Collection of Threads on the Chicago Stuffed Pizza Style

[Pete-zza]

In the following post I have collected most of the threads on this forum that pertain to the Chicago stuffed pizza style. As will be noted, most of the threads deal with the Giordano's style of stuffed pizza. However, where I deemed appropriate, I included threads generally relating to the stuffed style, including a thread detailing the ingredients of an Edwardo stuffed pizza. I also included threads started by member buzz in his attempts to replicate the Giordano's style of pizza even though for a while he did not realize that Giordano's used a top dough layer. Finally, I included a few threads where clones of the Giordano's dough were used to make a thin style pizza, on the premise that the same dough may be used to make that style. But the bulk of the threads are Giordano's related. All but one thread came from the Chicago Style board.

It will be noted that I organized the threads in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent threads appear at the top. I also provided the topic headings in highlighted form, to stand out better, as I also did with the forum names of members who started the threads. That way, users can more quickly locate the threads of particular members whose threads they would like to read. From time to time, as new stuffed pizza threads are started, I will attempt to update the list to include those threads that merit inclusion, as well as any threads that I may have inadvertently missed. This thread will be made a sticky so that it can be found quickly.

Peter

[Pete-zza]

2/25/14:   Laminated Chicago Stuffed: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=30449.msg303645#msg303645 (by PizzaGarage)

2/9/14:     My Giordano's Attempt: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=30144.msg300902#msg300902 (by norma427)

2/6/14:     Giordanos – Cracking The Code: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=30096.msg300535#msg300535 (by pythonic)

1/20/14:   Found Giordanos ingredient list (Peter can you look at this?): http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=29776.msg297967#msg297967 (by pythonic)

1/13/14:   First real attempt at Giordano's today: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=29647.msg296896#msg296896 (by pythonic)

6/12/13:   Definitive Closest Giordano's Clone as of 6/12/13: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=25774.msg259774#msg259774 (by jkolassa)

5/3/13:     Giordano's perfection at home, thanks to this forum!: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=24986.msg252043#msg252043 (by Sam52384)

9/25/12:   My attempt at Giordano's style stuffed pizza: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=21178.msg213121#msg213121 (by Noty661)

5/31/12:   Cheese for a Stuffed Pie question: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=19382.msg189685#msg189685 (by kurt72)

4/11/12:   Cracking the Giordano's formulation: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=18654.msg181989#msg181989 (by pythonic)

1/4/12:     Sister visiting from Chicago gave the thumbs up! Giordano's Pizza-ish: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=17054.msg166025#msg166025 (by KimInPhx)

1/1/12:     Giordano's Pizza Video (from St. Charles, IL) ...shows how it's done!: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=17008.msg165582#msg165582 (by KimInPhx)

12/5/11:   My stuffed pizza recipe: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=16648.msg162284#msg162284 (by tikidoc)

1/30/10:   Dough calculator discrepancy (stuffed): http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=12462.msg118611#msg118611 (by the_dude)

9/24/10:   Stuffed Pizza Pics....: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=11955.msg111503#msg111503 (by RobDude)

9/9/10:     Tips For My First 'Stuffed' Pizza Attempt?: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=11814.msg109663#msg109663 (by RobDude)

7/14/10:   Giordano's a hot water crust?: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=11375.msg103585#msg103585 (by Randy)

5/11/10:   My Giordano's' stuffed pizza didn't turn out right last night: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=10937.msg98023#msg98023 (by pythonic)

3/9/10:     Giordano's Style Thin Crust: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=10477.msg92610#msg92610 (by norma427)

3/2/10:     Used the Giordano's style dough in a cutter pan: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=10412.msg91842#msg91842 (by norma427)

1/23/10:   Chicago Stuffed Pizza: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=10108.msg88268#msg88268 (by kurt72)

1/11/10:   Tried the Giordano's Stuffed Crust tonight: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=10018.msg87298#msg87298 (by norma427)

11/13/09: Loo stuffs Giordano's style: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=9635.msg83527#msg83527 (by loowaters)

6/9/09:     Giordano's style recipe: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=8702.msg75382#msg75382 (by Steve)

4/19/09:   My 1st Giordano's Attempt (with pics – long post as well, fwiw): http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=8402.msg72587#msg72587 (by Wazatron)

4/13/09:   Giordano's in Tampa, FL: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=8361.msg72200#msg72200 (by BTB)

10/10/07: My Giordano's Style Pizza's (with pics): http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=5674.msg48048#msg48048 (by Chicago Rules!!!)

6/13/07:   Another Giordano's Crust Question: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=5235.msg44434#msg44434 (by Ruminari)

6/4/07:     My Giordano's Style Pizza (with recipe and photos): http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=5208.msg44134#msg44134 (by johnson29630)

4/18/07:   Dough Questions regarding Giordano's Pizza Posting: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=5030.msg42626#msg42626 (by iplaye9)

4/16/07:   Question RE: Chicago Stuffed Pizza filling: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=5027.msg42551#msg42551 (by iplaye9)

6/26/06:   I did mail-order Giordano's...cheese question: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=3267.msg27669#msg27669 (by tomfoolery_79)

6/16/06:   How to adjust Buzz's Giordano's dough recipe for very high altitude?: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=3136.msg26604#msg26604 (by csorrows)

3/6/06:     Trying Buzz's deep dish recipe today: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=2795.msg24125#msg24125 (by basetwo)

2/2/06:     Perfect Giordano's-style Crust!: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=2314.msg20280#msg20280 (by buzz)

12/20/05: Best Way to get Giordano's style out of the pan: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=2273.msg19932#msg19932 (by Paisan)

10/12/05: Dark Color of Giordano's Crust: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1991.msg17551#msg17551 (by PBDoughBoy)

9/07/05:   Giordanos Chicago Style: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1842.msg16289#msg16289 (by dankfoot)

8/23/05:   Giordano's Chicago Style Trial 1: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1780.msg15805#msg15805 (by Jacobus Maximus)

7/9/05:     Latest Giordano's-style Experiment: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1712.0 (by buzz)

7/5/05:     Pete-zza's Reverse Eng'g of Buzz's Version of Giordano's Deep-Dish Pizza: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1585.0 (by Pete-zza)

6/11/05:   Giordano's-style Deep Dish: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1478.msg13431#msg13431 (by buzz)

5/16/05:   DKM's Giordano's Recipe: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1210.msg10863#msg10863 (by buzz)

4/15/05:   Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1208.msg10861#msg10861 (by DKM)

3/14/05:   Stuffed pizza: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=1051.msg9344#msg9344 (by Crusty)

3/25/04:   Edwardo's stuffed pizza ingredient list: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=294.msg2247#msg2247 (by Steve)

[CDNpielover]

Great work Peter, this will be very useful.   

[norma427]

Thanks Peter,  Some of those threads I have not read.

Norma

[BlackAdder]

Thanks Peter.  I just joined the site looking for deep dish recipes (even though I usually prefer neopolitan style) - can't wait to try some of these in a cast iron skillet! 

[FLAVORMAN]

Great job Peter..now we have thin crust, stuffed and next let's do a deep dish...Thanks so much for your work..

[Garvey]

This thread is every discussion around this style.  Do we need a thread for only formulations?  And/or should I add that to the list of links for DD formulations?

[Pete-zza]

This thread is every discussion around this style.  Do we need a thread for only formulations?  And/or should I add that to the list of links for DD formulations?

Garvey,

I created the list of posts in this thread to address a complaint that the stuffed pizza stuff was scattered all over the place. As you can see, the thread has not garnered many page views over the roughly one year since I put the list together. That is not surprising since most people who come to the forum are looking for manna from heaven in the form of a definitive dough formulation for a stuffed pizza, and particularly the Giordano's version. They do not want to work for their supper by slogging through threads to come up with a formulation of their own. I can't say I blame them. Reverse engineering and clone creation are very hard work, and very few people can do it as I am sure you know.

You are free to use the list as you wish if you would like to add parts of it to the collection you are putting together for the deep dish style of pizza in general. At least you know what you are doing, far better than I.

Peter

[Garvey]

Thanks, Peter.  I hope you didn't take my post as a criticism.  It wasn't.

Cheers,
Garvey

[Pete-zza]

Thanks, Peter.  I hope you didn't take my post as a criticism.  It wasn't.

Cheers,
Garvey

Garvey,

No, not at all. I knew all along that what I did would not be satisfying to most. But once in a while, someone will come along and decide to try to advance the cause and be willing to read all that has been posted on a subject and take it to the next level.

Peter

[jcg]

Hopefully it's ok to ask this question on this thread. One of my favorite pizzas is Zachary's in the bay area and they do a stuffed pizza. Whenever I make deep dish pizzas I almost always make their mushroom/spinach pizza. I don't use the top crust so I guess technically it's not a stuffed pizza, but I'm wondering if that really makes a difference. The top crust is very thin and most people say it's hard to even notice when you slice the pizza. So my question is why / what is the top crust for? Why go to all the extra effort when a deep dish with the same dough recipe (and no top crust) tastes almost the same?

jcg

[RockyMountainPie]

jcg,

This type of stuffed crust pizza has been around for more than 40 years and so it's hard to know what the originators of the style had in mind when it was created.  Off the top of my head, some reasons could be:

It differentiates their pizza from their competitors "merely" deep dish pizzas
It gives their pizza a distinctive look, being generally taller and more flat on top than deep dish pizzas
It makes their pizzas more filling.
The top layer of dough traps in the heat during the bake and cooks the interior cheese and interior fillings differently than an opened faced pizza.
Just like traditional dessert pies, some only have a bottom crust and some have an additional top crust -- it's a matter of preference.

[Pete-zza]

jcg,

This type of stuffed crust pizza has been around for more than 40 years and so it's hard to know what the originators of the style had in mind when it was created.  Off the top of my head, some reasons could be:

It differentiates their pizza from their competitors "merely" deep dish pizzas
It gives their pizza a distinctive look, being generally taller and more flat on top than deep dish pizzas
It makes their pizzas more filling.
The top layer of dough traps in the heat during the bake and cooks the interior cheese and interior fillings differently than an opened faced pizza.
Just like traditional dessert pies, some only have a bottom crust and some have an additional top crust -- it's a matter of preference.

I'm no expert on the stuffed Chicago-style deep-dish pizza but I would think that having a base (the top crust) for the sauce allows the pizza maker to have better control over spreading the sauce. Keeping the sauce isolated from the rest of the pizza might also give a different mouthfeel when eating the pizza.

Peter

[Anchovy]

Great collection of threads and I know of the big 4 for stuffed (nancy's, bacinos, giordanos, eduardoes) Giordano's is the most popular, but I've always considered Nancy's to be the pioneer. I would love to see a list of Nancy's threads, conveniently added here. Also for all those thinking spinach stuffed, when you think you've added enough spinach, double it.