I received the following e-mail from a visitor to this website, he's not a member of the forum and asked that I post his message here.
My name is Kevin. I love making Pizzas. It is a fabulous hobby and I have used your website for extensive research and recipes.
While I've only been to the Windy City once, my girlfriend is from the Midwest, and one time she brought home a magnificent pizza from Pizzeria Uno. I have always loved deep dishes.
Back in 2003 I was able to sample Giardano's on Wabash. It was delectable, but before the time I really got into deep dishes.
After some experimenting, I have come up with a recipe that is simply spectacular for that biscuit-flavored crust, with delectable sauces and cheeses. I would love to contribute this recipe, plus a donation, for the website.
DOUGH RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
I have modified the ingredients from combinations of recipes I have seen for Deep Dishes. Since they were done in Baker's formulas, I do not know what the equivalent would be except for flour.
I think it is important to note the type of flour. Many of the biscuit-style crusts require all purpose, NOT high gluten, for the buttery taste.
434 g All Purpose Flour (3 cups) 100%
6.5 g salt (1.5%)
6.5g sugar (1.5%)
4g active-dry yeast (about 1%)
34 g olive oil (8%)
17g unsalted butter (4%)
217 g water (50%)
FOR SINGLE SERVING PIZZA - 15x2 ALUMINUM PAN
1. Place flour in the mixer.
2. In a separate bowl, combine water (70 degrees Fahrenheit, yes I
know I'm changing systems here), salt, sugar, olive oil, and melted
butter. Wait approximately 5 minutes.
3. Using a dough hook, beat the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough
should be scrappy and may possible have extra flour visible. Do NOT overbeat the dough.
4. Place the dough in a bag, fold it over to allow the gas to escape,
and refrigerate it for at least six hours (I usually do overnight - 24 hours).
5. Allow the dough to rise to room temperature.
6. Cover the CLEAN Aluminum pan (use a paper towel!) with Vegetable
Oil. Use enough that all sides are covered with a bit leftover - between 1/4 cup to 1/2 or so. (I usually just eyeball it). Some people put a layer of cornmeal on the bottom - I haven't, but haven't tried it as well.
7. Cover the dough with a damp cloth for about another hour or so.
Oh, the waiting!
8. Pull the dough over the sides and cut the excess off neatly with a
rolling pin. Indent with your fingers as if it were a pie crust.
9. Cheeses - From my research, true Chicago style pizza uses slices of
part-skim Mozzarella, however, I frequently use shredded. I usually use between 12 - 16 ounces of cheese. It is possible to intermix domestic provlone, mild cheddar, and/or sharp cheddar (I like Cooper Sharp) as well. Pizzeria Uno, from what I gather, uses mozzerella, but I may be wrong. I usually use a mix of 2/3 mozzarella and 1/3 provolone, although I have dabbled with all four.
10. The sauce! I use about three cans (42 oz total) of PEELED
tomatoes. I take each tomato, cut and drain, and place in a bowl.
Excess water is bad!! Collect the water for later. I usually add about a tablespoon of oregano, basil, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, a tablespoon of Italian Seasonings, and about two tablespoons or so of Parmesean Cheese. Also - suprise suprise - I throw a few baby carrots in the mix. I like to take the excess tomato juice - just a little - and put this in. It makes the sauce subtly sweeter. This cannot be overdone,
as excess liquid is bad. I top the pie with a drizzle of olive oil
and/or any toppings necessary.
11. Into a 450 degree oven it goes - for about 30 minutes.
It is truly delicious. Yes, it is a little more time-intensive than other pizzas, but MAN is it worth it.
Once again, love the sight. Hope someone can enjoy this recipe.
- Kevin
