Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza II

This one's from after watching America's Test Kitchen, season 11, I think.

Yield

2 9" pies. I make one pepperoni and one Canadian bacon.

Pizza sauce

2 tbsp butter
¼ cup hand-grated yellow onion
¼ tsp oregano
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
¼ tsp sugar
2 tbsp rough-chopped, fresh basil
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
 

Preparation

This needs to be thick rather than watery.

1. Heat at medium in a sauce pan until onion just begins to turn golden.

2. Heat to simmer, then reduce to low until about 2½ cups of sauce left (20-30 minutes). Remove from heat and cool. If you need to save the sauce in the refrigerator, stop here and do the next step when making the pizza.

3. Add basil, olive oil and season to taste.


Pizza crust

3¼ cup all purpose flour (16¾ oz)
¼ cup fine-ground corn meal
1½ tsp table salt
2 tsp sugar
2¼ tsp yeast
1¼ cup water
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp olive oil
4 tbsp room-temperature butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups Mozzarella
meat(s), vegetable(s), etc. I use any of:
  • Canadian bacon or pepperoni
  • fine-chopped white onion
  • small-chopped green pepper
  • thin-sliced mushrooms
  • one bunch scallions, cut into
    coins—whites-to-greens
  • Artichoke hearts
1¼ cups pizza sauce (see below)
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano

 

Preparation

1. Wisk together dry ingredients in mixer bowl.

2. Add water and melted butter. Set up dough hook, run on lowest speed scraping sides unil the dough comes together (1-2 minutes).

3. Increase to medium speed until dough is shiny and pulls away from edges of bowl (4-5 minutes).

4. Coat a large bowl with 1 tsp olive oil. Make a ball from the mixed dough and drop into proofing bowl. Cover with plastic and leave to double at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

First proofing here...

5. Roll out dough without deflating too much to 15" × 12" rectangle.

6. Spread butter over the dough.

7. Roll up into 12"-long roll, then roll out to 18" squashing to 4" wide.

8. Cut dough roll in half, fold each half into thirds, then form small dough balls (for 2 pizzas) pinching seams as necessary.

9. Return dough balls to proofing bowl for a second rise in refrigerator, about 1 hour.

Second proofing here...

For each (of the 2) pizzas, you'll need:

10. Oil two 9" cake pans. (I use spring-forms: I have to use butter too so that the olive oil doesn't run out.) The oil makes contact between the pan and the dough so that browning occurs.

11. Roll each dough ball out to a 13" round, roll this round up on the rolling pin and drape it over the cake pans. Press dough into the pan and build the crust up the sides (to at least 1").

12. Pack each pizza with grated Mozzarella, then meat(s), vegetable(s) as desired. Ladle pizza sauce over all and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano.

13. Bake on lowest rack at 425° for 20-30 minutes. No cheese on top because it will burn in oven—you could add some 5 minutes before done, but that would not (apparently) be Chicago-style. Cool 15 minutes out of oven. Remove pie from pan to breadboard for cutting and serving.