Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

I had my first taste of Chicago style deep dish pizza about two years ago when my family moved from Michigan, where we had lived our whole lives, to the suburbs of Chicago. Let me tell you it was love at first bite and I made a point of introducing any visiting guests to the goodness of Chicago style deep dish pizza.

I had never thought about attempting to make it myself, even though I've made plenty of homemade pizzas before, until I came across a recipe for it on Pinterest. After looking over the recipe I knew I needed to try to make this pizza. It was no harder or more time consuming than the many other homemade pizza recipes I have tried. So if you enjoy homemade pizza and like Chicago style deep dish or want to try it, give this recipe a try. It was very good and definitely worth the work.

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/8 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 14.5 ounce can petite-diced tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Assembling and Toppings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast until well blended.
2. Attach the dough hook and mix in the water and melted butter on low speed for 1-2 minutes.
3. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is glossy and smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove dough from bowl and add 1 teaspoon olive oil.
5. Put the dough back into the bowl, turning it once to coat with olive oil.
6. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, about 45-60 minutes.
7. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a dry work surface and roll into an 8x6 inch rectangle.
8. Now for laminating the dough; spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges.
9. Starting at the short end of the dough, roll dough into a tight cylinder. With the seam side down flatten the cylinder into a 9x2 inch rectangle, then fold into thirds and pinch the seams to form a ball like shape.
10. Return the dough to the oiled bowl, no need to add more oil.
11. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in the fridge for 40-50 minutes. The dough will rise but not double in size.

Sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add garlic, oregano, and salt, sauté for 30 seconds or until just fragrant.
2. Stir in tomatoes and sugar and increase heat to medium-high.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until the mixture is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, will take about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in basil, pepper and olive oil.

Assembling and Toppings

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 9 inch round cake pan with olive oil.
2. Take dough out and put onto a dry work surface and roll into a 13 inch disk about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Carefully transfer dough to the cake pan and lightly press to line the bottom of then pan and 1 inch up the sides. If the dough resists stretching, wait 5 minutes then try again.
4. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the surface of the dough, layer the sauce over the cheese and top with the Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
6. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!!!

Serves: 4
Calories: 557
Total Fat: 30.5g
   Saturated: 14.1g
   Polyunsaturated: 1.0g
   Monounsaturated: 6.7g
   Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 58.8mg
Sodium: 1168.6mg
Potassium: 9.6mg
Total Carbs: 48.3g
   Dietary Fiber: 1.0g
   Sugars: 3.8gg
Protein: 23.8g
Vitamin A: 24.6%
Vitamin C: 22.7%
Calcium: 56.7%
Iron: 4.1%
*The nutritional information will vary slightly depending on the brands you use.
*Adapted from Pennies on a Platter.