DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• In the bowl of your electric mixer- KitchenAid is perfect for this- dissolve the yeast in the water.
• Add the oils, cornmeal, and 3 cups of the flour.
• Beat for 10 minutes with the mixer.
• Add the dough hook and mix in the additional 2½ cups flour.
• Knead for several minutes with the machine.
• It is hard to do this by hand since the dough is very rich and moist.
• Pour out the dough on a plastic countertop and cover with a very large metal bowl.
• Allow to rise double in bulk.
• Punch down and allow to rise again.
• Punch down a second time and you are ready to make your pizza.
• Oil round cake pans or deep dish pizza pan.
• Put a bit of dough in each and push it out to the edges, using your fingers.
• Put in enough dough so that you can run the crust right up the side of the pan.
• Try to make it approximately 1/8" thick throughout the pan.
• The filling for 9 or 10 inch pan:.
• Place the cheese in tilelike layers on the bottom of the pie.
• Next put in the tomatoes and the basil, oregano, garlic and salt- reserve the Parmesan cheese for the top.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the pie and bake.
• Additional variations: BEFORE you put on the Parmesan cheese and olive oil drizzle you might like to add any or all of the following:.
• Italian Sausage- hot or mild.
• Yellow Onions- peeled and sliced or diced.
• Pepperoni- sliced thin.
• Mushrooms- sliced.
• Green Sweet Bell Peppers- cored and sliced thin.
• Sliced Black Olives.
• Very Thinly Sliced Ham or Canadian Bacon.
• Put any or all of these on your pie and then top with the Parmesan and the olive oil.
• Bake the pie in 475º oven until the top is golden and gooey and the crust a light golden brown.
• This should take about 35-40 minutes.