1 ¼cupsunbleached bread flourplus more for dusting
¼cupyellow cornmealplus more for dusting
1tspsalt
¾cupolive oilplus more for oiling bowl and pan
For the Sauce:
1 14ozcan stewed tomatoes
1 14ozcan tomato sauce
For the Toppings:
6cupsMozzarella cheeseshredded or sliced, around 3 cups per pizza
Pizza #1
1cupfrozen spinachthawed and drained of all moisture, You can also use fresh spinach
1cupmushroomssliced
1red onionsliced
Pizza #2
1bag pepperoni slices
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour and stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and 3 cups flour, cornmeal, salt, and 3/4 cup olive oil.
Mix in mixer with bread hook on the lowest setting, level 1, for 1 minute. Then mix on low to med, level 2-4 setting for 2 minutes. (If you do not have a mixer you can mix by hand, see Food Network recipe & reviews).
Lightly oil a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough and turn to coat on all sides.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean, damp, kitchen towel over the top.
Set the bowl in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
When the dough has doubled in volume, dust flour or cornmeal (we used cornmeal) on a work surface and punch the dough down and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut dough in half.
Make the Sauce:
In a bowl, crush the stewed tomatoes with a potato masher and add the can of tomato sauce.
Add your favorite seasonings. Do not heat the sauce. (I added garlic, basil, Italian seasoning mix, salt, and pepper)
Make the Pizzas:
Grease the pans with olive oil and real butter. ( I used butter and Olive oil so I would get that heavy moist crust, you can skip the butter if you do not want the extra calories).
Dust the pans with cornmeal. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 14-inch round deep-dish pizza pan. (I used two 12 inch spring form pans). Press the dough until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is even on the bottom and at the corners of the pan. Let the dough rise in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the mozzarella first as the bottom layer. Next layer your toppings, then the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. To a lot of people this may sound reversed if you have never made this kind of pizza before, but the "Chicago Way" is cheese the bottom and sauce on the top.
Bake 30-40 minutes. Let it cool and remove the springform side of the pan and serve.
Making the Dough Ahead of Time:
Make the dough ahead and skip the whole rising part, dust with flour and place in zip lock bag. Freeze up to 1 month. To thaw~ Put in the refrigerator the night before, 10-12 hours. Thaw on the counter for up to 3 hours in an oiled bowl.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Food Network and Genius Kitchen. Calories and other nutrition info may fluctuate depending on ingredients used.