Cooking in the wild
Everything you can cook in a pan over the embers – from breakfast to a Friday treat in the forest.
See the frying pan recipesPizza over an open fire in a frying pan – a crispy base without an oven
Crispy base, melted cheese – and no oven in sight
- 4 pizzas, approx. 24 cm
- Time: 20 min + approx. 10 min per pizza
- Difficulty: Medium
- 10 ingredients
- 10 steps
Pizza over an open fire sounds like something that needs a stone oven, but an ordinary cast-iron pan goes a long way. The problem is usually that the base burns before the cheese has melted. The solution is a lid and heat from above: the pan sits over the embers, and a lid (or double-folded foil) traps the heat so that the topping cooks while the base turns crispy.
The dough in this recipe has no yeast, so it can be made at home the same morning and taken along in a bag. Each pizza is about the size of the pan – just right for one adult or two children. If you have never cooked in cast iron over a fire before, start with the guide cooking in the wild.
Method
- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the water and oil and knead into a smooth dough. Divide it into four pieces and put them in a bag.
- Mix the tomato sauce with oregano and salt. Cut the toppings into small pieces – it makes building the pizzas outdoors much quicker.
- Let the fire burn down to an even bed of embers and set the pan on the grate or stones, 10–15 centimetres above the embers. Let it heat up for a few minutes.
- Flatten a piece of dough into a thin base the size of the pan, straight on a floured chopping board or between two sheets of baking paper.
- Brush the pan with a little oil and lay in the base. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the underside has coloured and the dough has set.
- Turn the base with the spatula so that the cooked side faces up.
- Spread on the tomato sauce, sprinkle over the cheese and add the toppings. Keep it light – a heavy pizza turns doughy.
- Put on the lid (or double-folded foil) and, if you like, place a few embers on top of the lid with a stick.
- Cook for 5–8 minutes until the cheese has melted and the base is crispy. Lift the lid and check halfway through.
- Slide the pizza onto a chopping board, cut it into slices and bake the next one.
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Pre-baking one side and flipping it is the trick that cooks the base all the way through without burning it.
Tips for pizza over an open fire
- The right distance: if you hear a fierce sizzle and it smells burnt, the pan is too close. Raise the grate or move the pan towards the edge of the embers.
- A thin base: a few millimetres is enough. Thick dough doesn't cook through before the base burns.
- Embers on the lid give top heat like an oven – the cheese melts in half the time.
- Muurikka: on a large griddle pan you can cook two small pizzas at once. Use a large pot lid over each one. Read more in our recipe for chicken stir-fry on a muurikka about how to get even heat on the griddle.
- Bring a cool bag: cheese and cured meats should be kept cold until you cook, especially on a warm day.
Pizza with children
Let each child build their own pizza. Put the toppings in small tubs or bags and let the children spread the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on the chopping board – an adult handles the pan and the flipping. The cast-iron pan gets very hot, including the handle, so fire gloves are a must. More tips on responsibility and safety around the fire can be found in cooking with children over a fire.
Vary the pizza
- Pizza with yeast: replace the baking powder with 12 g of dried yeast and let the dough rise in a bag in the cool bag on the way. The base becomes airier.
- Calzone: fill half the base, fold it over, pinch the edges together and cook with the lid on, 4–5 minutes per side.
- Breakfast pizza: crack an egg in the middle of the pizza before you put on the lid.
- Sweet dessert pizza: spread on Nutella, scatter over banana and finish with a handful of s'mores marshmallows.
- Tortilla pizza: if you have no dough, use a thick tortilla as the base and just cook with the lid on until the cheese has melted.
Common mistakes
- The base is too thick – it stays raw in the middle.
- The pan sits directly in the flames – the base burns in a minute.
- Too much topping – liquid from the tomato sauce and vegetables makes the dough soggy.
- No lid – the cheese never melts before the base is black.
More recipes to try
All recipes →Frequently asked questions
Can you make pizza over an open fire without a cast-iron pan?
Yes, an ordinary steel frying pan or a muurikka also works. Thin pans get too hot faster, so keep them higher above the embers and check more often.
How do you make pizza dough without yeast?
Use baking powder instead: 600 ml plain flour, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 200 ml water and 4 tbsp oil. The dough can be rolled out straight away and turns out a little more like a thin bread.
How do you get the cheese to melt on pizza over a fire?
Put on a lid or double-folded foil so that the heat stays in, and if you like, place a few embers on top of the lid. Then the cheese melts in 5–8 minutes.
Can you make the pizza dough the day before?
Yes, the dough can be kept in the fridge in a sealed bag overnight. Take it out a while before so that it is easier to flatten.
More to cook in the same pan? Try fried falukorv with macaroni, or bake stick bread while the pizzas are cooking. More ideas for the barbecue site can be found in easy lunch ideas at the barbecue site, and always check the rules for lighting fires in nature before you go.
More guides and recipes to read
More food from the frying pan and the fire