Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
Chicago style deep dish pizza isn't exactly easy to make, but the final product is totally worth sinking your teeth in to. Challenge yourself with this filling, hearty version.
Servings 10 people
Calories 451kcal
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast one package
- 1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
To make the sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup onion finely grated on a box grater
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced or finely chopped
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
To finish the pizza
- 4 tablespoons room temperature butter
- 2 cups whole milk mozzarella cheese avoid the pre-shredded stuff
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups thickened marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
To make the dough:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a big bowl, add all ingredients including the cornmeal and mix 1-2 minutes on medium if you are using a stand mixer, maybe 5 minutes or so if you are doing it by hand. The dough will be a little shaggy here.
- Mix on high 5 minutes or keep stirring another 6-7 minutes until the dough is slightly smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will be very sticky.
- Transfer to a clean oiled bowl and allow to rise, covered for one hour. Make the sauce while the dough rises if you haven't made it ahead.
To make the marinara
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook on medium heat until the onions soften and turn slightly brown. About 8 minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer until thickened and down to about 2 1/2 cups. This takes about 30 minutes.
- Stir in the basil and olive oil at the end. Set aside.
To assemble the pizza
- Roll the dough to a 15x12 inch rectangle. Notice there's no flour on my board. It's sticky, but the oil in it makes it work out okay and adding too much flour makes the dough tough.
- Take 1/2 stick of room temperature butter and spread it all over the dough.
- Starting at the short end, roll up like a jelly roll, then flatten the roll into an 18×4 inch log. I know this is nuts. Stay with me.
- Cut the log in half and fold the ends in to the center of each half. Place back in the oiled bowl and allow to rise in the fridge about 50 minutes and after it's been in the fridge for 30 minutes, go ahead and preheat your oven to 425.
- After the 50 minutes, roll the dough out to a 13 inch circle.
- Coat your cake pans in 2 tablespoons of olive oil each and transfer. Poke holes in the dough with a fork to release any air bubbles.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella cheese evenly between the two pans, one cup on each pizza dough.
- Layer each with half the sauce OVER the cheese. Sprinkle with 1/4 shredded parmesan per pizza.
- Bake on the lowest rack for 20-30 minutes. Let sit about 15 minutes before removing from pans or slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcal