My Deep Dish Pizza Crust

My Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza Crust

To those who haven't had deep dish pizza as it was made at the original Pizzeria Uno, this one may come as a bit of a surprise. The bolder flavors that mark the chain pizza are muted and the crust is more pastry-like than greasy, but it is still a remarkably nice pizza.

The crust is based on "Deep Dish Pizza No. 1" from Pasquale Bruno Jr.'s The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook (Contemporary Books, 1983, ISBN 0809257300), still one of the best pizza cookbooks ever written thanks to its use of extensive amounts of pictures and technique discussions for the beginning pizza chef. The crust has a noticeable cornmeal crunch and the cooking techniques give it a quasi-deep-fried exterior for a little extra crispness. Bruno's recipes, now a quarter century old, still work, but he didn't have instant yeast or the convenience of a bread machine to make it work. As a result, I've made a few changes.

3 1/2 c (450g) northern-style all-purpose flour (I like King Arthur)
1/2 c (30g) stone-ground cornmeal
1 1/2 c (300 mL) lukewarm water
1/4 c (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt or 1.5 tsp sea salt
1 pkt (7g) instant yeast

Bread machine: Set 1/2 cup of the water aside. In the machine pan, place 1 c water, the olive oil, and the salt, then on top of that, the flour, the cornmeal, and the yeast. Set on a dough cycle, adding reserved water as necessary to make sure all the ingredients combine properly. Allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours before forming.

Stand Mixer: Place the ingredients in the bowl in the order given for the bread machine, then mix with a dough hook until the ingredients come together in a dough, adding water if necessary. Once the dough is formed, set aside for 20 minutes to allow the dough to hydrate properly (the autolyse step used in breadmaking), then knead for 5 minutes using the dough hook. Coat the dough with oil and set aside to rise for 1 to 2 hours.

By Hand: Sift flour, yeast, and salt together in a bowl, then add liquids and stir with a spoon or by hand as necessary to combine. Rest for 20 minutes, then knead by hand on a floured board for 10 minutes. Coat the dough with oil and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours.

Pizza assembly

12 oz to 1 lb (350-450g) low-moisture mozarella cheese, sliced or shredded
1 28-oz (800g) can ground tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp basil, chopped or chiffonaded
1/4 to 1/2 c (60-120 mL, or to taste) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 240C/475F, using a large pizza stone if you have one. After the dough's initial rise, set it aside for another 30 minutes to relax the gluten. Using either a standard 14 inch (approx 36 cm) deep dish pizza pan or two 9 inch cake pans, grease the pans liberally with olive oil or shortening and pat the dough into the pan with your fingers, making sure to push the dough up the sides of the pan about an inch. Parbake the crust for five minutes.

Meanwhile, crush the garlic and mix into the tomatoes with the basil and set aside. Cover the crust with as much cheese as will fit, then layer any toppings (also parcooked, especially meat such as sausage and watery vegetables) on the cheese, then cover with the tomato mixture and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown on the bottom (you can use a spatula to lift it out of the pan to check).

Variations

Sourdough: Replace the yeast, 1/2 c of the flour and 1/2 c of the water with a sourdough starter at 100% hydration (i.e. 1/2 flour, 1/2 water) and mix as normal. Make sure if possible to give the full 2-hour rise.

Pizza bread: If using a bread machine, simply set the machine on a full loaf cycle rather than a dough cycle and bake to completion. If working with a mixer or by hand, shape as you would a free-form loaf and bake on a preheated pizza stone in a 230C/450F oven until the internal temperature is between 200F and 210F or until the loaf sounds hollow when thumped. Try it with a stuffed pasta dish or as bruschetta.