Deep dish is a Chicago institution. There are several chains that claim to make the canonical version, all with slight derivations in the crust and fillings (and process, probably). And I have to say, after living here for 5 years and trying them all, I'm mostly underwhelmed. Sorry guys, but this homemade one is just better, at least to me.
In essence it's really a cheese pie, with similar ingredients to regular pizza, but in different quantities and setup in a basically the opposite order. In a way it's a bit easier than a traditional Napoli Pizza Dough, the crust is less fussy, the kneading is less crucial.
Crust
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-pupose flour
Sample Toppings
1 pound grated mozerella (low moisture is bet
1 pound sweet or hot italian sausage (loose)
1 can (14 ounce) can whole or diced tomatoes, drained and chopped
Italian herbs - oregano, basil, thyme. 1-2 tsp total
Cooked spinach
In Chicago...eating pizza is a dining experience, not just a snack as in most places. But it wasn't always that way. Ike Seawell changed things back in 1943 when he created deep dish pizza. (Some folks call it Chicago Pizza.)
This recipe was adapted from the book The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American by Jeff Smith. Jeff has tried to figure out how it's done at Pizzeria Uno and he thinks he is very close. He ran his recipe by Mama, a gorgeous black woman who has been cooking pizzas there for thirty years, and she smiled and nodded. You can't get much better than that!
Dough Recipe
2 packages rapid rise dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cornmeal
5 1/2 cups flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer (e.g. KitchenAid), dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the vegetable oil, olive oil, cornmeal, and half of the flour. Beat for 10 minutes. Attach the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour. Knead for several minutes with the mixer. (Note: because the dough is very rich and moist, it would be difficult to do this by hand.)
Remove dough and place on a clean countertop. Cover with a very large metal bowl and allow to rise until double in bulk. Punch down and allow to rise again. Punch down a second time and you are ready to make pizza!
Oil your deep-dish pizza pan. Depending on the size of your pan, place some dough in the pan and push it out to the edges using your fingers. Put in enough dough so that you can run the crust right up the side of the pan. Make it about 1/8-inch thick throughout the pan.
Filling for a 9- or 10-inch Pan
1/3 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
2 cups Italian-style whole peeled tomatoes, drained and squished
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
Place the cheese in tile-like layers on the bottom of the pie. Next put in the tomatoes and the basil, oregano, garlic, and salt, reserving the Parmesan cheese for the top. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the pie and you are ready to bake.
Variations: Before you put on the Parmesan cheese and olive oil drizzle, you might like to add any or all of the following:
Italian sausage, hot or mild
Yellow onions, peeled and diced
Pepperoni, sliced thin
Mushrooms, sliced
Green sweet bell peppers, cored and sliced thin
Bake the pie in a 475°F oven until the top is golden and gooey and the crust a light golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Gourmet Cookbook: