Deep Dish Pizza

Deep Dish Delish

This is the first time I tried making a deep dish pizza and had FANTASTIC results. Was really easy as well as really satisfying. The recipe and more pictures are after the jump. I’d have to say that the end result looked really professional. There are a few tips to success that I always keep in mind when making a pizza. My cardinal rule is NO WATER / LOOSE LIQUID. Take the seeds and inner membranes our of tomatoes, zucchini, and all other vegetables with similar innards. Water just kills a pizza no matter what type you’re making. When making the sauce make sure it’s not loose but thick. This can easily be achieved by cooking the sauce in a very broad saute pan over high heat and STIRRING CONSTANTLY. For this recipe in particular use a very well seasoned cast iron pan. Your results may be similar with a less seasoned or different type of pan, but what you see in this post was achieved using a very well seasoned cast iron pan.

Recipe and pictures follow….

The dough:

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110° – 115°F.)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (you may want to use less if you’re wary of salt -it won’t affect the recipe that much)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for oiling bowl

The filling:

• 1 pound sausage – you can use sausage meat, link sausage or any other type you prefer. I used a pound of 4 different types of chicken link sausage – andouille, pesto, hot, and plain.

The sauce:

• 1 pound peeled whole tomatoes (liquid and innards removed)
• Spices and seasoning (basil, oregano, adn whatever else you like)

The cheese:

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (you can grate it or even use other cheese or a combination of cheeses. I’m not that into grating so for this recipe I just used slices of mozzarella)

The process:

• Add the yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients.
• Remove from bowl and onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or two and add more flour if needed (the dough should not be sticky).
• Put dough in an oiled bowl in a warm place and cover fo r1 hour.
• While dough is rising, cook your sausage and sauce, seasoning to your taste.
• Preheat oven to 500°F
• Put dough on a well floured surface and knead a few times.
• Oil a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron pan.
• Add dough to pan and press dough so it is of an even thickness covering the bottom and sides of the pan.
• First add half of the mozzarella to teh bottom of the pan.
• Add sauce and sausage on top of the cheese.
• Add the remainder of the cheese to the top of the pizza.

Cooking:

• Bake pizza in lower third of an electric oven or on floor of a gas oven for 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. and bake 10 minutes more, or until crust is golden.

Eating:

• Let sit for a couple minutes.
• Slice.
• Chow.

Nice Cut

Leftovers

Elements of this recipe have been adapted from Gourmet Magazine and epicurious.com