Deep Dish Pizza

Deep Dish Pizza

In my last blog entry I talked all about pizza.  Locally, pizza is mainly a spin-off of the thin, New York style, which is my favorite.  However, I do like thicker pizza from time to time but I’ve yet to find a really good version in Pittsburgh. Therefore I’ve resorted to making my own and I make it Chicago style.

If you’re not aware, Chicago style pizza is basically the exact opposite of any sort of traditional pizza.  Instead using your hands, this thicker, pie like crust, is often eaten with a knife and fork.  The cheese, followed by other toppings, are on the bottom, closest to the crust, with the sauce being the last layer on top.  It’s a great alternative to your everyday pizza and pretty simple to make at home.

Ingredients:

• Basic Pizza Dough (follow the same recipe in the grilled pizza entry found here)
• Italian Seasoning
• Mozzarella Cheese (I use slices for this recipe instead of shredded)
• Pizza Sauce (homemade preferred or a good quality brand from your store or if you can, an Italian market)
• Pizza Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray (olive oil spray if you have it).

Take dough and spread it in the pan, making a well to hold the toppings.  If the dough bounces back, let it rest a few minutes then spread it again.  The dough should cover the entire bottom of the pan, very much like a pie crust.

Dough in the pan

Sprinkle the dough with Italian seasoning.

This is optional

Top with the cheese.

Slices from the deli work well here

Add toppings. (This version used pepperoni, mushrooms, and banana peppers)

I like to pre-cook mushrooms for extra flavor and the peppers were not yet added in this picture

Top with Sauce.  Be sure to keep all of the ingredients in the “well” that you made. (I added a few extra sprinkles of Parmesan cheese, but this is optional)

Cheese optional – if you use it just add a little for flavor, not enough to cover the whole thing

Bake approximately 20-25 minutes until edge of dough is golden brown.

Done!

Let rest approximately 2-3 minutes and remove from pan. (the pan should be greased enough from the cooking spray plus the olive oil that was on the dough, making the whole pizza slide easily out of the pan which, in my opinion, makes cutting easier).

Enjoy!