My first crack at a deep dish pizza

[Nick - Pizza Man]

I love the idea behind this style of pizza. Turn it upside down and bake it like a pie. Genius!

It took two weeks (and an extra five kilos around the belly) but I've finally got a delicious pizza that looks sort of like the deep dish pizzas that I have seen on this board.

I'm lucky enough to have a pizza shop to play in. Dough mixers make life so easy! But on the other hand, things like the dough forumlation, brand of pizza sauce etc are out of my control - at the moment at least - so this pizza was made without both the cornmeal and semolina that your recipies call for. It looks like my pizza could be a bit taller too. 

So I started with a layer of pizza cheese on the bottom, then pepperoni, ham, onions, capsicum, garlic, herbs, and a tomato / salsa mix on top with a bit of parmesan.....

Bloody delicious!!

So what do you think? Have I got the concept right? We do not do this style of pizza at all in Melbourne (I have searched all over for it) so I'm shooting in the dark a little.

[Chicago Bob]

Yes indeed....looks like you have the concept down quite nicely Pizza Man! What is your tomato/salsa consisting of down there?   
Nice work!   

[pizzaneer]

You can safely disregard the cornmeal and semolina, and still believe wholeheartedly you have a genuine CDD right there.  Cornmeal is not recommended, and last I heard semolina wasn't either. 

Visually, I will say you nailed it.  How did it taste?  Was it acceptable? Good?  Over the crest of the hill screamingly insane -EAT ME NOW YOU %&^%&!- fantastic? 

[widespreadpizza]

Pizzaneer,  IMO 15-20 of flour as semolina makes the whole thing.  It takes it to another level,  not that there is anything wrong with what we see here!

[Jet_deck]

Looks like a giant Italian version of the Shepards pie I had in Narrabri.  I'm thinking customers will love it.

What is " capsicum" ? Cayenne powder?  (Super Spicy)?

[Nick - Pizza Man]

^ Capsicum is Australian for bell peppers.

How did it taste?  Was it acceptable? Good?  Over the crest of the hill screamingly insane -EAT ME NOW YOU %&^%&!- fantastic? 

It was great. The staff enjoyed it too. 

[Nick - Pizza Man]

It came out just a little bit soggy, I'm thinking a lower temperature and longer baking time will sort that out.

What is your tomato/salsa consisting of down there?

Hard to say. Our sauce is imported from Italy and its got various herbs in it such as marjoram which I didn't know was a herb (or a thing)

The salsa is ordinary tomato salsa which you can buy at any supermarket ... whoops, let the cat out of the bag

[pizzaneer]

Sauce sounds pretty decent to me.  A nice, full flavor with a bit of zing to it, right?

There's purists for every style - chicago, new york, neapolitan, you name it.  I should not have weighed in on what constitutes a genuine CDD, because I'm not a purist.  I just appreciate things that taste great.  That said, I will have to give that % of semolina a try in my next cast-iron CCD.  Thanks for the tip, widespread!

Your plan for making a bit of a stronger, firmer crust with a longer, lower-temp bake sounds feasible. With this style, it's hard to go really wrong.  It's more a stereotypical "pie" than most pizza styles.  That said, I still wouldn't expect to be able to pick it up off the plate and eat it like a slice if it's hot.  A big part of the appeal is the steamy, gooey inside.  Sort of like lasagna.

What are your plans for this?  Are you hoping to add it to your menu?

[Jet_deck]

It came out just a little bit soggy, I'm thinking a lower temperature and longer baking time will sort that out.

Would you consider pre cooking the all the meat ingredients and microwaving the veggies a bit to reduce water?

[Jet_deck]

It came out just a little bit soggy,...
....Our sauce is imported from Italy and its got various herbs in it such as marjoram which I didn't know was a herb (or a thing)

......The salsa is ordinary tomato salsa which you can buy at any supermarket ... whoops, let the cat out of the bag

All I hear is water,water water.  Would you consider draining or straining anything to reduce the water content?

[Nick - Pizza Man]

Sauce sounds pretty decent to me.  A nice, full flavor with a bit of zing to it, right?

Exactly. I couldn't use just plain tomato pizza sauce on this pizza. It is such a dominant flavour that it needs a bit of zing to keep it interesting. I also tried a meatlovers with garlic, tomato and bbq sauce combo - very exciting combination that one.

Your plan for making a bit of a stronger, firmer crust with a longer, lower-temp bake sounds feasible. With this style, it's hard to go really wrong.  It's more a stereotypical "pie" than most pizza styles.  That said, I still wouldn't expect to be able to pick it up off the plate and eat it like a slice if it's hot.  A big part of the appeal is the steamy, gooey inside.  Sort of like lasagna.

How do you get this 'gooey'-ness? Is it the type or quantity of cheese? Or would a stuffed pizza be the way to go, with a dough lid and the sauce on top of that?

What are your plans for this?  Are you hoping to add it to your menu?

I am but a humble store manager in a national chain. I will file this knowledge away, and in five years, or in ten, when I have my own store, I will show Melburnians what they have been missing out on.

[pizzaneer]

How do you get this 'gooey'-ness? Is it the type or quantity of cheese? Or would a stuffed pizza be the way to go, with a dough lid and the sauce on top of that?

Stuffed's been done, certainly.  There are several CCD places that specialize in that and have rabid fans. 

If you are up for a little experimenting with your gooey characteristics, you could try cubing your cheese larger so that the meat grease has a chance to trickle in and isolate cheese pockets while baking.  One of the best goo-pizzas I have ever had was a place in Washington, DC during the ' 70's called Armando's.  It was a cheese deep dish, and I believe what they did was cut irregular chunks of mozz, drizzle with olive oil, then top with sauce.  The olive oil helped to keep it from all melting into a solid layer.  It may also have been propped up with some other kind of cheese with a higher melting point as a divider.  Fun stuff to fool around with.

[La Sera]

I lived in the Chicago area years ago and ate many a deep dish type.

There is no cornmeal or semolina in any of the famous ones. It's a myth to throw people off. They use yellow food coloring, which is tasteless and unnecessary.

Some places and people go so far as to have a bag of cornmeal sitting around during a video or photo session to add to the myth.

I would recommend barely mixing the dough - let it just form into a ball and mix it on low speed for just a of couple minutes after it's collected off the bowl.

A good dark pan, 40~ minute bake (or a par-bake crust and 20 minute bake) at about 160C with pre-cooked meats will get you something delicious.

Sliced cheese only on the bottom, no shredded stuff.

Have fun!

[Nick - Pizza Man]

I'm curious to know how pizza shops manage to trade if there's a 40 minute wait for the pizzas to cook. Or even 20 minutes? Most customers wouldnt wait that long, I would have thought.

[Garvey]

I'm curious to know how pizza shops manage to trade if there's a 40 minute wait for the pizzas to cook. Or even 20 minutes? Most customers wouldnt wait that long, I would have thought.

Pizza in Chicago is a real meal.  In many other places, it is considered fast food.  But not there.  And for deep dish, the wait is expected.  Time for drinks, good company, and good cheer.

[pizzaneer]

Pizza in Chicago is a real meal.  In many other places, it is considered fast food.  But not there.  And for deep dish, the wait is expected.  Time for drinks, good company, and good cheer.

+10...  The reason so many good deep dish places have some entertainment as well.  When you do get your own place, consider building a stage in the dining area and offering live music, stand-up comedy, etc.  All part of the experience, and if your customers know Chicago primarily from the movies and musicals, could be a great theme.  Roaring 20's.  Jazz. Jessica Rabbit.  Amirite?

[Chicago Bob]

I lived in the Chicago area years ago and ate many a deep dish type.

There is no cornmeal or semolina in any of the famous ones. It's a myth to throw people off.


Sliced cheese only on the bottom, no shredded stuff.

Have fun!

I'm not so sure about that one.....cornmeal, yes that is a myth. And Geno's use of yellow food coloring is a bit strange. But I've never had a Uno's (the real place) that didn't noticeably have a 'lil semolina snap to it. I think Malnati openly states there is a bit of semolina in their dough.

[Nick - Pizza Man]

+10...  The reason so many good deep dish places have some entertainment as well.  When you do get your own place, consider building a stage in the dining area and offering live music, stand-up comedy, etc.  All part of the experience, and if your customers know Chicago primarily from the movies and musicals, could be a great theme.  Roaring 20's.  Jazz. Jessica Rabbit.  Amirite?

Oh god yes, that sounds amazing.

I have to come to America and see this for myself.

[pizzaneer]

Oh god yes, that sounds amazing.

I have to come to America and see this for myself.

If you build it, the world will come to you.   

I don't know of any place currently doing this.  Which is why I suggested it. People would travel from a LONG way away to see it.  Maybe even from Chicago to Australia, which would be pretty funny.

[La Sera]

You may very well be right about the semolina, Bob. I should throw out the caveat that it was a long, long time ago that I lived there and never tasted semolina. Or perhaps it's just my faulty old memory?

People sure did wait at least a half hour, but true Chicago deep dish is an event, not just a meal...