BIRD FOOD: chicago style pizza
have you ever eaten chicago style pizza? it's our favorite and when we visit chicago, we eat ALOT of it. luc has been on the hunt for the perfect recipe to try. we are pretty certain he found it and he said i could share it! (even though he kind of wants to keep it as his own secret recipe). what's the difference between chicago style and "regular" pizza? it's deep dish and the crust is actually a combination of both pizza and pie crusts. it has a bit of buttery goodness to it. trust me, you'll like !
a head's up...this is a time consuming recipe. it takes about 3 hours but man oh man was it worth it!!!
DEEP DISH CHICAGO STYLE PIZZA
INGREDIENTS
Dough
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp table salt
2 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (10 ounces)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp plus 4 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
(or you can use a 26 oz jar of chunky italian herb pasta sauce if you don't have time to make your own)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Table salt
2 medium garlic cloves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso or Muir Glen)
1/4 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed (or we just did plain cheese as well)
Ground black pepper
Toppings
1 pound mozzarella cheese (Whole Milk Mozzarella, Avoid Pre-shredded)
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
DIRECTIONS
1. FOR THE DOUGH: Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)
2. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl, turning once to oil top; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. FOR THE SAUCE: While dough rises, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper.
4. TO LAMINATE THE DOUGH: Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto dry work surface and roll into 15- by 12-inch rec-tangle. Using offset spatula, spread softened butter over surface of dough, leaving 1/2-inch border along edges. Starting at short end, roll dough into tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten cylinder into 18- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with 1 half, fold into thirds like business letter; pinch seams together to form ball. Repeat with remaining half. Return balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes.
5. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into 13-inch disk about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.
6. Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 425 degrees. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. If adding personal toppings put them on before sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese/toppings and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes (20 minutes for convection bake). Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.