Chicago Style Pizza
Mains · Serves 4 · Prep 2 hr · Cook 25 min · Total 2 hr 25 min
We flew into Chicago to attend a funeral. Although the funeral was a few hours away in Kalamazoo, the Chicago airports were much, much cheaper. While we were in Chicago, we tried pizza at a few different places to get a feel for what we liked. This recipe is the closest that I have found to get us to what we liked. I have made this recipe a few times and have tried to add my notes to it. If you like Chicago Style Pizza, you should give this recipe a try. It is pretty darn good.
Ingredients
The Dough
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbs corn meal The corn meal gives the dough a nice yellow color and provides some crunch.
- 3 tbs melted butter we want the crust to have a buttery flavor
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 3/4 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt add the salt after you have mixed in the yeast a little bit. You don't want the salt to kill the yeast. However, the salt is important. Don't forget it.
- 1 packet yeast (2.25 tsp)
The Sauce
- 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes Crucial: Drain them in a fine-mesh strainer for 15 minutes to remove excess water. Alternatively, after opening the can, press down on the cut lid. Press it into the tomatoes and allow the excess water to drain.
- 1 tsp dried oregano You can add Italian herbs if you have a bottle of that instead of doing the oregano and basil separately.
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch salt
The Filling
- 1/2 lbs uncooked Italian sausage my original recipe calls for Uncooked Sausage, however, I always cook mine first and then cut them into slices like double thick quarters.
- 1/2 green pepper. I really like green peppers to be precooked. Slice them. Season them with basic seasoning salt. Put them on an aluminum foil lined sheet pan in the oven until cooked (10 mins? at 350)
- 1/2 lbs pepperoni slices
- 1 lbs low-moisture mozzarella slices I normally have a big bag of shredded low-moisture mozzarella, therefore, I always use the shredded cheese. It is used by many home cooks and even some pizzerias with excellent results. Therefore, 4 cups (roughly 16 oz or 1 lb) of shredded mozzarella.
Steps
- The Dough (biscuit-like & flaky)
- Unlike New York dough, Chicago dough is short and buttery
- Mix ingredients and knead for only 2-3 mins (don't overwork it!) Let it rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours until doubled.
- Prep The Pan
- 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan (or cake pan or cast Iron skillet)
- generously butter the pan bottom and sides
- sprinkle parmesan cheese on the buttered pan. This creates a "frico" cheesy crust.
- The Crust
- Press the dough into the pan, pushing it 1.5 inches up the sides.
- Layer 1 (cheese)
- lay the mozzarella slices across the bottom. Overlapping them so that no dough is visible.
- if using shredded cheese. Press the cheese into the pan and up the sides. Don't allow air pockets. You want to create a cheese dam to keep the sauce away from the dough.
- Layer 2
- Add sausage
- add pepperoni
- add green peppers (pre-baking them helps remove some of the moisture)
- add other vegetables like onions or mushrooms (pre-cooking them helps remove moisture)
- Layer 3 (sauce) Ladle the thick drained tomato sauce over the top. Spread it to the edges.
- The Finish
- Sprinkle a heavy dusting of Pecorino Romano or Parmesan over the sauce.
- Baking
- Oven: Preheat to 425°F (220°C).
- Placement: Bake on the lowest rack for 25–35 minutes.
- The Test: The crust should be deep golden brown. If the edges brown too fast, cover them loosely with foil.
- Pro Tips for Success...
- The "Rest" is Key: Once it comes out of the oven, wait 10–15 minutes before cutting. If you cut it immediately, the "cheese dam" will break and the sauce will run everywhere.
- Low Moisture Only: Never use "Fresh" mozzarella (the kind in water). It will turn your pizza into a soup bowl.
- The Pan: If you don't have a deep-dish pan, a 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet is actually superior because it holds heat so well and fries the bottom of the crust.