Stuffed Deep Dish Pizza - Italian Sausage and Spinach
Dough:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees to 115) water
1 envelope (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
3 and 1/4 cups bread, semolina, or unbleached all-purpose flour, or a combination
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients:
1 can (28 oz) Italian plum tomatoes, seeded and drained
1/4 cup chopped or shredded fresh basil, or 1 and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds fresh spinach, stems removed, thoroughly washed, dried, and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper or crushed dried red chili pepper
2 and 1/2 cups ( about 10 ounces ) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup ( about 1 and 1/2 ounces ) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Let's Cook:
1 pound Italian sausage (removed from sausage skin, and browned well .. breaking apart as it cooks .. drain the grease off well )
In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the3 water and stir gently until it dissolves, about 1 minute. When yeast is mixed with the water at the proper temperature, a smooth beige colored mixture results. Let stand in a warm spot until a thin layer of foam covers the surface, about 5 minutes, indicating that the yeast is effective.
Combine three cups of the flour with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pout in the yeast mixture. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir the flour into the well, beginning in the center and working toward the sides of the bowl, until the flout is incorporated and the soft dough just begins to hold together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough gently in the following manner: press down on the dough with the heels of your hands and push it away from you, then partially fold it back over itself. Shift it a quarter turn and repeat the process. While kneading, very gradually add just enough of the remaining 1/4 cup flour until the dough is no longer sticky or tacky: this should take about 5 minutes. As you work, use a metal dough scraper to pry up any bits of dough that stick to the work surface. continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Knead the dough only until it feel smooth and springy: too much kneading overdevelops the gluten in the flour and results in a tough crust.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well oiled bowl, turning to coat completely on all sides with oil. cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss, and set to rise in a draft-free warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes for quick rising yeast or 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours for regular yeast.
With your fist, punch down the dough as soon as it has doubled in bulk to prevent overrising. shape it into a ball, pressing out all the air bubbles. If you are using bread flour or semolina flour, turn the dough in an oiled bowl to coat once more, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until puffy from 35 minutes to 1 hour. Omit this step if using all-purpose flour.
If you can't bake the pizza within 2 hours after rising, punch down the dough again, turn it in an oiled bowl to coat once more, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Let chilled dough come to room temperature before proceeding.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Crush the tomatoes in a bowl with your hands or a fork. Add the fresh basil or dried oregano and salt to taste; reserve.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium high heat. Add the spinach and sauté just until it wilts. Stir in the garlic and season to taste with salt and black or red pepper. Transfer to a sieve to drain, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to force out all moisture. Combine the drained spinach, browned sausage, and mozzarella in a bowl. Reserve.
Reserve one third of the dough in the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Roll out the larger portion into a 14-inch circle and fit it into a 12-inch deep dish pizza pan, pressing the dough onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim off the edge of the dough even with the rim of the pan. Fill the dough shell with the reserved spinach, sausage, and mozzarella mixture.
Roll out the reserved dough portion into a 12 inch circle. Place on top of the filling and press the crusts together to seal.. Cut a 1 inch slit in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape during cooking, then gently press the top crust down over the filling. Brush the crust with olive oil.
Place the pie on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes, them move to a rack in the upper portion of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon the seasoned tomatoes over the top, then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the bottom crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. To check the bottom crust, use a spatula to lift a section. Remove the pizza from the pan to a cutting tray or board, slice, and serve immediately.
This recipe was my modification of the excellent recipe found in Pizza, by James McNair. That book has many other excellent pizza recipes !!