CHICAGO DEEP DISH STYLE PIZZA

Ingredienser

Makes three -415 Gm dough balls

DOUGH:

585 - 610 Gm Unbleached bread flour

127 Gm Fine-grind yellow cornmeal

30 Gm Granulated sugar

10 Gm Diamond Crystal Salt

8.5 Gm Instant Dry Yeast

76 Gm corn oil

415 Gm Lukewarm water (90° to 95°F)

CRUSHED TOMATO SAUCE:

Makes 4 cups (actually makes 5 Cups)

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes (actually need 34 oz.)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (optional)

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano (optional)

1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder, or 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice, or a combination (actually 2.5 Tbsp)

6 Gm salt, or to taste. (actually 7.5 Gm)

Makes three 9 inch pizzas

3 Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza Dough balls, 415 Gm each

1 LB Shredded OR Sliced full-fat or low-fat low-moisture mozzarella cheese

5 Cups Crushed Tomato Sauce

⅔ Cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino Romano, Asiago, or other dry aged cheese.

1 Lb Italian Sausage

Fremgangsmåte

FOR THE DOUGH:

With a large metal spoon, stir together all the ingredients in a 4-quart bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer until combined. If mixing with an electric mixer, fit it with the dough hook and mix on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until the dough forms a coarse ball and clears the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour or water by the tablespoonful as needed. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then mix again on low speed for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, stretchy, and tacky but not sticky. The dough should pass the windowpane test. If mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the spoon into room-temperature water and use it much like a dough hook, working the dough vigorously as you rotate the bowl with your other hand. Continue mixing for about 4 minutes, or until the dough forms a coarse ball, adding more flour or water by the tablespoonful as needed. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a lightly floured counter. Dust the top with flour to absorb the surface moisture, then knead the dough by hand for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is smooth, stretchy, and tacky but not sticky. The dough should pass the windowpane test.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl brushed with olive oil. Roll the dough in the oil to coat the entire surface, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and round them into balls. Rub the surface of the dough balls with olive oil, place them on the countertop, and cover them with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before making the pizzas.

FOR THE CRUSHED TOMATO SAUCE:

Some canned tomato brands are more heavily salted than others, so you will need to adjust the amount of salt in this recipe to your taste. You can purchase canned crushed tomatoes, or you can buy canned whole tomatoes and crush them with your fingers or in a food processor, mixing all the juice back into the tomato pulp. The basil and oregano are optional. I use both, but when Neapolitan cooks make a pizza alla marinara, they use only oregano in the sauce. The flavors of the herbs and garlic will intensify while the pizza is baking, so resist the urge to increase the amount.

In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients, starting with ½ teaspoon salt and adding more to taste. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Place a baking stone, if using, on the middle shelf of the oven (unless you know your oven well enough to place it on a different shelf) and preheat to 400°F. If you do not have a baking stone, position 1 oven shelf in the center of the oven and a second in the lowest position.

Oil three - 9 inch round cake pans. Roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin, working from the center outward, into a disk about 11.5 inches in diameter. If the dough resists rolling or becomes too springy and elastic, cover it with a towel and let it rest for 5 minutes before resuming.

Lay a finished disk over a prepared pan, lower it gently into the pan, and then press the dough snuggly into the bottom, corners, and then up the sides. Ideally, the dough will drape slightly over the rim; crimp the overhang to form a thick edge around the top of the rim.

Prick the entire minimize bubbling in the oven.

If you like a thin crust, bake immediately. If you prefer a thicker crust, cover the dough-lined pans with a kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. Bake the crusts on the middle shelf of the oven for 3 to 4 minutes to set them. The rim of the dough will slide back down into the pan somewhat, but this is normal and will form the edge.

Place each crust in its pan on the counter and let cool for at least 5 minutes.

Evenly spread the mozzarella cheese in the bottom, then ladle in the tomato sauce to fill the pans.

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DEEP DISH TOPPINGS:

Ricotta and cheese: Cut the quantity of mozzarella cheese in the master recipe to 1¾  cups and stir it together 1¾ cups cups ricotta cheese or full-fat or low-fat small-curd cottage cheese.

Add 3 eggs, beaten, and 2.5 teaspoon salt (Diamond Crystal) and stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Fill the prebaked shells with the cheese mixture and ladle the tomato sauce over the cheese to fill the shell.

Omit the grated aged cheese, if desired. Bake as directed.

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OR:

Italian sausage: This is the most popular deep-dish topping in restaurants. You can make it two different ways.

For my favorite method, shape 1 pound Italian pork sausage meat (removed from the casing) into 3 patties the diameter of the deep-dish pans.

Layer the mozzarella cheese, the tomato sauce, and the dry aged cheese in the pan as directed, then lay the patty over the top like a lid.

Brush the patty with olive oil and bake as directed. The sausage will have taken on a dark, rich color when the pizza is ready.

OR

For the second method, which is less fatty, fry 1 pound Italian sausage meat in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring to break up any lumps, for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a sieve placed over a bowl to drain off the fat.

Layer the mozzarella cheese and the tomato sauce in the pan, scatter the cooked sausage over the top, and then finish with the grated aged cheese.

You can substitute ground beef, lamb, chicken, or turkey seasoned with salt and pepper (about 0.6 teaspoon salt and 0.76 Gm (1/6 teaspoon) coarsely ground black pepper) and fresh or granulated garlic powder to taste for the sausage in either method.

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OR

Spinach: In a bowl, stir together 16 ounces thawed, frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry, with 3 cups shredded full-fat or low-fat low-moisture mozzarella cheese.

Season to taste with minced fresh garlic or granulated garlic powder to taste, if desired. Substitute this mixture for the mozzarella cheese in the master recipe and then continue as directed. That is, Spinach mixture, Tomato Sauce, Aged cheese.

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OR

Vegetable: In a bowl, stir together 3 cups lightly sautéed chopped vegetables such as onion, bell pepper, mushroom, zucchini or yellow squash, kale, or chard and the grated aged cheese.

Layer the mozzarella cheese and the tomato sauce in the pan and top with the vegetable-cheese mixture.

Bake as directed.

Place the pans in the oven on the baking stone or, if not using a stone, on the lowest oven shelf.

Immediately reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for 15 minutes.

Then, if baking on a stone, rotate the pan 180 degrees.

If baking directly on the shelf, move the pans to the middle shelf and rotate them 180 degrees.

In either case, continue to bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until the edges of the crust are a deep brown (but not burned) and the cheese is golden.

Remove the pizzas from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Remove the pizzas from the pans by loosening the crust with a metal spatula and then gently sliding the spatula under the pizza to lift it out. Serve the pizzas on a cutting board, or cut and serve directly from the pan.

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STUFFED PIZZA OPTION:

To make this popular variation of the Chicago pie, you will need an additional additional 140 Gm Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza Dough ball or the same amount of any of the following doughs for each 9-inch stuffed pizza you plan to make: Neo-Neapolitan, New York–Style, or Americana. (You will need 12 ounces of dough if making a 14-inch stuffed pizza.)

Using a rolling pin, roll out the additional dough to the diameter of the deep-dish pan. Dust the counter and the dough as needed to prevent it from sticking; allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes if it is too springy to hold its shape.

Layer 1¼ cups mozzarella cheese (or the spinach topping variation), 1¼ cups tomato sauce, and any other toppings you wish in the prebaked crust.

Lay the round of dough evenly over the top of the pan.

Press it into the topping, allowing the edge of the dough to drape over the rim of the pan (it will cover the top edge of the prebaked crust and then sink down into the pan).

Cut a pair of 1-inch slits in the top for vents. Ladle about ¾ cup of the tomato sauce over the top dough, filling the pan.

Top with the grated aged cheese. Bake as directed for Classic Deep-Dish Pizza..

Notater

Reinhart, Peter. American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza . (Function). Kindle Edition.

CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA DOUGH pp 130-132.

CRUSHED TOMATO SAUCE pp 142.

CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA pp 224-227.