Make pizza night a favourite with loved ones with this fantastic pizza recipe!

Warning: This pizza recipe will make you fall hopelessly in love! Featuring bacon and pimento cheese sitting atop a crispy crust, each bite of this pizza takes you on a journey of flavour. Pimento cheese is a popular spread in the Southern USA – made from cheese, mayonnaise, and pimientos, it brings a touch of tang and heat to the table.

To develop that perfectly crispy pizza crust, we used a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. The even heat distribution and ability to retain heat is crucial to make your pizza crust crispy. Make this scrumptious pizza to impress guests or bake one for yourself as a treat!

Prep Time: 16 hours, 20 minutes | Cook Time 24 minutes | Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 2 cups King Author Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1½ tablespoons for the pan

For the toppings:

• 6 ounces mozzarella, grated (about 1¼ cups, loosely packed)
• ½ cup pizza sauce
• ½ cup pimento cheese
• ½ cup crumbled bacon

For the Pimento cheese

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup mayonnaise (we love Duke's mayo in the South)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 roasted jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 3 tablespoons diced pimentos
• salt and pepper

Method:

Prep Directions:

1. Place flour, salt, yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl. Stir everything together, approximately 1 minute, to make a shaggy, sticky mass of dough with no dry patches of flour.

2. Scrape the sides of the bowl and gather dough into a ball. Cover for 5 minutes.

3. Uncover the bowl and reach down between the side of the bowl and the dough, as though you were going to lift the dough out. Instead of lifting, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over its top. Repeat this three more times, turning the bowl 90 degrees each time.

4. Cover the bowl, and after 5 minutes do another fold. Wait 5 minutes and repeat, then another 5 minutes for the fourth—and final—fold. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 40 minutes. Then refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours.

5. Prepare your skillet 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza. Pour remaining 1½ tablespoons olive oil into a 26cm Cast Iron Skillet. Coat the cooking surface and sidewalls with oil.

6. Transfer the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat with olive oil. Press the dough to the edges of the pan, dimpling it with the tips of your fingers.*

7. Cover and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature.

Cook Directions:

1. Thirty minutes before baking, place one rack at the bottom of the oven and one towards the top. Preheat the oven to 232°C.

2. When you’re ready to bake, sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the entire crust.

3. Dollop small spoonfuls of the sauce over the cheese. Sprinkle it with remaining mozzarella. Add small spoonfuls of pimento cheese over the pizza and sprinkle with bacon.

4. Bake the pizza on the bottom rack for 18-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the bottom and edges of the crust are golden brown.**

5. Remove the pizza from the oven. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pizza and the side of the skillet to prevent sticking. Transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board. Serve and enjoy!

*Pro Tip: The dough may start to shrink back; that’s OK. Just cover it and let it rest for about 15 minutes, then repeat the dimpling until the dough reaches the edges of the pan.

**Pro Tip: If the top of the pizza isn’t ready, move it to the top rack for 2- 4 minutes. If the top is fine, but the crust needs more browning, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for 2 to 4 minutes.

For the Pimento Cheese:

1. Combine cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, jalapeño, and pimentos. Mix well.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Source: Lodge Cast Iron

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