First Chicago pizza - great, but super soggy

[brandonb]

I used one of BTB's recipes with an 80/20 AP to Semolina blend. The pizza tasted really great, but the bottom crust was non-existent and was extremely soggy. I used the below recipe but increased it by 11.1% since it was for a 9" pan and I had a 10" spring-form pan. I'm not sure if my bottom crust issue was because I spread it too thin on the bottom, the tomatoes I used or because my meat released so much liquid.

For the pizza, I started with a good sized layer of provolone cheese, then a layer of spicy italian sausage, then a thin layer of pepperoni followed by San Marzono tomatoes where I separated the tomatoes from the can and chopped them in a food chopper (it's all I had, hope to do 6-in-1 next time)

In the pictures, you can see with the top view there was some liquid gathering around the edges and then of course in the slice view you can see all the liquid on the pan.

Any ideas?

Also, I'm looking for a good Chicago recipe that is similar to Giordano's crust where it's more flaky and buttery versus a semolina/cornmeal if anyone knows of one.

Here's the recipe I used for your reference: (But increased everything by 11%)
Flour Blend (100%):  206.59 g  |  7.29 oz | 0.46 lbs
Water (45%):  92.96 g  |  3.28 oz | 0.2 lbs
ADY (.8%):  1.65 g | 0.06 oz | 0 lbs | 0.44 tsp | 0.15 tbsp
Salt (1%):  2.07 g | 0.07 oz | 0 lbs | 0.37 tsp | 0.12 tbsp
Olive Oil (6%):  12.4 g | 0.44 oz | 0.03 lbs | 2.75 tsp | 0.92 tbsp
Corn Oil (12%):  24.79 g | 0.87 oz | 0.05 lbs | 5.51 tsp | 1.84 tbsp
Butter/Margarine (6%):  12.4 g | 0.44 oz | 0.03 lbs | 2.62 tsp | 0.87 tbsp
Sugar (1.5%):  3.1 g | 0.11 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.78 tsp | 0.26 tbsp
Total (172.3%): 355.95 g | 12.56 oz | 0.78 lbs | TF = 0.126875 

[CDNpielover]

do you have any toppings on there, other than the cheese and sauce?  veggies are notorious for releasing water when they are heated.  If no veggies, it's all from your sauce; either way, try draining your tomatoes next time.

Still looks great though, nice work!  

[brandonb]

No veggies. Just cheese, meat and sauce!

Need to get some 6-in-1 to try next time.

[Chicago Bob]

brandonb,

You said you chopped the tomatoes,as long as you didn't also use the juice from the can I wouldn't think you'd get that flooded out pie. Have you used this cheese and sausage before on a pizza ?

Bob

[brandonb]

I've used these ingredients before, but all in smaller quantities on neapolitan pizzas so not sure how they translate to deep dish.

[BTB]

Brandonb,

Hard to tell, but some clues.  Pix 1 and 2 looked good, pix 3 . . eh . . not so good.   That is a rarity.  So what happened?

Its either the cheese, tomatoes, or toppings generally.  Hope the tomatoes were well drained as that appears to possibly be the chief culprit.  Hope you didn't use a wet cheese like "fresh" mozzarella or the like.  Great tasting but not generally good on deep dish.  Neapolitan, yes, but it is a major contributor to "sogginess" even on neapolitan pizzas.  Meat?  Usually a good brand of sausage would never have that much fat to melt like that . . . but who knows.  Pepperoni?  Should be "nuked" for 15 to 25 seconds on a paper towel in the microwave before use.  Some brands can get very greasy.  But not to the extent as in pix 3 I don't think.

Give it some thought and let us know because its all just a learning experience (but sorry about your less than exciting wet pizza).

                                                                                              --BTB

[vcb]

Usually, it's too much grease from the meats, but can also be too much water from the tomatoes.

I actually made a test video for realdeepdish.com, where I sort-of address this problem (link is below).
It's not a solution to a soggy bottom, but it does help keep the rest of your pizza from getting soggy after you cut into it.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150442378306825&set=vb.136312643095391&type=2&theater

[brandonb]

Tomatoes - San marzano drained well and then chopped in a food processor. So unless the fact that I was using whole tomatoes instead of a puree.
Cheese - Hard provolone slices
Sausage - Fresh sausage from a local italian deli. It's very high quality and they are famous for it. Pretty much every pizza shop in Dallas uses this sausage. But, it is fairly fatty so that could be the culprit.
Pepperoni - Came from the same place. It was pretty thin, but I didn't nuke it before hand. May try that next time.

My guess is that is a combination of the tomatoes and sausage. In addition, I think I spread the dough a bit too thin in the middle.

[BTB]

My best guess still remains the tomatoes.  No amount of sausage or even pepperoni would result in such liquid I don't believe.  The wet mass looks identical to the liquid that is left in the bowl after I drain some crushed tomatoes, like 6 in 1s.  Suggest you try -- just try -- some crushed tomatoes from among many of those recommended here and see if there's a difference.

I trust that you did put the cheese down first after pressing the dough into the pan.  I don't think the thinness could have done that, but who knows.  Sometimes at a Giordano's pizzeria I get some excessive liquid like that and attribute it to their procedure of putting the meats and toppings down first and then the cheese on top of it.  They are the only classic Chicago Style deep dish pizzeria that does that.

Keep at it and things will get better.  BTW, the "crumb" on the pizza crust looked really good.

                                                                        --BTB

[CDNpielover]

there is a lot of water held inside of the tomatoes, so if you use that method next time, make sure to drain after chopping them (I would probably even squeeze them out).  But next time, see if you can get your hands on a can of 6-in-1's.   

[dbgtr]

Wiliams-Sonoma makes a set of mesh colanders that are great for this.  I empty my cans of 6-in-1 and Cento's I've seeded and crushed and put them in the colander.  Let them sit a half hour or so and take a spoon and move the tomatoes around.  A surprising amount of water and tomato juice will come out.  You really want them practically dry.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/stainless-steel-mesh-colander-set/?pkey=cstrainers-colanders

[moose13]

I use a sauce from a pizza book i ordered that works well for deep dish. 

2 28oz cans san marzano italian style whole peeled tomatoes
dump all contents of can into pan and crush tomatoes add a pinch of salt and oregano
cook down on med-low till most liquid is gone. (45 mins or so) Add a little minced garlic.

love this sauce for deep dish, very solid , never leaves a soggy bottom.