Main courses
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza with Mushrooms, Bacon and Cheddar
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- 420g (3 and 1/4 cups) Cake or All-Purpose Flour
- 60g (1/4 cup) Polenta or fine yellow Cornmeal
- 1 and 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 and 1/4 tsp (7g) Instant Dry Yeast
- 300ml (1 and 1/4 cup) luke warm Water
- 60gm (1/4) butter melted & cooled
- Olive Oil for coating
For the Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Red Onion, finely chopped
- 1 - 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
- 410gm tin of Chopped Peeled Tomatoes
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
- 2 tsp Sugar
- Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
For the Toppings
- 2 cups firm Mozzarella Cheese, grated
- 1 cup (200gm) plus 1/4 cup grated Kerrygold Dubliner
- 125g Mushrooms, finely sliced
- 150gm Back Bacon, roughly chopped
- Sprinkle of Dried Oregano (Optional)
Directions
This Chicago deep-dish style pizza is more like a pie and loaded with your favourite toppings.
The recipe makes 2 small 18cm deep-dish pizzas with a very thick base. If you would like a thinner deep-dish pizza, increase the pan size to 22cm to 23cm and roll the dough out thinner. Or one larger 30cm pizza.
You will need to d double the sauce quantity and increase the amount of bacon and mushrooms a little if you are making bigger pizzas. You could also replace the fillings with whatever you prefer.
The simple sauce is thick and slightly sweet which offsets the acidity of the tomatoes but you could reduce it to 1 teaspoon of sugar if you prefer.
Cooks Notes: The dough of the traditional Chicago deep-dish pizza is often laminated with butter, but I found no real advantage to adding the extra fat here. The pizza is very rich and indulgent, and the dough was soft and pillowy enough. Increase the fillings if you are making bigger pizzas. The layering of the ingredients is opposite to a regular pizza with the cheese going on the bottom. The tomato sauce serves as the topping of the pizza which is very much like a pie.
By Sam Linsell (@drizzleanddip)
Combine the flour, polenta, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and give them a quick mix. Add lukewarm water (around 32°C) to the bowl.
Ensure this is not too hot as it will kill the yeast. Add the melted and cooled butter and beat for around 5 minutes until you have a soft dough that can pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too thick, add a little extra flour. If it is too dry, add a little extra water. It should be soft but not sticky.
Remove from the bowl and tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Bring the dough together in a ball. Press down with your finger and if the dough springs back it is ready.
Place the dough in a large bowl and coat all surfaces of the ball lightly with olive oil. Cover tightly with cling wrap or foil and then place a cloth over. Place the bowl in a warm place for one to two hours and allow it to double in size.
When the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto the floured surface once again. (It will be stringy at this stage and gently roll into a ball.) Cut it in half if you are making two pizzas and reshape into balls. Place these back into the bowl, cover and let sit while the oven preheats and make your sauce.
Preheat the oven to 220°C and position the oven rack to the lowest third level of the oven (the layer below halfway). The oven will take about an hour to reach temperature and heat the stone.
Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer on a gentle heat for about 30 to 40 minutes. Use a potato crusher to break down any large pieces of tomato. Set aside for when you are ready to use it.
Lightly oil the baking tins with olive oil by wiping them with a paper towel.
Roll out each dough ball so that it is big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your 18cm to 23cm baking tin. Tuck the dough into each corner and press so that it covers the sides.
I found placing the unfloured side of the rolled-out dough on the pan was easier to get it to stick to the pan. The underside with the flour did not adhere to the walls of the baking tin. If your cake tin is very high, it should come up about halfway or 3/4 way up the sides if it is shallower. It should reach the top. Trim any excess dough.
1. Grated Mozzarella
2. Grated Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
3. Bacon
4. Sliced Mushrooms
5. Pizza Sauce
6. Extra Kerrygold Dubliner Sprinkled on top
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Loosely cover with tin foil to prevent over-browning if necessary. Once baked, remove the tin foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
The recipe makes 2 small 18cm deep-dish pizzas with a very thick base. If you would like a thinner deep-dish pizza, increase the pan size to 22cm to 23cm and roll the dough out thinner. Or one larger 30cm pizza.
You will need to d double the sauce quantity and increase the amount of bacon and mushrooms a little if you are making bigger pizzas. You could also replace the fillings with whatever you prefer.
The simple sauce is thick and slightly sweet which offsets the acidity of the tomatoes but you could reduce it to 1 teaspoon of sugar if you prefer.
Cooks Notes: The dough of the traditional Chicago deep-dish pizza is often laminated with butter, but I found no real advantage to adding the extra fat here. The pizza is very rich and indulgent, and the dough was soft and pillowy enough. Increase the fillings if you are making bigger pizzas. The layering of the ingredients is opposite to a regular pizza with the cheese going on the bottom. The tomato sauce serves as the topping of the pizza which is very much like a pie.
By Sam Linsell (@drizzleanddip)
For the Dough
Make the dough two to three hours before you bake the pizza. Read through the recipe and allow time for all the steps.Combine the flour, polenta, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and give them a quick mix. Add lukewarm water (around 32°C) to the bowl.
Ensure this is not too hot as it will kill the yeast. Add the melted and cooled butter and beat for around 5 minutes until you have a soft dough that can pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too thick, add a little extra flour. If it is too dry, add a little extra water. It should be soft but not sticky.
Remove from the bowl and tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Bring the dough together in a ball. Press down with your finger and if the dough springs back it is ready.
Place the dough in a large bowl and coat all surfaces of the ball lightly with olive oil. Cover tightly with cling wrap or foil and then place a cloth over. Place the bowl in a warm place for one to two hours and allow it to double in size.
When the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto the floured surface once again. (It will be stringy at this stage and gently roll into a ball.) Cut it in half if you are making two pizzas and reshape into balls. Place these back into the bowl, cover and let sit while the oven preheats and make your sauce.
Preheat the oven to 220°C and position the oven rack to the lowest third level of the oven (the layer below halfway). The oven will take about an hour to reach temperature and heat the stone.
For the Tomato Sauce
While the dough is resting and the oven preheating, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and saute the onions until soft (approximately five minutes).Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer on a gentle heat for about 30 to 40 minutes. Use a potato crusher to break down any large pieces of tomato. Set aside for when you are ready to use it.
Preparing for Baking
Prepare your toppings by frying the bacon in a pan for a few minutes until it just begins to take colour. Set aside. Slice the mushrooms and grate the cheese.Lightly oil the baking tins with olive oil by wiping them with a paper towel.
Roll out each dough ball so that it is big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your 18cm to 23cm baking tin. Tuck the dough into each corner and press so that it covers the sides.
I found placing the unfloured side of the rolled-out dough on the pan was easier to get it to stick to the pan. The underside with the flour did not adhere to the walls of the baking tin. If your cake tin is very high, it should come up about halfway or 3/4 way up the sides if it is shallower. It should reach the top. Trim any excess dough.
Final Touches
Layer your toppings in the following order:1. Grated Mozzarella
2. Grated Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
3. Bacon
4. Sliced Mushrooms
5. Pizza Sauce
6. Extra Kerrygold Dubliner Sprinkled on top
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Loosely cover with tin foil to prevent over-browning if necessary. Once baked, remove the tin foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
