Homemade Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week

Homemade Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

I found this recipe via thekitchn.com (one of my favorite places to fine yummy recipes that never let me down), and I thought I should give it a go.  After all, I live in Chicago, so I know as well as anyone here that ordering in a pizza, enough for even two people, is going to set you back about $25 or more.  Now don't get me wrong, it's worth it (Chicago, by far, has the BEST pizza!), but it might be fun, as well as more affordable, to make it at home.

Lucky me, this recipe turned out to be fantastic!  I went ahead and baked it in a cast iron pan (featured in the pictures, but not in the directions) and I was not disappointed!  The crust was crispy & buttery on the outside, and perfectly chewy throughout.  I got to add whatever ingredients I wanted (without paying an extra $1.50 each, hello money-saver), and when I told my 'fella what I was making, I got a kiss, a huge smile, and a really heart-felt "I love you".  Motivation!

I ended up halving the recipe featured on the site, and then halving that to make one pizza for two people.  The rest of the dough is in the freezer, and my boyfriend said next time he wants to make the pizza for me -- double-motivation, all the way!

We topped ours off with Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese.

The recipe from thekitchn.com, as found in the book Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, follows:

Source: thekitchn.com

Makes about one 8 × 2- inch deep-dish pizza or four 6 × 1- inch individual deep-dish pizzas

There's no question that deep- dish pizza was invented in Chicago, although there is some dispute over which pizzeria came up with it first. The pizza varies around Chicago, but for all, the crust is remarkable for its tender, almost buttery flavor and its luscious golden color, courtesy of cornmeal. Baking the pizza in a butter- coated cake pan fries the outside edge and makes for a crispy crust.

Ingredients

3/4 pound (large orange-size portion) Cornmeal Olive Oil Dough (recipe follows)
4 large Italian sausages (about 3/4 pound), cooked and broken into small pieces
11/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup thick tomato sauce
Butter for the pan
Cornmeal for the pan

Directions

1. Prepare and measure all toppings in advance.

2. Preheat oven to 500°F. Generously butter an 8 x 2- inch spring- form cake pan and coat with cornmeal. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 3/4- pound (large orange- size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter- turn as you go (if making individual pies, divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape into balls).

3. Roll out and stretch the pizza crust: Flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin on a work surface to produce a 1/8- inch- thick round. Dust with flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Use a dough scraper to unstick the dough as needed. Transfer to the cake pan. The dough should hang over the edge of the pan, which will prevent it from "slouching" while you fill it

4. Add the fillings: Mix together the sausage and two-thirds of the cheese in a bowl. Spread the meat mixture onto the dough, then top with the sauce and the remaining cheese. Trim the overhanging dough with kitchen shears so there is about 1/2 inch of dough that will flop down over the filling.

5. Slide the pizza into the preheated oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Check for doneness in about 45 minutes (20 minutes for the individual pizzas). The pizza should be bubbling and the cheese evenly melted.

6. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, preferably on a wire cooling rack. This allows the filling to set slightly before removing from the pan and slicing. When cooled, cut into wedges and serve.

Cornmeal Olive Oil Dough
Makes enough dough for at least eight 1/2-pound pizzas or flatbreads (about 12 inches across). The Recipe is easily doubled or halved.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups (1 lb 6 oz/625 g) lukewarm water
1 tablespoon (.35 oz/10 g) granulated yeast
1-1 1/2 tablespoons (.63-.94 oz/17-25 g) kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar, honey, malt powder, or agave syrup
3/4 cup (6 oz/165 g) olive oil
6 cups (1 lb 14 oz/850 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (4 oz/125 g) yellow cornmeal

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt, and sweetener with the water and oilve oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow it to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and ncollapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 10 days. Or store the dough for up to 3 weeks in the freezer in 1/2-pound portions. When using frozen dough, tahw it in the refrigerator overnight before use.

5. On pizza or flatbread day, roll out or stretch the dough into a round and finish with your favorite toppings, using any of the recipes in this book.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

So, if you try it, and like it (or don't), let me know how yours turned out, and what ingredients you used!  This could turn into a very creative and fun pizza, and a great stay-in recipe for you and yours.  Believe me, it's almost more fun -- and more tasty -- when you make it together!