Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza Dough

lucid501's Note:

This recipe comes from the book "Pizza" and is just wonderful. It can be hard to press the pizza up the sides of the pan, but just let the dough rest for a bit first and it should be easier.

• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 1.0 14

• 1/4 ounce active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsps)
• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus
• more olive oil, for oiling bowl and pan

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in1/4 cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
3. Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and 3 cups flour, the cornmeal, salt, and 1/2 cup olive oil.
4. Using a wooden spoon, mix the dough, incorporating as much of the flour as possible.
5. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. It will be a little sticky, but shouldn't stick to your hands.
6. Add only a minimum amount of flour to the work surface to keep the dough from sticking.
7. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough and turn to coat on all sides.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean, damp, kitchen towel over the top.
9. Set the bowl in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (For a slow rise, place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and let rise for 10 to 12 hours, returning dough to room temperature before using).
10. When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of an oiled 14-inch round deep-dish pizza pan.
11. Let the dough rise in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
12. Press the dough until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is even on the bottom and at the corners of the pan.
13. Proceed with any deep-dish pizza recipe.

Reviews

[Chef #683983]

This is not the recipe for authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza. There is no cornmeal in Chicago deep-dish dough and never was. There's a bit more more oil in the dough (a good ratio is 1 Tablespoon oil to one cup flour). Your kneading time is way too long. To achieve the biscuit-like crust of authentic Chicago deep dish you need to mix for one minute and knead for no more than two minutes. What you have here will result in bread with tomato sauce and cheese.

[Houseblend]

One zillion stars! Last year DH and I ate at Giordano's in downtown Chicago and fell in love with their pizza....so much so that DH's employees had one mail ordered for him for boss's day! I had my fingers crossed that this would be close....very easy to throw together, easy to press up the sides of the pan. I used a 9 inch cheesecake pan which turned out great because then I could just remove the sides and it looked just like Giordano's! The crust is absolutely to die for....I could eat it plain!

[Chef #1506604]

It was very good. It came out chewy and fresh. Next time I will add a little bit more OO and minus a bit cornmeal. The crust is missing a bit of something that I can't put my finger on (a seasoning). But even with all that it was still good, the best I've ever made!