Best 20 Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Recipes

THE REAL CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a bowl. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Combine yeast mixture, flour, corn oil, and kosher salt in a large stand mixer with a hook attachment; knead until dough holds together but is still slightly sticky, about 2 minutes.
• Form dough into a ball and transfer to a buttered bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with a towel and allow dough to rise at room temperature until double in size, 6 hours.
• Punch down dough and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Press dough into a 10-inch deep dish pizza pan.

TRUE CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP-DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Mix sugar, yeast and 11 ounces room temperature water (about 80 degrees) in a bowl and let bloom for 15 minutes. Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Once yeast has bloomed, add to dry ingredients along with corn oil. Gently combine with a rubber spatula until a rough ball is formed.
• Knead on low speed with the dough hook for 90 seconds. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and proof until doubled in size, about 6 hours. Punch down and let dough settle for 15 more minutes.
• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Coat bottom and sides of a 12-inch cake pan or traditional Chicago style pizza pan with melted butter. Using your hands, spread out about three-quarters of the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan (save the remainder for another use). Cover entire bottom in mozzarella, all the way up to the edge. Cover half with a thin, even layer of raw sausage. Cover the other half with the pepperoni. Top with a couple handfuls of crushed tomatoes. Spread out with hands to the edge. Sprinkle top evenly with grated Parm.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden around the edge, about 25 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes, then either gently lift pizza out of pan or just cut your slice out of the pan like a pie!

CHICAGO DEEP-DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Sprinkle in yeast and let dissolve, about 10 minutes. Add olive oil, melted butter, sugar, salt, cornmeal, and most of the flour. Knead, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally and adding more flour as needed, until smooth and elastic.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead in extra flour if needed. Roll into a ball and place in a bowl greased with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Cover with a plate and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, let pizza sauce simmer in a pot over low heat until very thick, 60 to 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Poke dough to deflate and turn out onto your work surface. Press and stretch out dough into a round shape 3 to 4 inches larger than a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Brush skillet with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place dough in the skillet; stretch and pull to evenly distribute it over the bottom and sides.
• Lay provolone cheese over the bottom of the crust. Scatter fresh mozzarella on top. Add Italian sausage and firm mozzarella. Ladle pizza sauce generously on top. Grate Parmesan cheese on top. Fold the edges of the crust in towards the center to seal in the sides. Drizzle crust and center with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until crust sounds hollow and pizza is beautifully browned, about 35 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP-DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt. In a saucepan, heat water and oil to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add remaining flour to form a stiff dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., Punch dough down; divide in half. Roll each portion into an 11-in. circle. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of two greased 10-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillets. Sprinkle each with 2 cups mozzarella cheese., In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. Spoon 1-1/2 cups over each pizza. Layer each with half of the sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms; 1 cup mozzarella; and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. , Cover and bake at 450° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned, about 5 minutes longer.,

PIZZERIA UNO CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl and dissolve the yeast with a fork.
• Add 1 cup of flour, all of the cornmeal, salt, and vegetable oil, and mix well with a spoon.
• Continue stirring in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Flour your hands and the work surface and knead the ball of dough until it is no longer sticky.
• Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl, sealed with plastic wrap, for 45-60 minutes in a warm place, until it has doubled in size.
• Punch it down and knead it briefly.
• Press it into an oiled 15-inch deep dish pizza pan until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is even on the bottom of the pan.
• Let the dough rise 15-20 minutes before filling.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.
• Cook the sausage until it is no longer pink and drain the excess fat.
• When the dough has finished its second rising, lay the cheese over the dough shell.
• Distribute the sausage and garlic over the cheese.
• Top with the tomatoes.
• Sprinkle on the seasonings and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 500°F, then lower the temperature to 400°F and finish baking for 25-35 minutes longer.
• Lift up a section of the crust from time to time with a spatula to check its color. The crust will be golden brown when done.
• Serve immediately.

COPYCAT PIZZERIA UNO "CHICAGO DEEP DISH" PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• OLD SCHOOL METHOD: Mix the yeast and water together in a large mixing bowl with a fork until totally dissolved.
• Blend in 1 cup of flour, and all the cornmeal, salt, and oil. Mix well with a large spoon.
• Continue stirring in the rest of the flour in 1/2-cup increments until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl.
• Put some flour on your hands and knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, about 5-10 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm, dry, draft-free area for 45-60 minutes to rise until doubled.
• Punch it down and knead briefly. Go to Step #8. Didn't want to do all that just to have another rise later? Check out the bread machine instructions!
• BREAD MACHINE INSTRUCTIONS: Put all the ingredients into your bread machine according to your manfacturer's directions and do a 1.5-lb or 2-lb dough cycle, kick back and let it do its work.
• Press the dough into an oiled 15-inch deep dish pan. Let it rise for another 20 minutes before pre-baking.
• After the rise in the pan is finished, bake at 450F for 10 minutes. Then add the sauce, cheese, toppings, etc, and whatever else you like and bake at 400F according to how much you put on (ie, meat toppings require longer.) I like cheese and veggie toppings which only take about 15-20 minutes, then turn on the broiler for 5 minutes to get a nice crispy edge and cheesy crunch.
• Don't have a deep-dish pan? Can probably split this up among casserole dishes and large pie pans.

CHICAGO STYLE DEEP-DISH PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• 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.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and 3 cups flour, the cornmeal, salt, and 1/2 cup olive oil.
• Using a wooden spoon, mix the dough, incorporating as much of the flour as possible.
• 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.
• Add only a minimum amount of flour to the work surface to keep the dough from sticking.
• Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough and turn to coat on all sides.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean, damp, kitchen towel over the top.
• 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).
• 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.
• Let the dough rise in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Press the dough until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is even on the bottom and at the corners of the pan.
• Proceed with any deep-dish pizza recipe.

GINO'S EAST CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475.* This recipe mkes enough dough for a 12" round deep dish pizza, preferably cooked in a seasoned cast iron skiilet.
• One secret to making Gino's East pizza is getting the cornmeal ground up fine enough so that you don't have a grainy texture to the crust. To do this, take 3/4 cup corn meal and grind it up in a coffee grinder. You have to grind it as fine as is possible. Then take the ground corn meal and sift it into your mixer bowl.
• Another secret to Gino's East pizza is to get the cornmeal dissolved as well as possible (again, to prevent the grainy crust.) To do this, put the warm water in the mixing bowl with the corn meal, and add the yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and melted butter. Using the whisk attachment (if you have a KitchenAid mixer), stir the mixture for 10 minutes.
• Add one cup of flour to the mixer and use the dough hook to mix it up well. Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until you can handle and kneed the dough without it sticking to your hands. You may not need the whole 2 1/2 cups of flour, or you may need a little more. You will have to use your judgment. Just remember not to let the dough get too hard, or to have it too soft (will stick you your fingers).
• Take the dough out of the KitchenAid mixer and kneed it by hand on a countertop. If you have made the dough right you will not have to put any flour down, or you will only need a minimal amount. Kneed the dough for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Oil the inside of your mixer bowl. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap or a warm damp towel. Let the dough rise until doubled in size. This might take anywhere from 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours.
• After the dough has risen, punch down the dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough on the counter and flatten it with your hand. Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a uniform circle 1/4 inch thick.
• Oil the bottom of the skillet, with CANOLA oil and not olive oil, and then take your dough and carefully place it into the skillet. Form the crust by stretching the dough about 1-1/2 to 2 inches up the side of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again until your oven is preheated to 475ºF.
• Melt 2T of butter and use a basting brush to coat the crust surface with melted butter. The first thing you will put into the pan will be the cheese. Place an even layer of cheese 1/2 to 3/4 inches deep in the pan. The next thing you will put into the pan will be the meat. Layer the meat spaced evenly over the top of the cheese. Next spread a layer of tomato sauce or crushed tomates on top of the meat. Don't put too much sauce on or you will end up with a soggy pizza. The last thing is to sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of the sauce.
• Bake the pizza at 475 for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400ºF and bake the pizza an additional 10 to 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown, and areas of browned cheese start to poke up through the sauce. Let the pizza cool 5 minutes and then serve.

BOBBY FLAY'S CHICAGO DEEP-DISH PIZZA DOUGH; THROWDOWN RECIPE

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the oils and mix for 30 seconds. Add the cornmeal, 3 cups of the flour and salt and
• beat for 5 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and mix in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour and knead, using the dough hook for 2 minutes. Add the butter and knead until incorporated. The dough is a very moist dough so do not add more flour unless absolutely needed.
• Place the dough in a large bowl lightly oiled with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towels and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Punch down the dough and allow to double in size again.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place 2 pizza stones into the oven to preheat as well. Generously oil 2 (9 or 10-inch) deep dish pie pans with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons for each pan).
• Divide the dough in half and press the dough out slightly on the counter top. Place the dough in the prepared pans and push out to cover the bottom and up the side of the pans. (If using the 9-inch pans, pinch a 2-inch ball off each dough to make a better fit.).
• For assembly:.
• Combine the cheese in a bowl. Place half of the cheese of the bottom of each pie crust. Divide the sausage filling over the cheese and then top with the remaining cheese, patting the cheese firmly down over the filling. Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the cheese to cover completely. Place the pans into the oven on the pizza stones and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with Parmesan. Let the pizza rest on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before slicing.

CHICAGO STYLE DEEP DISH SAUSAGE PIZZA - REAL DEEP DISH

Steps:

• MAKING THE DOUGH: In a mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and salt into the lukewarm water.
• Add yeast, corn oil, and a small amount of the flour.
• Mix until you have a thick batter, then add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until combined.
• Knead until the dough comes together into a smooth ball, then STOP. DON'T OVER-KNEAD. Total mixing/kneading time should be no more than 2 - 3 minutes (This step can also be done in a mixer with a dough hook in 1 - 2 minutes. If it looks smooth, but doesn't form a ball, just take it off the hook and form into a ball).
• Place the dough in a bowl (or keep it in your mixing bowl), lightly oil/spray the dough ball.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours (or until dough has doubled).
• After the rise, you can use the dough immediately OR punch down the dough and let it rise again until you're ready to use the dough OR place it into a plastic zip-top bag and into the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
• ASSEMBLING YOUR PIZZA AND BAKING: Place a pizza stone in the bottom rack of your oven and place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil across the top rack. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees (F). It should take about 40 minutes to an hour to preheat your stone, so you may want to do this while your dough is rising. If you refrigerated your dough, take it out of the fridge while your oven is preheating.
• Using a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, drain any excess liquid from your tomatoes, if necessary.
• Lightly grease the bottom (not the sides) of your pan with oil or high-heat cooking spray.
• Press out the dough in the pan from center to the edge, as flat and even as possible. Pinch up the sides into a paper-thin lip about 1 to 1-1/2 inches high.
• Lightly press sliced mozzarella cheese into the dough, overlapping the slices until the entire bottom is covered (If making an all-cheese pizza, you can add extra cheese if you want, then skip to the part where you add the tomatoes).
• Add the Italian sausage: For traditional patty, add small bits of sausage on top of the cheese, connecting the bits together into a loose web, until the entire bottom is covered.
• Add any other ingredient that you want to protect from burning.
• THE PART WHERE YOU ADD THE TOMATOES: With a large spoon or ladle, top the pizza with the crushed tomatoes, spreading the sauce from the center out to the edge until the other ingredients are completely covered with sauce. You should need between 14 and 16 oz of tomatoes.
• Sprinkle grated Romano (and/or Parmesan) Cheese over the top of the sauce.
• Turn oven down to 450 and place the pizza pan directly on top of the pizza stone on the lower rack.
• Bake for approximately 35 minutes. If your crust or toppings start to char on top, place a loose sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pizza for the remaining baking time.
• Remove from oven, let pizza rest for 5 minutes, then cut & serve on a real plate with a knife & fork.

CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle over dough. Top with mozzarella cheese., In a skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in oil until onion is tender. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, salt, fennel seed and garlic powder. Spoon over mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

DEEP DISH PIZZA CHICAGO-STYLE UNO'S RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. You will need a deep dish at least 2 inches deep. You can also use a heavy 10x2 inch round cake pan or a 10 inch spring form pan. Which ever pan you use, brush olive oil generously around the whole pan.
• 2. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast into warm water. Stir until dissolved. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the 1/3 cup cooking oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Beat at low speed 30 seconds,scraping bowl often. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• 3. Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place till doubled. Beat down. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• 4. Turn dough into pan. Using oiled hands, spread dough evenly over bottom and partially up sides of pan. Cover, let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
• 5. Arrange cheese slices in 1/4 inch thick layer on dough. Gently press sausage on cheese. Using hands, gently crush tomatoes into small pieces atop sausage. Sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan.
• 6. Bake in a 500 degree oven for about 25 minutes to 30 minutes or until edges of the crust are crisp and golden brown. If desired, add mushrooms and green pepper during the last few minutes of baking.
• 7. Let the pizza stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting. (this is the hardest part!) :)
• 8. ANOTHER CHEAT NOTE: If you dont have the time to make this crust, I did come up with an alternative using the bread machine. If you want to use the bread machine: 2 3/4 Cups AP flour 1/3 Cup olive oil 1 Cup hot water (110-115 degrees) 2 teaspoons yeast Add the ingredients to the bread machine and put it on dough setting. Then put in the prepared pan and let rise again. Then follow the rest of the above instructions.
• 9. This is a serious recipe. It is well worth the effort as it is as close to the real thing as you can get at home. As I have said, I used a sauce in the pictures.... this is a no-no! Use the tomatoes and you will be in heaven!

HOMEMADE CHICAGO DEEP-DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt. In a small saucepan, heat water and oil to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms in 2 teaspoons oil until tender. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic and seasonings., Generously grease a 13x9-in. baking pan or dish with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Punch dough down. Roll out into a 15x11-in. rectangle. Transfer to prepared pan, pressing onto the bottom and halfway up the sides of pan. Sprinkle with 2 cups mozzarella cheese., Spoon half of the sauce over the cheese (save remaining sauce for another use or for dipping). Layer with the sausage, sauteed mushrooms and, if desired, pepperoni; top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. , Cover and bake at 450° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake about 5 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with basil if desired.

UNO'S CHICAGO STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water.
• Add soybean oil and blend.
• Add flour and salt and mix thoroughly. If using a stand mixer, mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. If kneading by hand, knead for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead by hand for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add olive oil to a deep bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn twice to coat with oil.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
• Let the dough rise for 2 hours on counter, or overnight in fridge. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN.
• Spread and push the dough ball across the bottom of a deep pan and up slightly on the sides.
• Add toppings of your choice, and bake in a preheated oven at 475 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare sauce as directed on package. Cool slightly.
• Mix ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese in large bowl. Spread in 9-inch round cake pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Top with prepared Spaghetti Sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
• Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sliced garlic bread, breadsticks or toasted baguette slices.

UNO CHICAGO GRILL DEEP DISH PIZZA (COPY)

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast with warm water and sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Add the corn oil and blend.
• Add flour and salt and mix thoroughly until the dough is smooth and pliable. If using a stand mixer for 4 minutes at medium or by hand knead for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Turn the dough out and knead by hand an additional 2 minutes.
• Coat a bowl with olive oil, place the dough ball in the bowl turning once to cover it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let it rise for two hours.
• Do not punch the dough down. Spead it across the bottom and up the sides of a 12 inch deep dish pizza or cake pan. (I cover the bottom of my pan with olive oil first - a lot of olive oil).
• For the sauce: in a mixing bowl combine the tomatoes, oregano, basil and romano.
• Line the dough with mozzarella and provolone completely covering the dough and then put your sauce and toppings.
• Bake on the middle rack of a preheated 475 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes - the crust should be golden brown. Allow the pizza to rest 3-4 minutes before cutting.

THE REAL CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Add yeast to a mixture of water and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in stand mixer with paddle attachment for one minute, then knead with hook attachment for no more than two minutes. Dough will be a little sticky. If too sticky to handle, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little water. Dough should be a little tacky but able to shape into a ball.
• Put dough in a buttered bowl, turn dough buttered side up, cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise at room temperature for 6 hours.
• Punch down, then cover and let gluten relax for 10-15 minutes.
• Either roll out or press into and up sides of deep dish pizza pan or even a cast iron skillet. If you are making a 10-inch pizza, fit the dough into the pan at the thickness you like and trim off any excess.
• Add cheese, toppings, and tomatoes (that you've flavored with garlic, basil, oregano, etc.).
• Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, depending on your oven.
• You may want to prebake the crust, if you wish, for about 5-10 minutes.

CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA BY EMERIL LAGASSE RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• While the dough is rising, make the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the herbs, seeds, salt, and black and red peppers, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine and sugar, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before using. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Oil 2 seasoned 12-inch round deep-dish pizza pans with the extra-virgin olive oil. Press 1 piece of dough into each pan, pressing to the edge and stretching about 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Let rest for 5 minutes. Layer the mozzarella cheese all over the bottom of the pies. Top each with half of the pepperoni, mushrooms, bell pepper rings, onions, black olives and sausage. Ladle the sauce evenly over each pizza and top with Parmesan. Bake until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve hot. Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza Dough: 11/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F) 1 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup semolina flour 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons to grease bowl 1 teaspoon salt In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the semolina, 1/2 cup of the oil, and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Divide into 2 equal portions and use as directed.

CHICAGO STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. For the dough: Using stand mixer and dough hook, mix flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar and salt on low until combined. Add water and 3 TB melted butter and mix 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth, 4-5 minutes. Pliable dough should pull away from the sides of bowl.
• 2. Coat large bowl with olive oil and place dough ball in bowl. Turn dough around in the bowl to ensure all sides of dough are protected by oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• 3. For the Sauce: Saute minced onion and garlic in 3 TB olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add rest of sauce ingredients, except for salt/pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook until reduced to 2 1/2 cups of sauce, about 25-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
• 4. Turn dough onto large surface. Roll into 15x12 inch rectange. Spread 4 TB softened butter evenly over top of dough, leaving 1/2 in. border along edges. At the short end, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Withs eam side down, flatten cylinder to 18x4 in. rectangle. Slice rectangle in half crosswise. Working with one half at a time, fold dough into thirds and pinch seams together into a dough ball. Return dough balls to oiled bowl, ensure all sides of dough are protected with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in fridge until doubled, 40-50 minutes. While dough is rising, heat oven to 425 F with rack on lowest position.
• 5. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 TB olive oil each. Transfer one dough ball to large surface and roll into disk, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to cake pan and gently press into pan, working into edges and up sides. Repeat with other dough ball. (If dough resists stretching, let sit for 5 min. covered and try again.)
• 6. Divide 4 cups mozzarella in half and sprinkle on top of each pizza dough. Follow by browned sausage (plus any other toppings desired). Next, spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce per pizza. Last, sprinkle 2 TB parmesan cheese per pizza. Bake until cros is golden brown about 20-25 min. Remove and let sit for 10 min. before serving.

SWEET HOME CHICAGO STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. For pizza dough: In large mixer bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar and salt. Let sit til foamy on top. Beat in oils, basil, garlic powder and half of the flour. Beat for 10 minutes. Add remaining flour and cheese. With dough hook, pulse til incorporated. Continue kneading on medium for 10-12 minutes til smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Transfer to large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 1 hour or til doubled in size. Punch down, rise again. Roll out onto floured board or freeze to store. Makes 2-12" pizzas or 1 deep dish.
• 2. For the sauce: In blender or food processor, pulse til combined and coarse chopped.
• 3. To make pizza: Break up sausage into nickel-sized pieces and saute til done. Remove to paper towel-lined bowl. In small bowl, place cut up peppers and shallots, sprinkle with water, cover with paper towel and nuke about 1 minute til softened a little. In 9" wide, 3" deep oiled cast iron skillet, place thinly rolled out dough. (Across bottom, up sides and overhang an inch.) *Save aside 3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup sauce for top. Cover bottom with 1" deep layer of mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1 tsp Parmesan cheese, then half of pizza topping ingredients of choice sprinkling with a little more mozzarella after each ingredient. Drizzle evenly with about 2/3 cup pizza sauce. Cover with 1" layer of mozzarella. Press gently. Sprinkle with 1 tsp Parmesan. Repeat ingredients adding in last of cheeses except top amount. Drizzle with 2/3 cup sauce. Top with 3/4 lb. mozzarella. Roll up overhang of dough to inside of skillet around edge. Brush dough with oil. Bake in 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove, top center with last 1/3 cup sauce, bake 5 minutes longer. Let rest before cutting.