Crazy Crust Pizza With Sausage

By Cybelle Tondu

Published Feb. 4, 2025

Crazy Crust Pizza With Sausage
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
4(343)
Comments
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Homemade pizza from scratch in just one hour? Crazy! The no-yeast, no-knead recipe for Crazy Crust Pizza was first popularized decades ago when it was published by Pillsbury. The easy-enough-for-a-school-night pizza relies on a simple batter of flour, milk and eggs for a light, tender crust that’s reminiscent of a Dutch baby. Toppings like sausage, onion and bell pepper are scattered over the batter and the pizza is baked halfway before it gets blanketed in crushed tomato and mozzarella and baked again. As with any pizza, the particular toppings are customizable, but try to keep the total volume to around three cups for a well proportioned slice.

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

    For the Toppings

    • 1tablespoon olive oil
    • 1pound bulk Italian sausage or 3 ounces/about 1½ cups sliced pepperoni
    • ½small red onion, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
    • ½green bell pepper, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
    • 1cup canned crushed tomatoes
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • 1cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
    • Grated Parmesan

    For the Crust

    • 1cup/128 grams all-purpose flour 
    • ⅔cup whole milk
    • 2eggs
    • 1teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • Black pepper
    • Medium-grind cornmeal, for dusting the skillet
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Start the toppings: In a large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a medium bowl. Add the onion and bell pepper to the bowl and toss to combine. Discard the excess fat from the pan and set the pan aside to cool slightly. (If using pepperoni instead of sausage, simply toss pepperoni, onions and peppers together in a bowl and coat the bottom of the skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.)

  3. Step 3

    Make the batter for the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, milk, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt and a few cranks of black pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal into the pan, coating the bottom and sides as evenly as possible. Pour batter into the prepared skillet. Spread the sausage mixture over the batter and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the crust is set and deep golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Add crushed tomato and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the oven and spread crushed tomato evenly over the toppings. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan. Return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
343 user ratings
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Comments

Stuart

is there any way to print this without the double printover on top of the second page? Always one sentence is left half out and being a novice cook and imperfect follower of instructions, it leads to some confusion

sharon

@JevitchkaI I make pizza all the time, you don’t need to use the cornmeal if you don’t want to buy it. I personally like the little crunchiness it gives It lasts in the fridge for a very long time, however

DnR Mom

oh, the memories!!! you know it was gonna be a good supper when mom was making this as you got home from school! thanks for reviving an old favorite!

Leslie D

While we enjoyed this, I would not refer to it as a pizza. The base (crust?) is something between Dutch Baby and quiche. I subbed pizza sauce for crushed tomatoes.

WS

I’m curious about increasing the recipe and making the pizza in my largest cast iron skillet, to have plenty for my family of four. Has anyone done this? Any tips?

Eric

If you follow the recipe for the dough, you can add whatever toppings you desire, it always turns out great. I also just splatter some Rao’s pizza sauce after pouring dough into cast iron skillet. Add a little garlic powder and sesame seeds to the outer edge of the crust right before you put it in the oven, you’ll be glad you did.

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