Pizza in a #14 skillet?

Depends on a few questions. Are you using raw dough for the crust? Will you be constructing the pizza in the pan? A preheated pan may make for difficult handling. But it may contribute to a crisper crust. Pan style pizzas are usually made in thin metal pans that don't require pre-heating.
 
Seems a little dicey to try to make the pie in a preheated pan. If the question is, is there any harm in putting the room temp pan straight into the 450° oven, I don't think there should be a problem.
 
I have to agree.....shouldnt cause any problems. Putting it in an oven is probably safer than on an open fire, or what not. Youll be fine! Welcome to the collectors of BIG Cast Iron.
 
I use a bread machine for the dough , roll out the dough, and make homemade sauce.

My cooking process for a crispy pizza:
  • Place a 14" skillet in oven and preheat to 500 degrees for 15 minutes
  • Remove skillet from oven, drizzle with olive oil and brush the skillet
  • Working quickly:
    • Place and stretch dough into pan *
    • Load with sauce, cheese and toppings **
  • Bake 10-15 minutes, depends upon oven
  • Remove pizza from skillet and place on round stainless steel pan for cutting. ***
* Be careful as I have branded myself a few times
** I microwave 30 seconds the sliced onions & green peppers to help tenderize
*** Cutting in the skillet leaves scratches in the seasoning
 

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I use my #12 Griswold for pizza. I usually let the pan warm just a little in the oven, place dough in pan, and cook for a few minutes before adding toppings. I'm probably using too many toppings at once, but that seems to be our preference, so I like to give the crust a little head start. I had a #14 Gris. I sold several years ago because my stove is pretty old and the oven was just not large enough to accommodate it. <sigh> I am sometimes brave enough to use my #14 hoecake griddle, which just fits in the oven, but has a bail handle that tends to fall over in use. Too much hassle to get out of the oven safely after pizza is done. I usually preheat the griddle slightly too before placing toppings and dough on it.
 
I always assemble the pizza in cold pan. Then I place the pan on a burner over medium heat and heat the pan till the handle gets slightly warm. Then I place the pan in a 450 degree oven. This process eliminates the problem I was having with overcooking the toppings while trying to cook the underside to my liking. Give it a try.
 
My go to pan pizza recipe is courtesy of Americas Test Kitchen. Go to YouTube and search for Americas test kitchen pan pizza. There will be a 13 minute video titled "ATK crispiest cheesiest cast iron pan pizza." The video is a step by step guide using a no-knead dough and uses a 12inch cast iron skillet. You won't be disappointed.
 
Saw a way to do it in a video. Pour a layer of olive oil in the pan set burner to med hi and place your dough in the pan to fry the bottom. Do this for about 30-60 seconds and remove from the burner. Spread sauce toppings and cheese and place it in the oven at 500 for 10-12 minutes. Comes out great!
 
I preheated a 12" skillet once for corn bread. Turned out terrible. Started cooking as soon as the mix hit the pan. End product was hard on top and honey combed through out. Birds enjoyed it. I am real cautious on how much pre heating to do, usually down in the 170° - 200° or just on a top burner lightly.
 
I recently switched from using a very heavy post buyout Wagwold 14 skillet for pizza to a much lighter No 16 bailed griddle.
It's larger, lighter and will bake a pie in less time than the skillet ever did. The wife and I made this one last night....I make and roll
the dough then she tops them.
 
Should I preheat my #14 before putting it into a 450F preheated oven for making pizza?
I make a lot of Pizza in cast Iron and never preheat. I also make brownies without preheating. A little trick I learned also is to take Monterey Jack Cheese and press ir around the top edge of your dough so it is touching the pan. This gives it a nice golden crispy cheesy edge.
 

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