Gochujang Vodka Sauce Cast-Iron Pizza
Any self proclaimed pizza lover can agree—we have all had the same thought, one time or another:
I should buy a pizza oven!
I seems awfully nice.
Freshly baked pizza, in a wood fired oven, while you casually lounge on your back patio, sipping wine, watching the cheese bubble away, the crusts of your pizza getting that nice charcoal effect…
Well I don’t mean to be a downer, but I know I can’t afford that $2000+ fantasy right now.
However, I think we both still deserve a delicious pizza.
This pizza recipe is my absolute favorite, for these three reasons:
The dough is foolproof! Super quick to make with an overnight rise
I can use my oven!
No fancy equipment, just a Cast Iron Pan
This method will leave you with a picture perfect pizza. A thin crispy base and poofy crust, one that gets the wood fired charcoal color, without the wood fired charcoal price-tag.
Now, this dough recipe works with any topping. That’s the beauty of pizza isn’t it?
But! If you are looking for something exciting, you’ll want to try my Gochujang Vodka Sauce.
Super spicy, creamy and decadent. A fun Korean twist on your average homemade pizza. I kept the toppings simple to let the sauce shine: using mozzarella, pepperoni and parmesan to finish it off.
If you love Vodka Sauce, and you love the taste of Gochujang, you are going to fall in love with this pie.
Sponsored: This recipe was made in partnership with Staub Ceramics! You can find the Staub Cast Iron Fry Pan that I used here.
Recipe
Makes three, 10” pizzas
For the Dough:
247g water
2g active dry yeast
2g honey
240g type 00 flour
155g flour (bread, all purpose, whole wheat)
9g coarse salt
12g olive oil
Semolina flour (for dusting)
Combine warm water, honey and yeast in a small bowl. Stir to combine and let it activate for 10 mins.
In a stand mixer with hook attachment, add 240g flour with yeast mixture. Mix on low until combined. Scraping down the sides to incorporate all the flour. Once fully combined, let the dough rest covered with a damp towel for 10 min.
After resting, add the salt and oil. Turn the mixer on low and add the remaining flour, a little at a time.
Knead for 10 mins until elastic and smooth. It should not stick to the bowl but still be soft. Shape the dough into a ball. Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a bowl and place round dough ball inside, turning it once over to coat it. Cover and rest at room temp for 1 hr.
After rising and double in size, punch down and divide into 3 portions.
Shape into balls. Place in a greased container in the fridge for 12- 24 hrs.
Gochujang Vodka Sauce:
1 clove minced garlic
1 shallot minced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fine gochugaru
4 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp gochujang
½ tsp fine gochugaru
2 tbsp soju/ vodka
½ cup 10% cream
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
1 tbsp butter
Salt or sugar, to taste
Mozzarella (topping)
Pepperoni (topping)
In a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, and shallot. Stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the gochugaru and stir for another 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste and gochujang. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the colour darkens and is thick. Pour in the soju or vodka to deglaze the pan. Quickly stir to cook out the alcohol.
Add both of the creams. Whisk to combine and break up lumps. Let it thicken slightly before adding the butter and cheese. Taste before adding any necessary salt or sugar.
Let cool before using.
To Assemble:
Let dough come to room temperature for 1 hour prior to baking. This will make it easier to stretch out.
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with the Staub Cast Iron inside.
Dust your work surface with semolina flour to prevent sticking. Regular flour works too— however it has a higher chance of burning.
Press a ball of dough out with fingertips to roughly 9” across, keeping the edges slightly thicker. Transfer to a pizza paddle or a flat baking sheet with no edges (surface should be dusted with flour)
Top your dough with 3 large spoonfulls of your Vodka Sauce and any toppings of choice. I used mozzarella and pepperoni.
At this point your Cast Iron should be preheated. Remove it form the oven and carefully place it on a burner over medium heat.
Transfer your decorated pizza to your hot cast iron.
Cook the pizza for 3-5 minutes on the stovetop to crispen up the bottom. Check the underside by lifting it up with a spatula.
Once the underside of the pizza has developed a golden colour, change the oven setting to broil (550 degrees) and place the pizza (still in the cast iron) positioned on the top rack to cook. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until the crust is golden and slightly scorched.
Remove from oven & allow to cool. Transfer the pizza from your cast iron onto a wooden cutting board, top with grated parmesan cheese, and cut into into slices.
Repeat the above steps with the remaining dough balls for a total of three 10” pizzas, or you can freeze them for later use.
If you attempt any oven made pizza method I definitely recommend this one. It delivers consistent texture results, it’s fairly quick and the crust flavour is great.
Note: Letting the dough rest helps create those big air bubbles in the crust and lets the flavour of the dough develop. So I definetly recommend not skipping that overnight rest period if you can! But if you are in a pinch, 6 hours is enough time to make it work.
Enjoy & happy pizza making!
