Oh dear. Just looking at these photos again makes my stomach grumble. I have to confess: I had to grab a bite to eat between editing the photos and writing this entry.
This pizza pie I made on the second day of 2011. Granted, I have never tasted Chicago-style pizza in Chicago or anywhere in the US, so I can't make comparisons with the real thing. But I do have a deep-dish pizza favorite: when we go to a Finnish chain restaurant Rosso, it's not uncommon that I pick their deep-dish pizza. I find it delicious and worth choosing over and over again. This has been my best try at trying to create the same taste experience at home. This was everything a deep-dish pizza in my opinion should be: soft and pie-like in the middle, generously topped, cheese meltingly delicious and the base providing just enough crunch.
I found this recipe from a Finnish food blog, the author of which had picked it up from a Finnish magazine years ago. I was a little surprised the dough contained no other oil than what was used for greasing, but this recipe really works like a charm. These pictures are from my second time I made it.
Base:
200 ml / a scant cup of water
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
ca 450 ml / almost 2 cups flour
3 tsp active dry yeast
vegetable oil for greasing the dish
Mix together the flour, dry yeast, salt and sugar. Add the 42 C / 108 F temperatured water and knead the dough until the texture is smooth. Let rise under a towel until the size doubles.
Pat the risen dough into the greased dish. Add the tomato sauce and chosen toppings.
Bake in the lowest part of the oven in 250 C / 500 F for about 15 minutes.
This kind of pizza is also very fulfilling so you don't need to eat as much of it to be full than with a regular thin-crust pizza.
This to me looks just right. This is how I like my deep-dish pizza!
