Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza Margherita

Instructions

No-Cook Pizza Sauce:

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Process tomatoes with oil, vinegar, garlic, and oregano in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to 2-cup liquid measuring cup and add tomato juice until sauce measures 2 cups. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Pizza:

1. Grease 12-inch cast-iron skillet with 2 tablespoons oil.
2. Place dough on lightly floured counter, divide in half, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Press and roll 1 piece of dough (keeping remaining dough covered) into 11-inch round. Transfer dough to prepared skillet and gently push it to corners of pan. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over surface of dough, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. Top with half of mozzarella.
3. Set skillet over medium-high heat and cook until outside edge of dough is set, pizza is lightly puffed, and bottom crust is spotty brown when gently lifted with spatula, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until edge of pizza is golden brown and cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Using potholders, remove skillet from oven and slide pizza onto wire rack using spatula; let cool slightly. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon basil, cut into wedges, and serve. Being careful of hot skillet, repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, dough, 1/2 cup sauce, mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon basil. (Reserve remaining sauce for another use.) Cut into wedges and serve.