Family Chow Hall

Deep Dish Pizza

February 9th, 2006

A thick, fluffy crust… piled high with toppings and cheese… This is the way my kids prefer pizza. Nothing will keep them from arguing over which toppings are best, but miraculously, they agree on the crust.

This recipe copies the Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza. I make it in Pampered Chef’s Deep Dish Baking Stone and I even use their recipe for the crust. If you don’t have that particular baking stone, divide the dough in half and use two pie-pans.

Scroll down if you’re curious about my experimental almost 0 carb pizza I tried last night….

Deep Dish Pizza
serves 4-6 / prep. time: 30 minutes / bake time: 25 minutes

Crust:
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. yeast

Put all of these crust ingredients into your bread machine and set to dough. Plan ahead - my machine takes 90 minutes to make dough. I have to set it so the dough is done about 1 hour before I want to serve the pizza, so I have time to top it and get it in the oven. When the dough is done, grease your baking dish and pat the dough into it. Don’t stress about forming a crust, just lay it flat in the pan. Preheat your oven to 375, cover the dough and let it rest for about 10 minutes or so. Pre-bake the crust only for 10 minutes - this is thick and will be doughy if you top it without pre-baking. Now for the sauce…

Sauce:
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
3/4 c. water
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. parsley
1/4 t. oregano
1/4 t. salt
dash of pepper

Gently use a whisk to combine everything. Tomato sauce works just as well. Spoon the sauce onto your pre-baked crust.

Topping Possibilities:
Pepperoni
sausage
Canadian bacon
pineapple
black or green olives
fresh mushrooms
red onions
green pepper
artichokes
chopped spinach
jalapeno peppers
1 - 2 c. mozzarella cheese (or any kind you prefer)

Sprinkle as many toppings as you want on after the sauce. Now add a good layer of cheese, at least one cup.

Put your pizza back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Before serving, let it stand for 5 minutes — it’s much easier to cut that way.

Now for the healthier pizza that hubby and I ate:

Crust:
2 c. Italian cheese (Asiago is what I used)
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1 egg

Stir this together and spread into a circle on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or just until it looks like it’s setting up. Spread on the sauce (see above) and top. Ours had mushrooms, black olives, garlic sausage, chopped spinach and crumbled Feta cheese. Return to oven for another 10 minutes or until the crust is browning.

This pizza was very good, filling, but messy to eat. I will definitely be making it again.

Until tomorrow… Happy Eating

Entry Filed under: Italian, Mixed bag, Most Popular Posts, Recipes, Supper, meatless, pork