Day: October 13, 2014
Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza
Chicago Style deep-dish pizza is legendary thanks to clever marketing on behalf of the food manufacturers. But most of us never get the chance to taste it in its original form as it is seldom, if ever, reproduced in an authentic manner. Deep Dish is not the same as deep pan or thick crust pizza, which ostensibly is just pizza with a thick base, because deep dish pizza is encapsulated by a raised, thin, pie like, biscuity-textured crust that is in a category all of its own.
Just how this dough is made is a closely guarded secret! Some suggest the texture is achieved by adding an inordinate amount of oil to the dough, whilst others believe the dough should be filled with butter via a method known as laminating. The deep dish I tried in Giordano’s (a Chicago mainstay) definitely had a buttery flaky texture, so I’m opting for the second method.
But what is clear is that the base is best made with good old plain flour, rather than the bread flour we are so accustomed to. The logic seems to be, that in order to create a short and flaky crust, the dough should only be kneaded for a very short time, meaning that the gluten has little time to develop. Ideal. So the reduced gluten content in the plain flour proves to be advantageous.
And remember this isn’t a Chicago-style pizza unless the toppings are plentiful and added to the pie in reverse order – the sauce goes on top!
Level: high
Methods: laminated dough
Skills: sauteing, baking
Time: 2 1/2 hours
Makes: 1 9-inch pie (feeds 4)
Ingredients
For the Dough:
225g plain flour
35g cornmeal
½tsp salt
1tsp sugar
7g pack of quick-action yeast
150ml water, room temperature
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp unsalted butter, softened
extra oil for greasing
For the Sauce:
240g can San Marzano tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
25g grated onion
¼tsp salt
¼tsp dried thyme
1tbsp tomato puree
2tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Toppings:
150g fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
50g grated Cheddar cheese
25g grated parmesan cheese
50g each of pepperoni, finely diced onion, sliced green pepper and sliced mushrooms
Method
1. Pour 150ml warm water into a measuring jug. Add the oil, yeast and sugar, then stir.
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal and salt in a large bowl.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl, a bit at a time, stirring with a table knife. When you have one ball of lightly tacky dough, turn out on to the work surface and knead for 2-3 minutes only.
4. Coat a large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm of a tea towel and let the dough rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
5. While the dough rises, empty the tin of tomatoes into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands, until most of the lumps are gone.
6. Stir in the garlic, onion, tomato puree, herbs and seasonings.
7. Prepare your toppings – you can even saute the vegetables for a few minutes to soften them.
8. Turn the dough out onto a dry work surface and roll into a rectangle (approximately 5×10 inches). Using a palette knife, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1cm border along the edges.
9. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten the cylinder back into a rectangle.
10. Fold the third up, then the top third down to cover it (like folding a letter). Pinch the seams together and form into a ball. Return to the oiled bowl and leave to rise for another 30-40 minutes.
11. Meanwhile preheat the oven to around 220°C.
12. When the dough is doubled in size, grease a 9-inch round cake tin with a generous amount of olive oil.
13. Roll the dough out into a 13-inch circle. Transfer dough to the tin and lightly press against the edge of the tin, working into the corners. If the dough resists and begins shrinking back, let it relax for 5 minutes before trying again. The dough should come at least 1-2 inches up the side of your tin to capture all the oozing toppings.
14. Now spread your Cheddar over the base, then the mozzarella. Now top with the pepperoni and veg, before pouring over a generous portion of the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan.
15. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Mastication / Destination 