Malnati Deep Dish with Semolina

[kori]

Here is my 2nd attempt. Came out really good. 20% semolina. 10" pizza with homemade sausage and spinach.

That is a delicious looking deep dish pizza!

[Chicago Bob]

That is a delicious looking deep dish pizza!

       Yes, it truly is..... Great pizza making skills there Mac   

[macnmotion]

Thanks Kori and Chicago Bob. I've since made another one, this time with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, and worked in my strategies for improvement. After it was cooked, I removed the pizza from the Lloyd's Pan and gave it 2 minutes directly on the pizza stone. The bottom was perfect this time. And I had some good Italian parmesan that I topped it with for the last 10 minutes in the oven.

[Chicago Bob]

Thanks Kori and Chicago Bob. I've since made another one, this time with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, and worked in my strategies for improvement. After it was cooked, I removed the pizza from the Lloyd's Pan and gave it 2 minutes directly on the pizza stone. The bottom was perfect this time. And I had some good Italian parmesan that I topped it with for the last 10 minutes in the oven.

   You are most welcome pizza pal.      Your second attempt pizza showed a really great looking pie it sounds like the third one was even better ...Wish we could have seen a pic of this one, but it's great to see you enjoying this style of pizza over there in Bangkok... you doing great bro!

[tracy]

Have made a version of this recipe twice now, substituting Ischia culture for the IDY and introducing an extended CF step. Been baking the pizzas in an antique Griswold no. 8 skillet directly on a preheated steel on the lowest rack of my oven. Have been quite happy with the results. Closest I've had to a pizza like this was at Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis (I'm from St. Louis) over a decade ago, though they advertise as using a corn meal crust.

[Papa E]

Fascinating discussions and recipe approaches from all the Lou fans. I'd like to share the memories of and old man ... a time when Lou was still working at Uno's. My college friends and I would pile into a car(s) and drive 60 miles from NIU to downtown Chicago Ohio Street. There we would wait in line to get into Uno's (or Due's a block away).

The year was 1969. Woodstock was that August. My first trip to Uno's was in late October. In about a month we would each find out what our military draft lottery number was. Great reason to look for some joy. In those days if you wanted deep dish pan pizza, you had four choices: Uno's & Due's or Gino's & Gino's East. Similar but different. There was nothing in the burbs. We preferred Uno's (the originator in 1943), others liked Gino's. Cubs vs White Sox. Gino's used more of a tomato puree, Uno's had more chunk to it (as does mine.)

I've been reading hundreds of your posts, and many reminisce about their regular trips to Malnati in Elk Grove. Most of you agree that Chicago style pizza isn't all that thick. I concur, it isn't anymore, BUT IT USED TO BE. The original pans (I posted a picture of mine in my profile), were that deep for a reason. I can tell you that in 1969, when they brought your 14" pizza to your table at Uno's, they set the whole pan down, cut pieces with a spatula in the pan (I can still here the musical sound), and scooped a piece onto everyone's plates. If there was pizza left it stayed in the pan waiting for seconds.

These pizzas were thick. No, they didn't come to the top of the pan, 2/3 of the way for sure. There was only a little exposed crust. Gino's the same. Nothing like you buy today (or show in your pictures.)

When Uno's went franchise, everything went downhill. Lou Malnati and his dad opened his first place in the suburbs as soon as his non-compete contract expired. They eventually made headline news in Chicago. I drove from Peoria to Lincolnwood to try. Also went to Elk Grove Village when it first opened.

I remember my early Lou's pizzas being almost indistinguishable from my first Uno's pie. But as the years went by, they started getting skimpyer. More and more crust edge exposed, which to me was a clear indicator that I'm getting less for more. I'm in St. Louis now and recently ordered some of their frozen pizzas. What a shame. I wasn't expecting a fresh 1969 type Uno's, but what I got was a travesty. What Lou's serves in the restaurants might be good, but nothing like they used to be.

I like to tell my friends and family that when I make my pizza I don't try to duplicate what they can get in Chicago. I tell them I want to make the same pizzas Lou would have made for his daughter's wedding!

Bottom line,  IMHO... If you want an Uno's pizza like when Malnati was running the place, ya gotta make it yourself. The knowledge is here on this forum.

Peace.

[macnmotion]

My latest Malnatti-style. I was visited in Thailand by a friend who used to live outside Chicago so I couldn't resist. It came out pretty good!

[Chicago Bob]

So, I've been ghosting around on this board for a couple of months and I have become obsessed. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and fell in love with the "suburban thin crust" fav pizza joint is Dondi's in Arlington Heights. I've been in L.A. now for 25 years and yes the pizza sucks. I've been making my own thin crust pizza for years using 100% Swans Down cake flour. It's kinda a Chicago, NY hybrid and it's really good. But, that's for another post.

I had to try the deep dish. So, after traveling the maze of recipes I jumped in using Ed's recipe as a guide. I wanted solid ground to start. My first attempt was a 10" in a cast iron skillet and it rocked my world. It was like I was back at Lou's.

So, I was bragging it up to my son and family. I invited them over to taste the greatness and took out my 36-year-old 14" deep dish pan I got as a gift in '85. I think I used it once. I wanted a BIG pie.

It was a complete disaster. I ended up putting 2 lbs of cheese. Mozz/Provolone, 1 1/2 lbs of sausage, and 2 fully drained 28oz cans of tomatoes! WTF was I thinking! It's a big pan and it looked right? Cooked it, on a stone, at 450 for 35 min. Looked done but the pie broke in two as I tried to dismount from the pan. Hot lava cheese all over the counter. We smashed it back together and I was so disappointed.

So, yesterday I had to try again. My wife thought I was nuts. Same dough recipe. 1 lb of Boars head mozzarella, 1 lb sausage, and 20 oz sauce - by volume. It worked! I drove half the pizza over to my son's house for dinner. I can't wait to do this again. This forum is nuts and I'm loving it.  Butter flavored Crisco! I could get arrested in this town with this stuff. Thanks, Ed, BTB, Garvey, Peter, Pythonic, and everybody for all the dedication and advice. I feel the brotherhood.

Looking forward to the next bake.

Rob

^{This is a great looking pizza especially for being only your second trial..... well done Rob, you catch on quick bro!!}