Spelt Pepperoni Pizza, Cast Iron No Yeast Skillet Pizza

Spelt

Spelt is an ancient grain. Known for being easier to digest, spelt was the staple grain of the Romans. The Roman army marched with spelt, as it didn’t need refrigeration.

Spelt contains less gluten than the regular wheat you found at the grocery store. My gluten-sensitive family members do better with spelt than other modern wheats. However, you should consult a health professional before consuming anything you know you might have a poor reaction to.

The Dough

This dough is very manageable and easy to work with. This recipe does not have instant yeast, an ingredient not always found at home. This recipe is fast and unproblematic, making it good for beginner bakers to work with!

This recipe doesn’t need a rolling pin or a dough rolling mat. It doesn’t take very long to spread the dough out by hand. Make a “hump” for the crust at the ends of the dough. It will likely take you longer to make this recipe if you use a rolling pin and a clean surface, both with liberally applied flour.

If you meal prep, I recommend doubling or tripling this recipe, then baking the dough for ten to fifteen minutes each. While one is in the oven, have the rest of the dough chilling, covered, in the fridge. Alternatively, if you have more than one pan, you can cook multiple at once. After the baking time has passed, you can add your sauce and toppings.

This dough was made to make a medium cast iron pan’s worth of pizza. If you want to make a larger pizza, however, double this recipe. When you’re doubling this recipe, you should use a rolling pin and a pastry mat, both with liberally applied flour on them. Use a big baking sheet or pizza stone to bake with. Add about 5-10 more minutes to your baking time.

For better taste and texture, let the dough sit, covered, overnight in the fridge. This step will improve the flavors of the dough. Even just a half-hour in the fridge can help the gluten develop within the dough. However, this step is not required.

You may replace the spelt flour in this recipe with any other kind of light flour you want at a one-to-one ratio.

The Toppings

For this recipe, I used about 2-3 ounces of a type of locally-made raw cheddar hand-crumbled. However, you can use any type of cheese you want to! For example, mozzarella, mixed blend shredded cheese, or (again) cheddar.

Using a spoon, tomato or pizza sauce should be spread around as evenly as possible around the pizza. You may also add a pinch of Italian seasoning or garlic powder to the tomato sauce to add to the flavor.

I recommend placing down 75% of the cheese, then placing your pepperoni on top. Put the remaining 25% of cheese over the pepperoni.