Deep-Dish Pizza No. 1

Recipe Ingredients

		Dough
1 1/2		Active dry yeast
1/2 cup	118ml	Warm water - (105-115 deg)
1 tablespoon	15ml	Sugar
3 1/2 cups	218g / 7.7oz	Unbleached flour
1 teaspoon	5ml	Salt
1/2 cup	31g / 1.1oz	Yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup	59ml	Vegetable oil
1/2 cup	118ml	Warm water
		Topping
1		Italian-style
		Plum tomatoes - (see note)
1 teaspoon	5ml	Dried basil **or**
2 teaspoons	10ml	Fresh basil - chopped
1 teaspoon	5ml	Oregano
		Salt to taste
10 oz	284g	Mozzarella cheese - thinly sliced
1/4 cup	36g / 1.3oz	Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
1/2 lb	227g / 8oz	Italian sausage - casing
		Removed
		Olive oil

Recipe Instructions

DOUGH: Dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm water. Add the sugar and stir well. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3-1/2 cups of flour, salt, and cornmeal. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the yeast mixture, the vegetable oil, and the 1/2 cup of water. Stir and mix thoroughly until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and a rough mass is formed. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured work surface. Knead and pound the dough (dust with flour if the dough sticks to your hands) for 5-6 minutes until it is smooth and soft. Dust the dough and a large mixing bowl with flour.

Place the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. After the dough has doubled in bulk, turn it out of the bowl and knead it for about 2 minutes . Oil the bottom and sides of the pizza pan. Spread the dough in the pan with your fingers and palm. Work the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan. Pull the edges of the dough up to form a lip all around the pan. Preheat oven to 475F. Prick the dough bottom with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals and pre-bake the crust for exactly 4 minutes.

Brush with olive oil. Combine the tomatoes, basil, oregano and salt. Set aside Lay the slice of mozzarella cheese evenly over the crust (not border). Spoon tomatoes over the cheese. Sprinkle the Parmesan over tomatoes. Add the Italian sausage--flatten the sausage pieces(half-dollar size) between your thumb and forefinger and spread over tomatoes. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil on top. Bake at 475 oven on bottom rack for 5 min; move the pizza to an oven rack 2 slots above lower rack; bake 30 min.

NOTES: If using the canned plum tomatoes, drain off all the liquid, put the tomatoes into a mixing bowl, crush them with your hand, and add the seasonings. In pizza restaurants the raw sausage is put on top of the cheese, not the tomatoes. They can get away with this due to the high heat in their ovens. Baking the pizza for 4 minutes on the lowest oven rack assures a better crust bottom. Pre-baking the crust is necessary to give the dough its initial spring; otherwise, the weight of the cheese and tomatoes will compact the dough and cause it to be heavy. Needless to say, other toppings of your choice--onion, peppers, anchovies, mushrooms and so forth can be added.

Source:
The Great Chicago Style Pizza Cookbook Pasquale Bruno, Jr.

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