Pizza in a Frying Pan
I was a little surprised at how simple, and above all how fast, pizza in a frying pan is. It takes very little time, so you can make it for breakfast or when you get home from work in the evening. As it turns out, pizza in padella is a very common thing in Italy, since not everyone has a Pompeian oven or feels like turning on the oven.
You could say this dish belongs with fried foods, although if you look closely it is more a combination of frying and baking. Two steps in a row: browning the dough in the pan, then setting the topping with heat under a lid or, in some cases, under the grill. Pizzas simply deep-fried are popular in Scotland, while in Italy fried calzone is just as common as the baked kind.
It is actually a wonderful way to cook where you can’t set up a stove or oven, for street food or a picnic. The dough can be completely plain, made with leavening agents or fermented dairy, with sourdough or a mother dough, or with brewer’s yeast. Baker’s yeast is trickier: the dough simply won’t have time to bake through, and a lingering yeasty smell is guaranteed.
You need a stove and a large frying pan 24-28 cm in diameter with a wide flat bottom and a lid. The walls should be vertical so that the base is as large as possible. If the pan is shaped more like a wok, the dough round will come out concave, which is handy for making focaccia. Or you can use a saucepan, which, by the way, works quite well.
For pizza in a frying pan, the best dough is of course the one that is simplest and quickest. I settled on a simple dough made with brewer’s yeast. The only drawback is that it needs up to an hour to rise. But it is much tastier, fluffier and softer.
Large supermarkets sell sachets of brewer’s yeast, lievito di birra. The sachet usually states how to use it (for a starter or mixed into dry flour) and how much flour it is meant for. The dough can be made ahead, which is handy if you plan to make the pizza on a picnic. As for the topping, that is where you can get creative. What matters is that all the ingredients are ready to eat and need no cooking.
Pizza in a frying pan is a simple way to cook. It is quick and easy, with your favorite topping. Step-by-step recipe with photos.
Ingredients
26 cm pizza
- For the dough
- Wheat flour 1.5 cups
(195 g) - Brewer’s yeast (dry) as directed on the sachet
- Lukewarm water 150 ml
- Sugar 1 tsp
(5 g) - Salt a pinch
- Olive oil 0.5 tbsp + 1 tsp for the pan
- For the topping
- Mozzarella 100 g
- Tomato sauce 2–3 tbsp
- Cherry tomatoes 2–3
- Grated Parmesan 1 tbsp
(7 g) - Fresh basil 2–3 sprigs
- Dried oregano a pinch
Step-by-step recipe
Dough
If you can’t make dough with brewer’s yeast, make a yeast-free pizza dough with baking powder.
Sift the flour into a bowl, add 1 tsp sugar (5 g), a pinch of salt and the dry brewer’s yeast.
Stir the mixture and add 150 ml lukewarm water.
Knead a very soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
Drizzle the dough with 0.5 tbsp olive oil and work it in thoroughly.
Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm place for 30–40 mins.
Fry the base
Lightly grease a regular frying pan with olive oil, 1 tsp is literally enough.
The dough has grown a little. Roll or stretch it into a round the size of the bottom of the pan.
Lay it in the pan, forming a low rim around the edge.
Set the dough to cook over medium heat. Don’t rush the frying. After 4–5 mins the underside will begin to turn golden, and small baked spots will show on the outer side.
By the way, in that time it will become a little thicker and fluffier.
Topping under the lid
By now all the topping ingredients should be ready. I prepared everything as for a margherita, adding only a little Parmesan. It gives my pan pizza a more intense flavor.
Slice the mozzarella into thin pieces and pick the basil leaves off the sprigs. Have the tomato sauce ready.
From here on, everything has to be done quickly. Taking hold of the edge, flip the fried dough in one motion.
Immediately brush the fried side with tomato sauce, stopping short of the edge so the raised rim stays free of sauce.
Lay on the mozzarella slices and halved cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with a pinch of dried oregano and a little Parmesan.
Turn the heat down to the minimum and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook the topping under the lid until the mozzarella has thoroughly melted. Since all the ingredients are ready to eat, melted cheese is the sign that the dish is done.
If you like, though it isn’t necessary, you can put the pan under the grill for a few minutes.
Scatter fresh basil over the topping and move the pizza to a wooden board of a suitable size. You can serve it to the table on the same board.
You can use any toppings you like: sausage and ham, various cheeses, capers, pickled onion, smoked fish and so on.
Calories and macros
246 kcal
100 g
- Protein10.1 g17% of kcal
- Fat7.8 g30% of kcal
- Carbs31.4 g53% of kcal
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
To Get It Right
Which yeast
I use brewer’s yeast, which large supermarkets sell in sachets, lievito di birra. The packaging states how much flour a sachet covers and how to use it (for a starter or mixed into dry flour). Regular baker’s yeast is trickier: the dough won’t have time to bake through, and that characteristic yeasty smell remains.
If you have no yeast
You can use a dough made yeast-free pizza dough with baking powder. Dough for the pan can also be completely unleavened or made with sourdough.
Topping
Everything that goes into the topping should be ready to eat: under the lid it only warms through while the cheese melts. Besides margherita, sausage and ham, various cheeses, capers, pickled onion and smoked fish all work. Don’t spread the sauce all the way to the edge, so the rim stays dry.
Ahead of time and for a picnic
The dough can be mixed ahead, which is handy if you plan to make pan pizza on a picnic. All you need on site is a stove and a pan with a lid.
Have your own trick for this recipe?
Pizza cutterAliExpress
Silicone dough mat with markingsAliExpress
Pull chopper for garlic and onionAliExpress
Oil sprayerAliExpress
Kitchen scale up to 5 kgAliExpress
Vegetable chopper with handleAliExpressQuestions and answers
How do you make pizza in a frying pan?
Stretch the dough over the bottom of an oiled pan and fry over medium heat until the underside is golden. Then flip it, spread the topping over the fried side and bake under a lid over minimum heat until the cheese melts.
How long do you fry pizza in a frying pan?
The base takes 4–5 minutes over medium heat, until the underside is golden. After adding the topping, cook it under a lid over minimum heat until the mozzarella has thoroughly melted. Melted cheese is the sign that the pizza is done.
What kind of pan do you need for pizza?
A large one, 24–28 cm in diameter, with a wide flat bottom, vertical walls and a lid. In a wok-like pan the round will come out concave. Or you can use a saucepan, which works quite well.
Do you need to flip pizza in a frying pan?
Yes. First the dough is fried on one side, then flipped in one motion and the topping is spread over the fried side. The second side finishes baking under the lid.
Do you need an oven or grill?
No, the pizza is cooked entirely on the stove, with the topping baking under the lid. The grill is optional, just for a few minutes.