Recipe: Chicago Style Pan Pizza (Deep Dish)

CHICAGO STYLE PAN (DEEP DISH) PIZZA

"The recipe comes from a pizza 'chef' from one of Chicago's best known pizza parlors -- one of the pioneers of Chicago Pizza. This is actually a little better than what's served at the restaurant -- since it gets a little more personal attention and time than it could get in the assembly line atmosphere of a busy pizza parlor. The restaurant used to make it in cast iron pans. I don't know if they still do. Some bakeware company came up with a Chicago-Style Pizza pan 10 years ago or more -- a lighter but still commercial quality black metal pan that does as well as cast iron in terms of providing even heating. We bought one, liked it and that's what we use -- a 14-incher, 2 inches deep. The dough recipe provides enough for two 14-inch pizzas. It freezes well, though."

This pizza is made in a deep black pan -- should be about 2 inches deep.

FOR THE DOUGH:
3/4 cup scalded (not boiled) milk*
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil or corn oil (for me it depends on topping plans)
1 pkg Red Star Rapid Rise yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, divided use
1/4 cup corn meal

*Some say milk scalding is no longer necessary in the age of homogenized milk, but I tried the recipe using room-temp milk and find the dough rises a LOT better in this recipe when you start with hot milk. I believe that as long as something works, stick with it. Scald the milk. It doesn't take long.

Place salt, sugar and oil into LARGE bowl and blend in the scalded milk. Let cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Add dissolved yeast to bowl with salt-sugar-oil-milk mixture and beaten egg. Add about half the flour and beat well. Add remaining flour and cornmeal and beat thoroughly.

Turn onto floured board and knead for 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise (covered) in a warm, moist place until doubled in bulk. (Usually about two hours)

Divide dough into two portions.

Oil your pizza pan(s) and dust pan bottom(s) with a little cornmeal.

Take one portion of dough, roll out to about a 15-inch round roughly 1/4 inch thickness and place in oiled pizza pan, pulling the dough up along the edges of the pan to nearly (but not quite) the top. (If you're making two pizzas, then do the second portion of the dough, too. If not, immediately FREEZE the left-over dough.)

Set pizza pans with dough aside in a warm moist place, cover, and allow to rise for about 1/2 hour.

NOW YOU'RE READY TO MAKE PIZZA!

FOR EACH 14-INCH PIZZA, YOU WILL NEED:
- 6 oz of Contadina tomato paste (you can use more if you like a lot of sauce. Original recipe calls for "about a cup." We like 6 oz. Contadina does very well. You can make your own, but who wants to spend a day peeling, seeding and cooking tomatoes? Life is too short)
- 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese (Amount depends on your preference. We sometimes use more.)
- 1/2 cup (more if you like, but not too much. It can affect 'texture') shredded Provolone cheese (sounds odd but do it).
- 1/4 cup of grated Romano cheese
SEASONINGS:
Oregano to taste (anywhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon)
Garlic (again, to taste. We use about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons finely diced and lightly toasted. Recipe doesn't specify. They just sprinkle it on (raw garlic, finely minced. It gives a stronger taste. I use a bit more, but toast it for a more mellow flavor) over the initial light layer of cheese.
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Basil (optional, but then, so is everything)
Salt if you think you need it (I never use it)
TOPPINGS:
Be creative. We use:- Pepperoni (But you have to have a good one, and its hard to find in some areas)
or (sometimes AND) Bulk Italian Sausage, (homemade and on the spicy side, but very light on the fennel)
- Onion, cut in rings and marinated in garlic oil.
- Mushrooms (also marinated in the garlic oil).
- Roasted and thinly sliced bell pepper (we like a mix of red and yellow, with a little green for color).
- Sometimes we also use chunks of sauteed garlic.
- You can also use ground beef -- it should be almost fully cooked but still somewhat moist. Remove from fat and drain on paper towel for awhile before placing on pizza. This will give you a nice, somewhat crunchy topping rather than a mundane hamburger-like thing.
- Use whatever you like, anchovies, shrimp, bacon, ham, hot peppers, red pepper flakes, etc.

Once you've assembled your toppings and cheese, its assembly time:
1. Spread tomato paste over top of the pizza.

2. Mix the mozzarella and provolone and sprinkle on an even but not too thick coating of cheese over the tomato paste -- just enough to provide a foundation for seasonings. You should be able to see the paste under the cheese shreds.

3. Spread most of the oregano (save a dusting for the top) over the cheese, along with the toasted garlic, a little pepper and a little salt.

4. Add most of the remaining mozzarella-provolone mix, but not quite all, and half the Romano.

5. Arrange your toppings over the pizza, trying to spread them evenly.

6. Spread the remaining cheeses lightly over the toppings -- the toppings should still be dominant, but there should be little bits of cheese over them in spots.

7. Dust with the remainder of the oregano, a little black pepper if you like, or red pepper flakes if you like spicy Italian. You might also want to add a little extra toasted garlic here. Especially on a cheese-only pizza, or perhaps a cheese and mushroom pizza.

8. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20-to-30 minutes.

UNSOLICITED ADVICE:
Buy good cheeses. Do NOT use ROMANO in a BOX. Do not use 'cheese products'. You don't need gourmet cheeses, but don't try to substitute Kraft processed singles, either. This is a lot of work. If you're gonna spend the time, you should use quality ingredients.

Source: rec.food.baking/Grayjackl (JackL)/1996