Cast Iron Bacon & Cheddar Skillet Pizza
Crispy-bottomed pizza with pimento-cheddar and bacon, cooked in cast iron over a camp fire.
- calories
- 820
- weight
- 8.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 96
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- 180 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| All-purpose flour | 2 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | ¾ teaspoon | |
| Instant yeast | ½ teaspoon | |
| Warm water | ¾ cup | |
| Olive oil | 2½ tablespoons | divided: 1 tbsp for dough, 1½ tbsp for pan |
| Mozzarella cheese powder | 6 oz | or hard mozzarella, grated |
| Cheddar cheese powder | ½ cup | |
| Tomato powder or pizza sauce | ½ cup | |
| Dried pimentos | 3 tablespoons | diced |
| Garlic powder | ¼ teaspoon | |
| Bacon bits | ½ cup | or 6 oz pre-cooked bacon, crumbled |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Mix flour, yeast, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add ¾ cup warm water and 1 tablespoon oil, stir until shaggy. Rest 10 minutes.
- While dough rests, mix mozzarella powder, cheddar powder, tomato powder, pimentos, and garlic powder in a bowl.
- Heat cast iron skillet over coals or grill grate with 1½ tablespoons oil until shimmering.
- Stretch dough to fit the skillet and lay it in the hot oil. Cook bottom for 3–4 minutes until starting to brown.
- Spread cheese mixture over dough and top with bacon bits.
- Cover loosely with foil or tilt skillet toward heat. Cook 8–10 minutes until cheese melts and crust is golden.
This requires cast iron and a hot fire, which means basecamp only. The reason is simple: you get melted cheese and a browned crust, which a stove cannot produce.
The filling adapts fresh ingredients for shelf life: powdered cheese and tomato powder, dried pimentos, bacon bits. The cooking challenge is heat balance. Too hot and the bottom burns before the top melts; too cool and nothing happens. Cover with foil if the top threatens to scorch. Twenty-five minutes gets you pizza for two.
Packing
Mix flour, yeast, and salt in one bag at home. Pack oil separately or include in camp supplies. Mix cheese powders, tomato powder, and pimentos in a second bag. Bacon bits in a third bag. The short rest between mixing and cooking means you can have pizza from shelf-stable ingredients in less than an hour.
Variations
- Skip pimentos and bacon for a simple cheese pizza.
- Add dried jalapeños to the cheese mixture.
- Use all cheddar powder if mozzarella powder is hard to find.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/bacon-pimento-cheese-pizza