Flaky Thin Crust Chicago Inspired Pizza Recipes

FLAKY THIN CRUST CHICAGO INSPIRED PIZZA

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed, chilled butter and using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it is mostly incorporated, you want to have small butter lumps. Add the chopped garlic. In a large measuring cup, combine the warm water and instant yeast. Add to the flour mixture and, using a fork, combine until the mixture is evenly moistened. Knead the dough in your hands or on a lightly floured surface for one minute or so until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough in two, shape into balls, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
• While the dough sits, you can start on the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Add the herbs, salt, and both black and red peppers, and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine and sugar, and bring it all to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, usually 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sauce cool before using.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (or as hot as your oven will get). Seriously, the hotter the oven, the better. If using a pizza stone, preheat it along with the oven.
• It's time to shape the dough. Take one piece of dough and shape into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. I use a rolling pin to make it completely even, but you can also just use your hands (use a light touch). With a fork, prick the entire surface of the dough and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, and let it cool for 5 minutes. Top with tomato sauce, and add your favorite toppings. Going TOO thick on toppings may result in a soggy crust so be careful. Return to the oven and bake for another 8-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and begins to brown. Repeat with the second half of dough or store it in your fridge for later!

CHICAGO STYLE THIN CRUST PIZZA

Steps:

• Mix the sugar into the water followed by the yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast starts to foam/bubble.
• Mix in the butter followed by the mixture of the flour, cornmeal, and salt, until it forms a dough.
• Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is soft and elastic (a finger pressed into it will leave an indent that will bounce back out a little) before dividing in two and transferring to two greased bowls, covering it and letting it sit at a little higher higher than room temperature until it rises to double in size, about 2 hours.
• One at a time, knock the dough down, roll it out into a large disc, spread half the butter over half of the dough and fold the other half over onto the buttered half before folding in half again and again and again, before forming into balls and rolling them back out into thin discs and placing them onto large baking dishes.
• Spread the pizza sauce out over one of the crusts, sprinkle on the cheese and topping and bake in a preheated 500F/260C oven until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

THIN-CRUST PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water in a bowl. Let stand until yeast forms a creamy foam, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Mix 1 3/4 cup flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in yeast mixture; mix well until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour if dough is too sticky, about 2 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a greased pizza pan.

THE REAL CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a bowl. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Combine yeast mixture, flour, corn oil, and kosher salt in a large stand mixer with a hook attachment; knead until dough holds together but is still slightly sticky, about 2 minutes.
• Form dough into a ball and transfer to a buttered bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with a towel and allow dough to rise at room temperature until double in size, 6 hours.
• Punch down dough and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Press dough into a 10-inch deep dish pizza pan.

OLD WORLD CHICAGO-STYLE THIN CRUST PIZZA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the milk, water, yeast and sugar. Lightly whisk and let sit until bubbly and the yeast is bloomed, about 5 minutes. Add the oil.
• Mix the all-purpose flour and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Set the mixer to medium-low speed and slowly add the yeast mixture until entirely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything homogenous. Knead on medium low until the dough is glossy and forms a rough ball, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set it in a warm part of the kitchen until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Split the dough into 2 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the balls of dough as THIN as possible with a rolling pin. To get an even "trimmed" circle, use a large round lid to trim a rim around the dough. Sprinkle some semolina flour on a pizza peel. Carefully transfer the round of dough to the peel. Dock the crust with a fork or docker, poking holes all over the surface to keep it thin and crispy.
• Working quickly, add half of the pizza sauce almost all of the way to the edge of the crust, leaving about a 1-inch border. For the pepperoni side, place an even layer of pepperoni directly on top of the sauce on half of the pizza. Combine the skim- and whole-milk mozzarella in a large bowl and top the entire pizza with half of the cheese. Top the pepperoni side with some more scattered rounds of pepperoni. For the sausage side, spread half of the giardiniera on top of the cheese, then dollop with hunks of the Italian sausage on top. Transfer to the pizza stone in the oven and bake until golden and bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board with the pizza peel. Make another pizza with the remaining ingredients.
• Let the pizza rest for 4 or 5 minutes, then cut into small squares--never triangles. This is called the party cut. Why? Because no matter what's going on, when you're eating Chicago thin crust, it's always a big ol' party.