Chicago-Style Pizza
Baked Goods, Dinners
Ingredients
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
Spray bottle of water
1 pound mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound Italian sausage, cooked and drained
About 1 1/2 lbs. (before cooking) of sautéed vegetables and mushrooms of your choice, drained
28 oz. crushed tomatoes mixed with olive oil, salt, and sugar to taste
Parmesan or Asiago cheese for sprinkling
12 or 14 inch deep dish pizza pan
Kitchenaid mixer with dough hook
Description
Chicago style deep dish pizza has a crispy, buttery crust piled high- in reverse order to usual -with toppings.
Directions
Mix flour with the rest of the dough ingredients, and knead on medium low to make a cohesive dough that is not sticky. If the dough doesn't come together, spritz lightly with water. Let it knead for several seconds, spritz again, repeat as needed.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or container and let rise until puffy, about 60 minutes. Do not expect a big rise from this dense dough.
While the dough is rising, ready your pizza pan. Spray it lightly all over with cooking spray, then grease the bottom with olive oil. Prepare any toppings that aren't ready.
Lay the dough in the pan, flip once, and stretch it towards the edges. Press and stretch until it goes up onto the sides, to the top. Make sure the bottom and sides are relatively flat. If you are using a 12 inch pan, push it over the top a little and trim some off. 
Preheat the oven to 425°F while the dough rests.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until it's set and barely beginning to brown. Poke the crust with a fork where there are any large bubbles and let the crusts sit for a few minutes so the air bubbles can deflate a little.
Cover the bottom of the crust with mozzarella. Add the sausage, the sautéed vegetables, then the sauce. With a 12 inch pan, you probably won't need all the sauce.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
Bake the pizza for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is brown. Remove it from the oven, and carefully, but quickly, lift it out of the pan onto a cutting board. A giant spatula or two smaller spatulas on each side will help. Allow the pizza to cool for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle with more parmesan if desired, before cutting and serving.