Chicago Style Deep Dish Skillet Pizza
CHICAGO STYLE DEEP DISH SKILLET PIZZA
This is a dish I’ve actually NEVER made until last week. To be honest, it’s pretty intimidating. At first glance, there’s not much going on, and when you eat it at a restaurant, it’s just a giant pool of cheese and tomato sauce, and well, bread! What’s so hard about that?!
Well, when you make your own, it’s kind of a different story. It takes more love, more time, and more ingredients than you think. When it’s done right, the reward is worth the effort. Or, is it the other way around? Scroll below for the ingredients and recipe. I really hope you try it. It’s amazing!
Pro tip: Don’t use all of the dough. You can set aside a third of it for more flat bread pizza.
Make sure you cut up enough veggies and/or meat for this big guy. It needs a lot to sit in the tomato sauce!
Deep dish for 2, 4 or 6.
Eat it right out of the skillet!
CHICAGO STYLE DEEP DISH SKILLET PIZZA RECIPE
Ingredients
Crust:
4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or salad oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
Filling:
3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 pound chopped canadian bacon, cooked and sliced; and about 3 cups total of sautéed mushrooms, olives, bell peppers and red onions
28-ounce can plum tomatoes, lightly crushed; or 28-ounce can diced or chopped tomatoes
2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons Pizza Seasoning or mixed dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary), to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil, to drizzle on top
basil for topping
Instructions
To make the crust: Mix the dough ingredients, and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth crust. This will take about 7 minutes at medium-low speed in a stand mixer.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover, and let rise till very puffy, about 60 minutes.
While the dough is rising, ready your 12" deep-dish pizza pan. Grease it with non-stick vegetable oil spray, then pour in 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, tilting it to cover the bottom of the pan, and partway up the sides.
After dough has risen, set aside 1/3 of dough for additional flatbread pizza, and freeze. Stretch the dough to make as large a circle as you can. You can do this on a lightly oiled baking mat, if you choose; or simply stretch the dough in your hands. Lay the dough in the pan, and stretch it towards the edges till it starts to shrink back. Cover, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Start preheating the oven to 425°F while the dough rests.
After rested and oven ready, bake the crust for 10 minutes, with parchment paper and baking beads, until it's set and barely beginning to brown. While it's baking, prepare the filling.
Drain the diced/crushed tomatoes thoroughly.
Combine them with the Pizza Seasoning or herbs, and the garlic and sugar (if you're using them). Add salt to taste; you probably won't need any additional salt if you've used the Pizza Seasoning.
Cover the bottom of the crust with the sliced mozzarella, fanning it into the crust.
Add the Canadian bacon (or sautéed vegetables), then the tomato mixture.
Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan, and drizzle with the olive oil.
Bake the pizza for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Remove it from the oven, and carefully lift it out of the pan onto a rack. A giant spatula is a help here. Allow the pizza to cool for about 15 minutes (or longer, for less oozing) before cutting and serving.
Add chopped basil before serving.
