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Monday, February 6, 2012

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza



Being from a suburb of Chicago my husband loves deep dish pizza. On our very first date he took me out for deep dish pizza at Pi, the only place to get deep dish in St. Louis. We went there again the night he proposed to me. Needless to say there are some really fond memories associated with this pizza! We decided to try to make our own version of this delicious pizza, using inspiration from  Lou Malnati's, Tortorice's, and Pi. We both think that we have perfected our homemade version! 

This pizza is built way different from your average pizza. First you put down the cheese, then the toppings, then the sauce. Another difference is that the cheese is sliced not shredded.I love this pizza because it tastes so fresh! And just as a side note, when I first heard "deep dish" I automatically thought it meant "thick crust," (which I don't care for generally) but that was absolutely not true! This pizza actually has a thin, buttery crust, it's the pan that makes it deep dish. This recipe makes enough dough for 2 pizzas. We usually freeze one half and then thaw it out when we are ready to make another pizza.

You can substitute or add to our toppings to make your perfect creation!




Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza


Pizza Dough 


  • 2 cups warm water 
  • 1 and 1/8 tsp yeast
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 lbs bread flour (5-6 cups)
  • 1/3 cup butter (plus more for coating the pan), softened
  • Yellow cornmeal


Toppings

  • 12 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 8 oz provolone cheese, sliced
  • Spinach (optional)
  • Onions, diced (optional)
  • Pepperoni (optional)
  • Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
  • 2oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 3 roma tomatoes, diced with seeds removed
  • Italian seasoning
  • Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions


In a mixer combine the warm water and the yeast and allow the yeast to dissolve then dissolve the salt. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cornmeal and begin to mix the dough using a dough hook on low speed. Once a ball is formed, mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. Remove from the mixer and place in a bowl coated with olive oil. Allow the dough to rest for approximately 4 hours. Once the dough is rested, split it in half, putting one half in the freezer for next time.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat deep dish pan with melted butter and sprinkle yellow cornmeal over the bottom.




In a 14" deep dish pizza pan (we have this one from Bed, Bath and Beyond), spread the dough using your fingers at the bottom of the pan and make sure to have enough dough to come up the sides of the pan. Brush the top of the dough with remaining melted butter.



Place the sliced cheese evenly on top of the crust.



Next, add the toppings. For us this was pepperoni and onions on the whole thing plus spinach and mushrooms on my part!






In a bowl, combine the can of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Then pour the mixture over the toppings and spread evenly over the pizza (we use the back of a spoon). Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. 




Place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and crispy. Serve and enjoy!





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