Chicago Style Stuffed Pizza Recipes

DOUBLE CRUST STUFFED PIZZA

Steps:

• Combine the white sugar and the warm water in a large bowl or in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm sugar water, and let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Stir 1 tablespoon olive oil into the yeast mixture.
• Stir 1/2 teaspoon salt into the flour. Mix half of the flour mixture into the yeast water, and stir until no dry spots remain. Stir in the remaining flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (or mix with dough hook in stand mixer).
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Combine the crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and salt in small saucepan. Cover pan, and cook over low heat until tomatoes start to break down, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll one piece into a 12 inch thin circle. Roll the other half into a thicker, 9 inch circle.
• Place the 12 inch dough round into an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. Sprinkle dough with 1 cup of cheese. Shape sausage into a 9 inch patty and place in pan on top of the cheese. Layer pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper, red pepper, and remaining cheese on top of sausage patty. Top with the 9 inch dough round and pinch edges to seal. Cut several 1/2 inch vent holes in the top crust. Spread sauce evenly on the top crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border at the edges.
• Bake pizza in the preheated oven until the crust is set, the cheese is melted, and the sausage is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Let hot pizza rest for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

CHICAGO-STYLE STUFFED PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil and salt. Add 1-1/2 cups flour and cornmeal; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down; let rest for 5 minutes. Divide into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion to a 12-in. circle. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10-in. ovenproof skillet., Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook sausage, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Parmesan cheese and oregano. Add to prepared crust. , On a lightly floured surface, roll remaining dough into an 11-in. circle. Place over pizza; seal edges. Cut four slits in top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Spread with tomato sauce.

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!

GIORDANO'S FAMOUS STUFFED DEEP DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the dough for the pizza one to two days before you plan to build the pizza. You can make the dough in a standing mixer or stir it by hand. Start by dissolving the yeast and sugar in the water in a small bowl.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil, margarine and yeast solution, then mix well until the dough forms a ball. Don't knead the dough too much. Place the dough into a covered container and store it in your refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
• Make the sauce by dumping the canned tomatoes into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until simmering for 5 minutes, then use a potato masher to smash the tomatoes into smaller bits. The sauce should still be a little chunky. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, except the basil, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fresh basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Cover and cool. You can make this sauce when you make the dough and keep it stored in your refrigerator until pizza time.
• A couple hours before you plan to make the pizza, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature. When you are ready to make the pizza, place a pizza stone into your oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Slice off one-third of the dough and set it aside, then roll the larger portion of dough into a circle that is 16 inches across. Place this dough into a 10-inch deep dish pizza pan or cake pan with a 2-inch high edge that has been rubbed with 1 tablespoon of softened margarine. Arrange a single layer of each of the fillings you choose onto the dough. Fill the dough with the cheese and use your hands to make it even all the way around.
• Roll the smaller portion of dough out to a 12-inch circle. The dough should be thinner than the bottom dough. Place this dough onto the pizza and press it down onto the cheese in the corner all the way around. Press the edges of the two doughs together then use a knife to trim the dough even with the top of the pan. Slice a few holes in the center of the dough so that it doesn't puff up as it bakes.
• Use a spoon to spread about 1¼ cups of the sauce over the dough. Spread the sauce to the edge of the dough. At the restaurant, to indicate what's inside the pizza, they'll add one piece of each of the fillings onto the top of the pizza, in the middle. That's handy when lots of pizzas are in the oven and they all look the same.
• Bake the pizza for 35 to 40 minutes until it begins to brown on top. Spin the pizza around about halfway through the baking so that it browns evenly.
• Combine the Romano and Parmesan cheeses in a small bowl. When you take the pizza out of the oven sprinkle it with the cheese blend.
• Run a flexible spatula around the edge of the pizza to make sure it's loose, then get the spatula under the pizza while holding the pan (using a mitt) with the other hand and scoop the pizza out onto a pizza pan or cutting board for slicing. Slice the pizza 3 times through the middle with a large sharp knife, making 6 slices.

CHICAGO STYLE STUFFED PIZZA

Steps:

• To Make Dough: In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in 1 cup warm water; in a separate small bowl combine the yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup warm water. Mix together and let rest in bowl for about 20 minutes, until foamy.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together remaining 2 1/2 cups flour with cornmeal and salt; remove half of this mixture from bowl and stir 1 cup sugar water into bowl. When well mixed, return second half of flour/cornmeal mixture to bowl and mix all together; then stir in yeast mixture. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 12 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in volume.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). To Make Stuffing: In a large bowl combine the sausage, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, onion, bell pepper, oregano and garlic. Mix well.
• Press half of the dough in the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased deep dish pan. Bake crust in preheated oven for 4 minutes, then add the stuffing mixture to the bottom crust and cover with top crust; seal edges together with fingers, and trim excess. Slit top crust to allow steam to vent during baking; top with tomato sauce.
• Bake on lower rack at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.