The crust is a really simple dough.

400g flour 1 tsp yeast (I use 1 pouch of the instant kind) 2 tsp salt 250 ml tepid water 2 tsp olive oil

Mix dry ingredients together and add wet ingredients. When it starts to form transfer to a floured counter. Knead until it’s a nice smooth dough. It’ll be slightly sticky but not very.

Divide into two and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for about an hour until it doubles in size.

Punch down and flatten it out into a circle, place in a deep pan. I use either two pie pans or one cast iron skillet. I prefer using the cast iron skillet. Form the dough up the sides of the pan to form walls. The bottom part doesn’t have to be super thick, but try not to let it get so thin that it’s transparent, and push the dough well into the corners. Too much dough in the corners makes the crust super thick there and all the toppings will slide right off.

Add cheese. I use an entire 4 cup bag of mozzarella cheese. Now add toppings. I added pepperoni and Italian sausage. I cooked the sausage in a separate skillet in red wine, sliced the cooked sausage into small pieces. Put it on top of the cheese.

Then I deglazed the pan with a tiny bit more wine and added a large can of crushed tomatoes, a bunch of minced garlic, and Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the leftover red wine and sausage grease. Simmer that for a while and add it to the top.

The layering of the pie should be about 1/2 cheese, 1/4 toppings, 1/4 sauce.

I baked it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit/200 Celsius for about 30 minutes. I turned it down to 350 Fahrenheit/177 Celsius for an additional 30-45 minutes. Time and temp might vary, my oven sucks and I just go by smell and how it looks. The crust will be hard and golden brown and stable enough that you can lift up on it without it tearing off.

Take it out and use a spatula to help pry it out of the skillet or pan or whatever, transfer to a flat surface or baking sheet. Let sit for a while to firm up and cut it into slices. I like to use a large bread knife for this.