Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Yield: One 8” round pizza
Degree of difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 50 minutes - 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Ingredients
1¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (260 g) Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour
1/8 ounce (3g) Instant dried yeast
2 teaspoons (7 g) Kosher salt
1 tablespoon (12.5 g) Granulated sugar
1 cup (227 g) Carbonated water
Vegetable oil spray
1 ½-2 cups (375-500 g) Cup4Cup Pizza Sauce
½-¾ pound (227-340 g) Grated low-moisture mozzarella cheese
2 ounces (40 g) pepperoni, sliced or substitute whichever toppings you prefer
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Torn basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Stream in water with the mixer on the lowest speed just until all the ingredients come together, and no lumps of flour remain.
- Spray vegetable oil spray heavily on the bottom and sides of an 8” deep cake pan.
- Scrape the dough into a ball then transfer to the center of the cake pan. Spray the dough liberally with vegetable oil spray and then lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to your hands or tools while pressing it out.
- Using a flat bottomed, cylindrical object, such a coffee mug or smaller cake pan shape the dough to the pan about 3/8” thick. Press down with the cylinder in the center and spread the dough from the center out to the side of the pan and shape the sides.
- Spread a ½ cup of the pizza sauce on the dough with a small rubber spatula fixing any misshapen parts of the dough. Layer your toppings of choice, (cook high moisture toppings ahead of time to prevent the crust from becoming soggy), and then fill most of the way up with cheese.
- Spread 1 cup of pizza sauce on top without spilling over the edges of the dough. If there is room for more sauce, then add more sauce.
- Proof in a warm humid area of the kitchen for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Bake the pizza for 50 minutes – 1 hour.
- Allow the pizza to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.
- Finish the pizza with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated parmesan cheese and torn basil leaves.