"ATW80DS" - Deep Dish Pizza (Chicago Style)

I am a thin crust pizza lover, but the guys here at the pantry love a good deep dish pizza! The thicker, the better, they love to feast on the more oohy gooy goodness of a chicago style deep dish. 

One of the reasons I do enjoy this particular style of pizza  is when I make it at home, I can pile on all the toppings I want and the trick to keep the crust from getting soggy before it cooks all the way through is you put the cheese on first, which acts as a barrier, and then you pile on the toppings.

For our pizza, we used fresh ungrated mozzarella, canned tomatoes, green peppers, red onion, pineapple, sausage, mushrooms, and Parmesan.

Chicago Style Pizza

for the dough:

1 package rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoon honey or sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (you can use olive oil, but it can taste bitter)
4 tablespoons corn meal
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
olive oil
8 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded

1. In a liquid measuring cup, mix together yeast, water, and honey. Let rest. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine oil, corn meal, and 1 cup of flour, knead for 2 minutes. Add in remainder of flour and salt. Continue to knead for 10 minutes more. Place in an oiled bowl. Let rise for an hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes more.

2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Generously grease a deep dish pan (a 9 inch cake pan works fine). Press dough into the pan and roll up the edges. Place cheese down first, then add any other toppings. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

for the tomatoes:

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
4-5 fresh basil leaves
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Toss all ingredients. Spread on top of the cheese.