Skillet Pizza with Sausage and Chili Garlic Tomato Sauce

FOR THE CRUST:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour the warm water in and sprinkle with yeast. Aim for the water to be the warmth of a bottle you’d feed a baby. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Let stand until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add olive oil and sugar to yeast mixture. Turn mixer on low and slowly add flour and kosher salt. Turn speed up to medium and mix until everything comes together and forms a ball of dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead just a couple times to bring it together into a ball. Transfer dough ball to a bowl that has a light coating of olive oil. Turn the dough ball to coat with olive oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm area for about an hour. The dough should approximately double in size.
3. * While dough is rising, prepare pizza toppings (directions below). Place a 12″ cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
4. Cut dough in half. Place both pieces on a floured surface and gently knead each one a few times. You can now prepare both pieces (if making two pizzas, you will need to double the pizza topping ingredients listed) or freeze the second piece by wrapping it in plastic and placing it in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. With a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough into a 10″ round, or the diameter equal to the bottom surface of your 12″ cast iron skillet.

FOR THE PIZZA TOPPINGS:

1. In a separate skillet over medium to medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it up into bite-size pieces until no longer pink. Drain excess pork grease, sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, and stir. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
2. While sausage is browning, prepare chili garlic tomato sauce. In a small bowl, combine diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar, remaining 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.

TO ASSEMBLE PIZZA:

1. Very carefully remove hot skillet from oven. Pour just enough olive oil into bottom of skillet to very lightly coat the bottom and about 1″ up the sides, spreading with a brush. Evenly sprinkle cornmeal over bottom of skillet. Carefully place rolled round of dough into bottom of pan, pushing it as needed into the sides of the skillet just a bit (look at my photo in the post). Spread all but 1/4 cup of the chili garlic tomato sauce over the dough, leaving about 1/2″ of dough exposed around the perimeter. Add half of the mozzarella, then all of the sausage. Add remaining mozzarella and then dot the top of the pizza with the remaining chili garlic tomato sauce. Sprinkle red onion over the top of it all. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is perfectly melty and a bit blistered. Remove from oven and let rest a couple minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with Parmesan and cilantro and serve immediately.