently dimple the dough with your fingertips to spread it to fill the pan. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature.
7. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F with one rack at the bottom of the oven and one rack at the top. 
8. Cover the dough, all the way to the edges, with 3/4 of the cheese. 
9. Dollop the cheese with the sauce and add the sausage slices. 
10. Top with the rest of the cheese. 
11. Bake the pizza on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. 
12. Move the pizza to the top rack and bake for 2 to 4 minutes, until the top is browned to your liking. 
13. Remove the pizza from the oven and cool in the pan for about a minute and then move the pizza to a wire rack. 
14. Cut the pizza with kitchen shears and serve. 

Calories
251.69

Fat (grams)
8.83

Sat. Fat (grams)
1.82

Carbs (grams)
33.12

Fiber (grams)
1.48

Net carbs
31.64

Sugar (grams)
0.88

Protein (grams)
9.08

Sodium (milligrams)
454.00

Cholesterol (grams)
17.07

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/02/cheesy-pan-pizza-with-turkey-sausage.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

pizza, pan pizza

Pizza

American, Italian

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Created using The Recipes Generator

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour. They declared this recipe as the recipe of the year for 2020, so naturally, I had to try it!