Looking for a good first recipe to try

[clg763]

Hello everyone! This is my first post here, I love what I have seen from this forum, keep up the good work!

I am making dinner for some friends in a few days and I would love to give deep dish pizza a shot, this is two days away so I will have one practice attempt and one final. I need to clarify, I am no baker, so a lot of dough stuff eludes me, but I do love to read all I can, as I have been here. A few questions for you all...

1. Is there a good tried and true dough recipe that is harder to mess up? I had my eye on foodblogger's Gino's East recipe, btw I don't have a pizza stone yet so keep that in mind.

2. One of my biggest concerns is having the pizza too runny and fall apart on slicing, I have a few ideas on how to avoid that but I'd like to hear some more input. I am going to drain my tomato's and add a bit of tomato paste to help hold it together, I find this helps with lasagna, what do you think?

3. Also, I have a 10 1/2" tortilla maker that I was thinking of using to precook the whole sausage patty before it goes in so the grease doesn't wind up pooling in the bottom of the pizza. I saw on one of the food network shows that Gino's or one of the other big Chicago restaurants does this, has anyone here done this?

4. I am a poor student so saving money on ingredients is a really important, I love making fresh ricotta for my lasagnas, has anyone tried using this in a deep dish? I ask because I am pretty good at it, the flavor is excellent on my lasagna's, pizza's and calzone's and it only costs me about $1# to make, as opposed to the other pizza cheeses that wind up being over $5#. If I do use it, how much mozzarella or provolone should I use to keep things chicago-esque? I see most people putting slices of provolone on the bottom of the pie, is this a necessary component? 

5. I need to get some pans in the cheap, any recommendations? I'd rather get a couple small ones to allow more flexibility as opposed one big one, this will also allow my sausage patty to fill the entire pie.

Thanks in advance!

[Mad_Ernie]

1)Try starting with this thread.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5047.0.html

2) Sounds good.  The main thing will be to use ingredients that have the least amount of moisture as possible.  For example, mushrooms can be a killer in this regard.  Just try and dry any wet ingredients before adding them.  The typical deep dish crust helps in this regard because of the higher oil/fat content compared to other styles of pizza dough.

3) Never done it.

4) Depends on how big a deep dish pizza you're planning on making.  9-10"? 11-12"? 14-15"?  Lunchmeat slices of mozz and provolone may work well for you in this case in that they are easy to find and cheap.  I generally slice blocks of mozz and prov for my deep dish.  I use a 2:1 ratio of mozz to prov, but use whatever sounds good to you.

5) Ebay

Good luck! 

[Randy]

I would start with DKM's or Loo's recipe.

Go to a wally world or discount-outlet store and buy you a cheap, nonstick spring form pan.  It not only works well for deep dish it makes it very easy to get out of the pan and you can make cheese cake with it.

Randy

[BTB]

Go to a wally world or discount-outlet store and buy you a cheap, nonstick spring form pan.  It not only works well for deep dish it makes it very easy to get out of the pan and you can make cheese cake with it.

In all deference to the thoughts of an excellent pizzamaker like Randy, there is a difference of opinion that I think should be pointed out regarding the use of springform pans for use with making Chicago Style Deep Dish pizzas.  I don't want to hear about someone's smoke alarms screaming off or, worst yet, a fire in their home ovens.  Some like Randy have used it successfully for years and if one knows what they're doing, like Randy, can continue to do so ad infinitum.  Others have experienced the obvious problems with oil leakage when baking the pizza  (see remarks re springform pans at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6480.msg87933.html#msg87933).  If one chooses to use a springform pan, I would think the best advice would be to not use olive oil (or any oil) on the bottom of the pan, but instead use a light coat of Crisco or other solid shortening.  They all have a tendency to leak over time with even the most experienced pizzamaker.  Just my opinion. 

My personal recommendation, however, is to use the same or similar kinds of pans that all the great Chicago deep dish pizzerias use, i.e., 2" deep straight-sided or tapered one piece pans.  I have experienced all of these pizzerias and know of no exceptions with this.  And one must wonder . . . "what is the reason they all use one piece pans . . ." 

But I still think if one is cautious and "thinks" what they're doing, the springform pans can work just fine.  The springform pan set that my wife bought for me at the local flea market are collecting dust, however, as I like my one piece pans.  There is an art or learning curve to go through in learning how best to "exit the pizza" from such pans.
                                                                                               --BTB

[Mad_Ernie]

In all deference to the thoughts of an excellent pizzamaker like Randy, there is a difference of opinion that I think should be pointed out regarding the use of springform pans for use with making Chicago Style Deep Dish pizzas.  I don't want to hear about someone's smoke alarms screaming off or, worst yet, a fire in their home ovens.  Some like Randy have used it successfully for years and if one knows what they're doing, like Randy, can continue to do so ad infinitum.  If one chooses to use a springform pan, I would think the best advice would be to not use olive oil (or any oil) on the bottom of the pan, but instead use a light coat of Crisco or other solid shortening.  They all have a tendency to leak over time with even the most experienced pizzamaker.  Just my opinion. 

But I still think if one is cautious and "thinks" what they're doing, the springform pans can work just fine.  The springform pan set that my wife bought for me at the local flea market are collecting dust, however, as I like my one piece pans.  There is an art or learning curve to go through in learning how best to "exit the pizza" from such pans.
                                                                                               --BTB

BTB:

I tried a springform pan about a month ago and it worked fine, but I see your point.  I bow to your experience on the matter.  The exiting of the pizza from the pan is the one consistently difficult thing for me when making a deep dish pizza.  I did not experience any oil leakage with my pizza.
Thanks for the tip.
-ME

[ThunderStik]

If the OP plans on making pizza quite a bit I say get a good pan. If its just an occasional thing as is my deepdish efforts I "get by" with a cast iron skillet.

I have had good luck with it and you probably already have one. Although I will be buying some good DD pans in the future.

Just a thought.

[Pete-zza]

Not long ago, Tom Lehmann commented on the use of springform pans at the PMQ Think Tank at http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?p=56461#p56461.

Peter

[BTB]

So as Tom Lehmann says . . . ."The problem in using a spring form pan is that if you use oil in the pan as a release agent, it will leak out of the bottom of the pan, making for a real mess in your oven. You could use a light application of shortening to get around this."  Yep.  That has to be acknowledged as an issue.  I know many will say .  .  . but it never happened to me.  But you know . . .

All I'm saying is, . . . give good advice to others.
                                                                                                          --BTB

[dms]

You know, if you've got oil leaking out of your spring form, you've got a crappy pan.  Or you're assembling it wrong. 

[BTB]

. . . if you've got oil leaking out of your spring form, you've got a crappy pan . . . or you're assembling it wrong. 

or . . . other things that make putting together a springform pan a little difficult . . .  Yes?

I, for one, will never, never say . . . it's "super simple."  Especially when you got the dough ball pressed into it and so on . . ."  Maybe . . . it's just me . . . but I don't think so.  Please recognize that there are issues with the average person utilizing a spring form pan for this purpose. And please, don't tell people it's super, super simple and that if they have a disaster, it's their fault.  Give some degree of forewarning. 
                                                                                                                --BTB

[Randy]

Maybe I should clarify my spring form pan suggestion. I don't rate a spring-form pan over a good deep dish pan. I figured if someone was asking for a first time recipe they would also like an easy to use pan. If Chicago becomes a passion then move up in a good deep dish pan.

Yes my spring form pan has leaked if I get carried away with oil.  I use it about 90% of the time but there is just the two of us now so the 14" deep dish doesn't get much use until guest come over.

Good discussion.

Randy

[clg763]

Wow, a lot of opinions on springform pans here. I made the pizzas last night with foodblogger's recipe, I wound up having an extra recipe of dough so I covered them like Giordano's. The first pizza overcooked a little because my timer never went off, conversely the second one was a tad undercooked. However, despite these issues, they both came out great, unfortunately I don't have photo's but they looked and tasted great.

BTW, I used 9" and 10" springform pans that I greased with crisco, no sticking issues or oil leakage.