ROTD: Chicago-style Pizza

Perfect for a Friday movie night!

Prep. Time: 2h 20′  Cooking Time: 35′   Yields 2 pizzas

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

  • 400g strong flour
  • 100g corn flour
  • 300 ml lukewarm water
  • 1 packet (8g) dry yeast
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried basil, thyme, oregano(optional)

For the Sauce:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt
  • Ground pepper
  • 3 balls fresh mozzarella (125g each) or mozzarella sticks
  • 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 rustic sausages (without the casing), finely chopped

Instructions:

For the Dough:

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, corn flour, sugar, and yeast.
  2. Dissolve the salt in lukewarm water and add it to the bowl.
  3. Attach the appropriate dough hook to your mixer and knead at low speed for 1 minute to get the dry mixture wet.
  4. Increase the mixer speed and knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough comes off the walls.
  5. Add the melted but cooled butter and knead for 1 minute until it’s incorporated into the dough.
  6.  At this point you should have a soft and elastic dough.
  7. In an empty bowl add a few drops of olive oil and coat the entire surface.
  8. Transfer the dough on your work surface and knead slightly with you hands. Fold all flaps below and shape into a ball.
  9. Place the dough ball into the oiled bowl. Cover with kitchen wrap.
  10. Allow the dough to double in size (will take about 50 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on the temperature of the room).
  11. Once the dough has risen, place it on the work surface. Do not add any flour!
  12. Roll out the dough to a size of approximately 35 by 45 cm.
  13. Spread softened (not melted) butter by hand or with a soft spatula over the entire surface of the dough, leaving a 1-1/2 cm border around it.
  14. Tightly roll your dough, keeping the seam facing down on the work surface.
  15. Cut the roll in half, and fold each piece like an envelope with 3 turns.
  16. Fold any flaps below and place the both pieces back into the oiled bowl.
  17. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour to let the butter set.

For the Sauce:

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onions.
  2. Cook until the onions become translucent.
  3. Add the garlic, and tomato paste, and sauté for 1 minute while stirring.
  4. Pour in the tomatoes, sugar, herbs, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes until it thickens.
  6. In the end, add fresh basil and oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir. You can also add some Parmesan if you want.
  7. If you want sausage in your pizza, finely slice and sauté them in a dry pan for a few minutes. Set them aside until you fill the pizza dough.

Time to assemble:

  1. Grease a 24cm pan.
  2. Roll out the fluffy pizza dough with a rolling pin to cover the base and sides of the pan. The height of the dough walls should be about 5-6 cm.
  3. If the dough is too cold, let it rest at room temperature until it softens a bit.
  4. Spread your mozzarella, sausage and any other desired toppings onto the dough.
  5. Pour 2-3 tbsp of the tomato sauce on top and then repeat the process once more (cheese, meats, sauce).
  6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top.
  7. Preheat the oven to the highest temperature, 220-250°C.
  8. Bake on the lower rack for about 35 minutes until it is well-browned.
  9. Remove from the oven and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
  10. Transfer to a plate and cut carefully as the middle part of the pizza will be full of melted cheese and sauce.

Enjoy!

Source: Argiro Barbarigou

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