Burts/Pequods

[vcb]

I may have been a little impatient with my dough rising time (i only gave it 45 minutes), but I think I got it!
My formulation below made a soft, sticky dough, that did give me a soft inner dough texture..
My kitchenaid mixer had trouble kneading a small batch of dough, so next time I'll make a double batch so it has something to grab onto, but otherwise, I think I've got what I'm looking for.

Here's what I did if you'd like to play along at home (except for my impatience on the rising time):  

Ed’s 'Quod Mod: 09-04-2012
Combine yeast, lukewarm water, sugar, salt, and oil.
Mix in All-Purpose Flour; then switch to dough hook and knead for 5 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap, place in a warm place, and let dough rise for at least 1 hour; preferably 2 hours.

Place a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil across top oven rack,
place your pizza stone on the bottom rack and preheat oven to 460 degrees F.
(I'd preheat for at least 45 minutes to an hour so the stone can get hot)

Lightly grease your pan with high heat cooking spray.
Press dough out gently until bottom of pan is mostly covered.
Minor gaps near the wall of the pan are OK. Do NOT pull up the sides.
Lay sliced mozzarella around pan, hanging the outer cheese slices half against the inside wall of the pan,
then cover the center bottom with sliced mozzarella until you have a solid layer.
Cover with a generous amount of sweet and zesty pizza sauce.
Top with quarter-size chunks of raw Italian sausage and/or pepperoni slices.

Bake on preheated pizza stone on bottom rack for 35-40 minutes

A Pequod’s/Burt’s Style Dough
12” (TF 0.1425)                         (approx)
AP Flour (100%): 250.4 g               2.0 cup   
Water (68%):     170.2 g        6 oz    0.75 cup
ADY (0.8%):       2.0 g                     0.5 tsp
Salt (1.1%):       2.75 g              0.5 tsp
Corn Oil (11%):   27.5    g       1 oz    2 Tbsp
Sugar (1.6%):       3.89 g              1 tsp

Total (182.5%):   457 g        15.83 oz     1 lbs | TF = 0.1425

14”
AP Flour (100%): 340.8    g               2.75 cup
Water (68%):     231.7    g       8.1 oz  1.0 cup
ADY (0.8%):       2.73 g            0.72 tsp
Salt (1.1%):       3.75 g            0.67 tsp
Corn Oil (11%):   37.5    g       1.32 oz 2.8 Tbsp
Sugar (1.6%):       5.45 g       0.5 Tbsp

Total (150.1%):   621.9 g | 21.94 oz | 1.37 lbs | TF = 0.1425

Ed’s Sweet and Zesty Uncooked Pizza Sauce:

1 can (28oz) Crushed Tomatoes (Muir Glen Crushed w/Basil is a preferred brand)
4 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground Chile De Arbol (can also use Cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp granulated garlic powder (do NOT use garlic salt)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fine sea salt or table salt
1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese

Combine ingredients and adjust with more sugar and/or salt to taste.

For a 12" pizza, I'd use 16-20 oz of sauce, but feel free to use the whole can.

[Chicago Bob]

That slice o pie looks really tasty Ed....nice job.
Burts pizza is real sweet, eh? I've never had Aurelios but they say that is real sweet sauce too. Bout the same?
What brand of mozz do you use Ed? Was this dough more "pillowy" than your regular DD's...sounds like it was. Wish I could see a crumb pic of that....Thanks.

[vcb]

That slice o pie looks really tasty Ed....nice job.
Burts pizza is real sweet, eh? I've never had Aurelios but they say that is real sweet sauce too. Bout the same?
What brand of mozz do you use Ed? Was this dough more "pillowy" than your regular DD's...sounds like it was. Wish I could see a crumb pic of that....Thanks.

Thanks, Bob.

Yeah, I kept adding sugar until I got close to what I remember. Depending on your tomatoes, you may need less sugar. If you use puree instead of crushed, it might not need as much.
It's a pretty sweet and zesty sauce. I'll have to try it on my next thin crust and see if it's a good multi-purpose sauce.

This time around, I used about 12 oz of "Essential Everyday" brand sliced, low moisture part-skim mozzarella, which Jewel-Osco is selling in 8oz pre-packaged packs in the cheese aisle - worked just fine.
If you have access to it, I highly recommend wisconsin brick cheese as an alternative.

More pillowy, yes. Like I said, I think I didn't let it rise long enough, as it was a little more dense than I wanted, but the soft texture was there, so I'm gonna try this recipe again the same way with a longer rise and see what happens.

I took some side shots, but the cheese keeps getting in the way. It got to about 1/2 inch high in some parts, so I think I'm really close to that spongy pillow. This is not anything like a Uno's/Malnati's style dough. It's a different animal entirely.

[PuRowdy]

Great looking pizza there VCB.  I think I may try switching my dough recipe up a bit, I haven't been all to thrilled with what I have come up with yet and from looking at your ingredients list, it seems to be more in line. 

Here are some pics of the last time I made one, it turned out very good, but I really had to cook the second one to get the crust to a place where I liked it.  Looks like I could also cut back on the cheese a bit, but hey it was damn tasty at least.

http://imgur.com/a/rJOm9

[BTB]

http://imgur.com/a/rJOm9

Beautiful pictures.  They give so much meaning to what the poster experienced and what others may expect to experience or a model to closely duplicate.  Great looking pizza.  --BTB

[CDNpielover]

Having never eaten a thin crust pizza in Chicago, here's my take on why people outside Chicago don't realize there is a "Chicago style" thin crust: There's nothing that clearly differentiates "Chicago style" thin crust pizza from pizza you can get in other cities, states, or regions. When I look through Chicago thin crust threads, I see pictures of pizzas that look a lot like what I can get at most pizza joints in Columbus or Dayton, Ohio, as well as what I've heard may be common in Pittsburgh.

If I buy a pizza in Columbus or Dayton, am I buying a Chicago style pizza? Hell no. But I bet it's pretty similar. And have you ever heard of Columbus style pizza or Dayton style pizza? I doubt it. If you want to know why you've never heard of Columbus style pizza or Dayton style pizza, I'd say it's probably because there's not much that differentiates it from pizzas you can get in plenty of other places, such as Chicago. So maybe what you consider Chicago style thin crust pizza is actually Midwest style pizza.

However, if I go to Chicago and buy a deep dish pizza, I'm gonna be served a pizza I can get almost nowhere outside of Chicago. That's why people outside of Chicago don't know there is thin crust pizza in Chicago. That, and how we've been "educated" by Food Network, the Travel Channel, and Uno's Chicago Grill (or whatever the chain is called these days).

Like I said, I've never eaten a thin crust pizza in Chicago, so I may be wrong.

But based on what I know about the history of pizza in the United States, if I take a few seconds to try to figure out why Chicago thin crust is similar to Ohio thin crust, one of my first thoughts is that the two styles of pizza likely have the same origin (or share the same branch on pizza's family tree). If so, that origin is probably not in Chicago; it's probably somewhere east of Chicago.

So maybe to eliminate all the confusion, instead of lumping Chicago style thin crust and Chicago deep dish into the same category, there should be a new category called something like Midwest Style Thin Crust.

I know this was posted quite some time ago now, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents haha.  the so-called "Chicago-style" thin crust is ubiquitous throughout the midwest USA, and you can even find the style in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  A more appropriate name would definitely be "midwestern-style" thin crust.

I read Garvey's comments about the sauce and sausage being different in Chicago, but really a pizzas in Chicago and Minneapolis are more similar than they are different.  Really, this is the same type of pizza...  just do a survey of pizza styles at local shops outside the midwest and you will see what I mean.

the st. louis pizza is probably a just a variation on the midwest style

[Chicago Bob]

  Really, this is the same type of pizza...  just do a survey of pizza styles at local shops outside the midwest and you will see what I mean.

?

[BTB]

I know this was posted quite some time ago now, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents haha.  the so-called "Chicago-style" thin crust is ubiquitous throughout the midwest USA, and you can even find the style in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  A more appropriate name would definitely be "midwestern-style" thin crust.

I read Garvey's comments about the sauce and sausage being different in Chicago, but really a pizzas in Chicago and Minneapolis are more similar than they are different.  Really, this is the same type of pizza...  just do a survey of pizza styles at local shops outside the midwest and you will see what I mean.

the st. louis pizza is probably a just a variation on the midwest style

My two cents (but inflation has reduced it to one).  What came first, the chicken or the egg?  IMHO I think thin crust pizzas from the Chicago area influenced much of what many may call midwestern style thin crust pizza. 

In trying to recall all the thin crusts that I had in many midwestern states, I agree that St. Louis thin style is a variation of Chicago thin style and had many pizzas in Chicago in the past similar to Imo's.  But I don't recall many thin crust pizzas similar to those in Chicago in Iowa, Indiana (except NW Indiana adjacent to the Chicago area), Ohio, Southern Illinois (where I "schooled," go Salukis), or Michigan (where I reside during the summer months).  However, Wisconsin has some great thin crust pizzas every bit as good as many in Chicago.  This just FWIW, which may be nothing.

A recent article about "midwestern pizza," but with a Detroit orientation (I wouldn't consider Detroit pizza a "typical" midwest style, tho).  See
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2012/09/detroit-style-pizza.html .

Article excerpts:  "Can you talk to a New Yorker about pizza if you were born and raised in the Midwest.  And is there one Midwestern (style of) pizza? Of course not."

[OTRChef]

I know this was posted quite some time ago now, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents haha.  the so-called "Chicago-style" thin crust is ubiquitous throughout the midwest USA, and you can even find the style in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  A more appropriate name would definitely be "midwestern-style" thin crust.
I read Garvey's comments about the sauce and sausage being different in Chicago, but really a pizzas in Chicago and Minneapolis are more similar than they are different.  Really, this is the same type of pizza...  just do a survey of pizza styles at local shops outside the midwest and you will see what I mean.

the st. louis pizza is probably a just a variation on the midwest style

No! The "Chicago Style" thin crust pizza is called that because it originated in Chicago and not because it is the only thin crust pizza on the planet. I can buy a "knock off" of just about every product on the planet...but it is NOT the original!

[Chicago Bob]

No! The "Chicago Style" thin crust pizza is called that because it originated in Chicago and not because it is the only thin crust pizza on the planet. I can buy a "knock off" of just about every product on the planet...but it is NOT the original!

Nuff said!   

[WestCountry]

Thanks for all the great info on this thread. I tried this recipe per VCB above. I really liked it (nice soft interior).     
One challenge I have to work on is the cheese was really sticking to the edge of the pan. (I oiled the sides before I put it in). And I really like the idea of the caramelized cheese. (I used whole milk "California Gold" from Whole Foods...maybe that's part of it)
It could be my pan needs more usage and time to season so stuff like the sauce and cheese don't stick as much to the side,  but if anyone has any suggestion they would be appreciated. Thanks!

Chris

[Chicago Bob]

Great job Chris!
Really liking that 'lil bacon addition...bet that pie was riiight.
I have one of those pans, mine took a few uses before it started to behave so don't worry. They do recommend to NOT season it....that will happen naturally after a few uses. 

[WestCountry]

Thanks Chicago Bob for the kind words and suggestions. It was a really good pie. I had a couple pieces of raw bacon leftover in the fridge- so used them and they cooked into the pie perfectly within the 30 minute bake time.
Will keep at it and make more of this style of pizza.

Chris

[PuRowdy]

I made a couple last night for a family members birthday party, turned out great using VCB's recipe, nothing but rave reviews from everybody.  Here are a couple quick pics I snapped.

http://imgur.com/a/cALtL

[CDNpielover]

No! The "Chicago Style" thin crust pizza is called that because it originated in Chicago and not because it is the only thin crust pizza on the planet. I can buy a "knock off" of just about every product on the planet...but it is NOT the original!

Do you have any evidence that the style originated in Chicago?  Go to Minneapolis/St. Paul, you'll find institutions there that have been making the style for over half a century.  Travel around the midwest, and you'll find that same style all over the place.  Heck, that style is even made in Canada, 6 hours north of MPLS/St. Paul!  

It's probably called "chicago" style because Chicago is the largest midwestern city (and 3rd largest in the country).

[Giggliato]

I think this is the style of pizza that I am looking for, although I wouldn't exactly call it a biscuit like crust. Does Chicago Deep Dish Pizza need to be pillowy or biscuity??

I'll try the pillowy style later...

I suppose I'll proof for a bit in the pan since that's what I did at pizza hut back in the day.

[BTB]

I think this is the style of pizza that I am looking for, although I wouldn't exactly call it a biscuit like crust. Does Chicago Deep Dish Pizza need to be pillowy or biscuity??

Traditional Chicago Deep Dish style pizza is definitely NOT pillowy (if that's a word).  Nor does it have a "nice soft interior" as one mentioned above.  It is much more biscuity.  Pequod's (where I was often first introduced to Burt's style) and Burt's pizza at his new location is definitely a kind of Sicilian thicker, "bread-like" crust whereby it is a little pillowry, much like Detroit style Buddy's and other Detroit style pizzeria's crust.  It is a very good Sicilian-like style, but just different and not typical of traditional Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza, that's all I'm suggesting. FWIW.                          --BTB

[Chicago Bob]

Traditional Chicago Deep Dish style pizza is definitely NOT pillowy (if that's a word).  Nor does it have a "nice soft interior" as one mentioned above.  It is much more biscuity.  Pequod's (where I was often first introduced to Burt's style) and Burt's pizza at his new location is definitely a kind of Sicilian thicker, "bread-like" crust whereby it is a little pillowry, much like Detroit style Buddy's and other Detroit style pizzeria's crust.  It is a very good Sicilian-like style, but just different and not typical of traditional Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza, that's all I'm suggesting. FWIW.                          --BTB

+1   

[Garvey]

As a Chicagoland expat who now lives in the South, I've never liked or agreed with the "biscuity" description.  Y'all have obviously never had a good biscuit.   

I realize it is used to distinguish it from "bready," but seriously, DD is absolutely nothing at all like a biscuit in texture.  Not a good biscuit, anyway.  Yes, DD has high fat and a short knead, but that doesn't make it the soul brother of the biscuit.

I don't know what to propose...  Sadly, I'm sure this misnomer is here to stay.  But at least I lashed out, Don Quixote style, to strike a blow for the South! 

[Chicago Bob]

+1   
right on brother!   
The South's gonna do it again....