Hello, with pizza! Pizza I meant to post last week, but I never got around to it. I wish I could say I had something really important going on, but I can’t. The truth is that I finally got my hands on a Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild has been my life for the last two weeks.

It’s not like I wasn’t warned! I have friends who love the game, and last year both my friend Ginny and my sister were obsessed, so I knew once I started I’d probably be hooked too. I did not know that I’d be staying up until two am for the first time in months or spending an hour trying to move one block of ice into the perfect position to move a ball into a hole or trying to figure out how to cook just the right foods to level up. I really wish I had had this game when I was unemployed! It is probably for the best I did not, as it pushes all my puzzle-loving, addictive buttons and I probably would never have left my couch.

I would normally probably be feeling some guilt about spending so much time on a video game, especially since we’ve been having warm weather and I should be exercising, etc. But you know what? It’s bringing me joy and we all need more of that this year, so I will allow it for myself.

Another source of joy this year has been this pizza. It’s true! King Arthur Flour has a “recipe of the year” every year, which I usually dismiss as a marketing gimmick, which of course it is, but this year, their choice was a cheesy pizza cooked in a cast iron pan, with a pillowy dough I thought we’d been trained against embracing. Thin crust this is not! But I adore anything that reminds me of the personal pan pizzas we used to order at Pizza Hut with my grandparents, and this sounded like the homemade version of that, just not so personally pan-sized (assuming I practice restraint).

I made this at the very start of work from home, way back in March, and I recently revisited it because I wanted a little comfort food and was craving a pizza. And I don’t seem to be the only one! I have seen versions of this pizza all over food media and twitter, and I think this recipe is just hitting the right note of carby, cheesy comfort for all of us this year, especially now as we head into what is sure to be an interesting Winter.

So here is my version, complete with pepperoni as a nod to my childhood ordering at the Hut, and with a drizzle of spicy honey for that sweet/spicy/salty combo, and a scattering of torn basil because I’m an adult now so I need a little green on everything I eat.

I highly recommend making this! Enjoy the tactile process of stretching the dough, enjoy the cheese, and enjoy the golden, crispy crust!

Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza with Spicy Honey & Basil

Adapted from King Arthur Flour. This pizza is actually a great one for our current work from home weeknights, as much of the time is hands off as you wait for the dough to rise, and the baking time is only about 20 minutes. Just be sure to plan ahead as you will need to make the dough at least 15 hours before you plan to bake it.

• 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 3/4 cup (170g) water, room temp or slightly warmed

• 1 tablespoon (13g) olive oil, plus more for the pan

• 1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

• 1/3 cup pizza sauce (plus more if needed), store bought, no shame!

• 1/4 cup pepperoni

• spicy honey (or honey + some cayenne pepper or hot sauce)

• basil, for garnish

• pecorino romano or parmesan, for garnish

1. Make the dough: Combine flour, salt, yeast, water and 1 tbs of olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer (or regular bowl if you are mixing by hand). Stir it all together for about a minute into a shaggy dough with no dry spots. Gather the mass into a ball and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.

2. Let dough rest for 5 minutes, then uncover the bowl and use a wet hand to reach underneath the dough, and pull the bottom of the dough, stretching it up and over the top of the dough. Repeat this process three more times, once on each side of the dough. Basically, instead of kneading the dough, you are stretching it into shape.

3. Re-cover the bowl, and after 5 minutes repeat the stretching process again. Wait 5 minutes and do it again, then another 5 minutes, and do a fourth and final stretch. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 40 minutes. Then chill the dough for at least 12 hours, or up to 72 hours. This will help develop flavor over the long rise.

4. About 3 hours before you want to serve your pizza, prepare your cast iron pan. Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a well-seasoned, 10-inch cast iron skillet. Spread the oil over and around the pan, and up the sides, anywhere the dough is going to touch as it rises.  Transfer the dough to the pan and flip it in the pan to coat with the oil. Press the dough gently to the edges of the pan, using the tips of your fingers to dimple the dough as you work it. At this point, the dough will shrink back from the sides, but cover with plastic wrap, let rest 15 minutes, and repeat. Then rest another 15 minutes and repeat again.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. About 30 minutes before you plan to start baking, place one oven rack at the top of the oven about below the heating element or broiler, and one at the bottom of the oven. Now is a good time to also preheat the oven to 450°, if your oven takes time to climb to that temperature, like mine.

6. When it’s time to bake, sprinkle about 1 cup of the cheese over the dough, crust to crust, to the edges of the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the pizza sauce on top of the cheese, then cover with the remaining cheese. Place the pepperoni as desired, then bake on the bottom rack for 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling away and crust is golden brown. You will need to use a spatula to lift up the crust and check.

7. If the bottom is golden but you want to brown the cheese a bit more, move the pizza to the top rack and bake another few minutes; if the top is done but the bottom isn’t yet golden, keep the pizza where it is for another few minutes. I usually find that my pizza is where I want it after 20 minutes, but use the extra few minutes to get the pepperoni extra crispy, the way I like it.

8. Once the pizza is done to your liking, remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes to cool to where you can touch it without hurting yourself. Run a knife around the edges to make sure no cheese is sticking, then drizzle with the honey, top with torn basil, and grate a good amount of parmesan or pecorino over the top. Serve immediately in the pan, using a good pair of kitchen scissors to cut slices. Or, if not serving right away, remove from the pan so the crust doesn’t steam. We want a plush, yet crisp, bottom, not a soggy bottom!