Does anyone have the Recipe for Chicago's Barnaby's Pizza (sauce and dough)

[PizzaMurph]

Folks I grew up in Chicago and frequented a place called Barnaby's (Touhy Ave now closed) and another still operating in Northbrook. To cut to the chase, does anyone have the recipe for Barnaby's thin crust cheeze and sausage pizza including the dough / crust and sauce. I am currently living in Okinawa, Japan. Thanks in advance. email dapamu@msn.com

[chiguy]

 HI, Pizzamurph
 I am from Chicago and have never tried the place. I was looking around on here and noticed a member(Rich) mentioned in a post last year he was trying to emulate Barnaby's pizza. He is also from Chicago.  He never posted a recipe and I noticed he has not posted in a year but still has an Email address in his member profile. It's worth a shot.
                                                                                                         Goodluck, Chiguy

[lilbuddypizza]

Man, the one on Touhy is closed? Crap.
I was last there about 6-7 years ago.

[cleells]

Hey,

I too would love the recipe.  Anyone find a worker willing to talk?  I live in Atlanta and the drive is killing me....

[RSMBob]

I hit Barnaby's (Shaumburg) at Christmastime last year on a semi-annual visit and it was a real treat. Not only did it take me back to the pizza of my youth, but it was just a whole step back in time...the only things being different were the prices and that they don't have the light-up table signs anymore.

No clue on the recipe but I do know they still serve one of the "hottest" pizzas around. Man, we got ours and it burned the roof of my mouth just like decades ago!

[cleells]

Ah the memories!  I guess we just need to make the 12 drive to get the real thing.

[imhungry]

This pizza is sooo good!! I would be willing to pay for their recipe book!!  Will be moving soon and will really miss this food..

[BTB]

The small Barnaby's chain had collapsed for some reason unknown to many, but their special brand of thin crust pizza was one of the best.  And a few of them survive as a loose association, yet, but they vary from place to place.  I still visit the ones in South Bend once in a while.  I've never seen a clone recipe on this or any website, but I'm sure many of their followers would love to get a good recipe for their crust.  Many are going to say, however, that they have a lot of cornmeal it it, but I'm a little skeptical of that.  Every time you see a good crunchy crust, people immediately say it must be due to cornmeal in it.  It would have to be a real fine ground cornmeal if its there.  I suspect one is going to need a whole lot of trial and error to come close to the pizza from this formerly great chain of pizzerias.  Good luck and I sure would like to see an accurate recipe, too.                                                                                                  --BTB

[Mad_Ernie]

Barnaby's sounds familiar to me.  Would they have been around in the early 70's?

If there is still a Barnaby's in Schaumburg, I am going to be there in April.  I will make a stop, try it, and report anything I can find.

[BTB]

Hey MA.  Yes, the Barnaby's group had been around since the 60s as best as I can recall.  And there is one in Schaumburg at 134 West Golf Road, which is one of their main streets.  See their website at http://www.barnabysschaumburg.com/ .  The great Lou Malnati's at 1050 E. Higgins Rd in Elk Grove Village is only about 7 miles away and is rated as one of their oldest and best locations.  There is, however, another Lou Manati's in Schaumburg on Roselle Rd. not too far from Barnaby's.  But that location is one of the worst (and I've tried it several times) and is reportedly one of the "looser" family franchise restaurants (meaning they do a lot of things their own way).  In other words, many think the Schaumburg Malnati's is not near as good as the other Lou Malnati's.  Just FYI in case you get a chance as I remember us talking about it before.

[Mad_Ernie]

Thanks BTB.

I see the Barnaby's in Schaumburg has their own website.  Some interesting photos of the past.
http://www.barnabysschaumburg.com/past-present-future.php

[BTB]

I just noticed a Barnaby's thread in the General Pizza section at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10052.msg87656.html#msg87656 .  Some good looking pictures there.

[thuge1]

I worked at the Barnaby's in Northbrook threw out high school and made the Dough sometimes.
Philip Johnson you got is right except you added to many things Here is yours.

11/2 tsp rapid rise yeast,
 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour.
1/2 cup yellow corn meal coarse if you can get it.
1/4 cup olive oil,
1/4 cup vegetable oil,
1tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water.

Here is the real one

1 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast,
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour.
1/4 cup olive oil,
1/4 cup vegetable oil,
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water.

The corn meal is Regular and used underneath of the pizza so it will not stick and it makes the bottom side crispy it keeps the pizza off the pizza stone.

The sauce is Kraft Pizza sauce in a can

At home I use hot sausage and it great

[zajones]

Wow thanks @thuge1, I've reposted your reply to the longer Barnaby's thread!
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10052.0.html

I'm a Northbrook Naby's lover and I did well with the Philip Johnson crust but I'm excited to use your revision!
Now if I can only crack the sauce code....

[Rich]

I posted this in another thread as well:
I've been going to the Northbrook Barnaby's since the 70's and it's probably my favorite thin crust pizza of all. 

They do sheet the pizza, grab a handful of cornmeal, throw it on a plastic tray and put the flattened dough on the tray.  Then they use a round piece of wood that is small in diameter to the pizza and crimp the edges up around it.  You can watch this assembly line show every day around lunchtime.

My friend worked there in the last ten years and said he saw cans of Stanislaus Pizziaolo sauce.  Don't know if they add anything to it or if this is their sauce but I have not bought any yet.  I'll be honest, if I want Barnaby's, I just go to the restaurant itself (about 7 minutes from home and work) so I don't worry about making it at home.  But one day I should get around to making it.  I used to make pizzas from scratch a lot, but I haven't had as much time as I used to.  My uncle, on the other hand will make homemade pizzas every single night.

That being said, from the people I've talked to, none of us believe there is cornmeal in the dough itself.  I hope to have some more inside info soon, I have a source that I have not asked yet that could prove some big clues so stay tuned!