Le Creuset’s Pizza Pan

Nothing quite says fun than an evening spent with friends and family indulging in delicious and crispy, chewy thin-based pizzas, loaded with delicious toppings. It’s a great way to entertain – and with Le Creuset’s fabulous new enamelled cast-iron pizza pan in Marseille Blue, the only elbow grease goes into making the delicious bases ahead of time.

With a diameter of 32cm, their pizza pan (R870) is ideal for family-sized pizzas. Le Creuset’s cast iron retains heat, which helps the development of the crust, while the large surface area allows excess moisture from the dough to evaporate and lets the base crisp to perfection. The enamel coating means the pizza just slides off the pan after it is cooked. The pan also has easy-assist handles on each side to make removing the pizza from the oven easy, and their signature heritage styling means you can serve the pizza straight from the pizza pan, which will also keep it warm at the table.

Pizza base recipe

Note: Make the pizza dough ahead of time in the morning, to allow it plenty of time to rise. This recipe makes two large bases. Depending on the size of the crowd you’re expecting, you can double the recipe, triple it, quadruple it …

400g bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons sugar
1 sachet instant yeast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
water

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the oil and ½ cup water. Mix together, gradually adding enough water to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough.
Knead on a well-floured flat surface for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth.
Put the dough ball into a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover it tightly with clingfilm and leave it in a warm place to rise until it has doubled.
Punch it down and knead it again for 3 to 4 minutes. Divide it in half.
Roll out each half on a well-floured surface to form a large base.
Place the base on a Le Creuset pizza pan and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes (or more) before adding your favourite toppings.
Preheat your oven to 230˚C. Bake for about 10 minutes until the toppings looked cooked and the base looks crisp and golden.