Deep Dish Pizza

I have attempted to make homemade pizza a few times at home and I had just about given up.  I never have been able to achieve the perfect pizza parlor results I have been looking for.  Even after investing in a pizza stone and a pizza peel, I still ended up with flabby thin crust pizza and a broken pizza stone.  Don't believe the manufacturers instructions about it being okay to put in the oven at 450 degrees. 

Recently I stumbled across this recipe for deep dish pizza on a blog called SparkPeople and this pizza sounded like and turned out to be a real winner.  We haven't traditionally been deep dish pizza fans at our house, but one taste of this fantastic pie and we are now converts. 

The recipe below calls for pepperoni but I opted for a Pizza Margherita (tomato and fresh basil) and sausage and olive for my first attempts. It is hard to say which I liked better. They were both fantastic.  This dough for the crust is so wonderful and pliable.  Unlike thin pizza dough that has to be coaxed into what I always hope to be a circular shape, this is easily pushed into the cake pan and up the sides.  It bakes into this extremely favorful (thanks olive oil), very light, and richly browned crust.  I highly recommend this recipe for anyone interested in making pizza from scratch at home.

Deep Dish Pizza

Dough

1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
1 package instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic , minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Toppings

1 (3.5-ounce) package sliced pepperoni
1 1/3 cups tomato sauce (see related recipe, "Basic Pizza Sauce")
3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions for Basic Pizza sauce

Cook oil and garlic in medium saucepan over low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, herbs and peppers, increase heat to medium, and cook until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Instructions for dough

1. To make the dough: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil.

2. Mix milk, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

3. To shape and top the dough: Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

4. While dough rises, put half of pepperoni in single layer on microwave-safe plate lined with 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard towels and set pepperoni aside; repeat with new paper towels and remaining pepperoni.

5. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 (or four, as was our case) wedges. Serve.

Pizza Margherita

I am on a quest for the perfect pizza crust dough.  I have tried three or four recipes, this being one of them and have yet to find THE ONE.  This  recipe was closer than any so far, so I thought I would share.

This is the Neapolitan classic from Rome, pizza margherita.  A very simple pie with a few simple, excellent ingredients: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, olive oil and fresh basil leaves. Because tomatoes are less than optimal at our stores currently,  I used canned San Marzano tomatoes from Italy and they were delicious.  The ones I had were infused with little pieces of basil which added to their rich flavor.

I invested in a pizza stone a couple of years ago and let me tell you, it makes a huge difference in obtaining that pizza parlor, crisp, slightly charred crust.  It does take some preheating in a 500 degree oven for at least a half hour before sliding your pie onto it.  I also have a pizza peel so I don't have to risk burning myself during the transfer of the pie to the oven. 
My quest will continue for the perfect pizza pie crust and when I find it, I'll let you know.

Pizza Margherita

Dough
1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water in a large bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Combine flours and salt in a small bowl.  Add 1 cup flour mixture to yeast, stir well until combined, stir in 1/2 cup water, then another cup of flour and continue to stir.  Add remaining 1 cup flour, gradually stir in 1/4 cup water and mix well.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until it has a smooth, uniform texture, 10-12 minutes.  (I did this with my Kitchenaide mixer and a dough hook and it only took 5 minutes.)  Divide dough into 2 even balls.   Coat insides of 2 medium bowls with 1/2 tsp oil in each, put dough in bowls, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until dough doubles in bulk, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Topping
1 large can of San Marzano tomatoes (or 2 lbs. very ripe fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
16 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Drain tomatoes well in a colander to remove juices.  Transfer tomatoes to a bowl and add oregano,chili flakes, and olive oil.  Adjust seasoning, stir and set aside.

Put pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 500 to 550 degrees.  Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal.  Punch down 1 dough ball and flatten it on peel.  Stretch dough into a thin 12 inch circle with a slightly raised edge.  Spread half the topping over dough, top with mozzarella slices, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Carefully slide onto the pizza stone and bake until crust is golden brown and crisp, about 12-15 minutes. Take from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and let sit for 4-5 minutes before cutting and serving.

The Alchemy of Cooking

I love the magic of cooking. I love how you can take the most simple of ingredients; a sprinkle of yeast, a bit of sugar, a few cups of flour, mix it together, let it sit for a couple hours and voila - a beautiful bread dough

I made pizza dough with a delicious recipe that I've had around for awhile. It is very simple to make and very easy to work with once it's risen. Pizza is a great thing to try at home as there are endless possibilities for toppings. I like to divide the pizza into two parts; one with a meat choice and one vegetarian side. Tonight's pizza included tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese topped with a dry salami on one side and garlic olive oil, mozzarella, Parmesan and a sprinkling of fresh basil on the other side.

Really, homemade pizza is a fairly quick dinner once you have finished the dough and it has risen to all of it's glory. Just spread or roll the dough out onto your pan, slap on the toppings, pop it into the oven for 15-20 minutes and there you have it.

Pizza Dough

1 Tbsp dry active yeast (1 envelope - I use fast acting)

1 1/4 cup warm water (under 110deg F)

1/4 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp olive plus a little extra for greasing the pan

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Place the yeast, 1/4 cup of warm water and sugar into mixing bowl. Stir and set aside until the yeast foams, about 10 minutes.

From This - a few ingredients - yeast, water, sugar.

Add the remaining water, olive oil and cheese. Using the dough hook of your electric mixer, mix on low speed just to blend. Still on low speed, add the flour one sixth at a time. Add the salt and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. While the dough is mixing, flour your work surface and grease a large mixing bowl with some oil.

Remove the dough to the floured work surface and knead for a minute or two to form a smooth ball. Place the dough in the greased bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

To This - a lovely, soft malleable dough. It's magic!

Once the dough has doubled in bulk, turn it out onto a floured work surface, roll it or stretch it with your hands into a circle or square until the dough is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Place dough onto a greased baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal (I omitted this step and it came off the pan just fine).

The Pizza ready for the oven.

Distribute your topping choices over the pizza dough and set the baking sheet in the top third of the oven which has been set to 450 degrees. Bake until the crust is golden brown the the cheese is bubbling, approximately 15-20 minutes. Enjoy a wonderful, flavorful pizza!