Sourdough Chicago-Style Pizza

By gnikylime

Using
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/12/31/how-to-make-chicago-style-deep-dish-pizza/
https://www.sourdoughhome.com/index.php?content=convert
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chicago-style-deep-dish-pizza-recipe

Ingredients

• Pizza Crust (makes 2)
• (2 c & 2 T) + (1 c & 2 T) [260g + 130g] all-purpose flour, split
• 1/3 c + (2 T & 2 t) yellow cornmeal, split
• [READ NOTE!!] 1 and 1/4 c 98F [37C] water (Next time try 0.75 c)
• 1 c. fed sourdough starter
• 1 and 1/4 t salt
• 1 T granulated sugar
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, divided (1/4 c [57 g] melted, 1/4 c [57 g] softened)
• olive oil for coating
• Tomato Sauce for Both Pizzas
• 2 Tablespoons [28 g] unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, grated (about 1/3 cup)1
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but recommended)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• one 28-ounce [800 g] can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Toppings for Both Pizzas
• 4 cups [450 g] shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup [50 g] grated parmesan cheese
• optional: handful of pepperoni per pizza, 4 slices cooked and then crumbled bacon (2 per pizza)
• additional optional toppings, add enough to suit your tastes: cooked and crumbled sausage, thinly sliced green peppers and/or onions, sliced mushrooms

Preparation

Step 1

For best results and ease of mind (!!!), please read through the recipe completely before beginning. You will need two deep dish 9x2 inch round cake pans if you are making both pizzas at the same time. You can also use 9 inch springform pans.

For the crust: 260 g flour, ⅓ c cornmeal, water, and sourdough starter in a large, nonreactive bowl. The texture should be like a batter. Cover with plastic wrap or a plastic bag and keep somewhere warm 14 - 16 hours.

After it has fermented, put the sourdough mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook. (If you do not have a stand mixer, use your hand mixer and a very very large bowl. If you do not have any mixer, you will do this all by hand. Again, use a very large bowl.) Add the sugar, salt, and butter, and mix until combined. Make sure the butter isn't boiling hot. If you melt it in the microwave, let it sit for 5 minutes before adding. Add the remaining flour and cornmeal and continuing on low speed (or remove from the bowl and knead by hand if you do not own a mixer), beat the dough until it is soft and supple and gently pulls away from the sides of the bowl and falls off of the dough hook- about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is too hard (it will be textured from the cornmeal), but if it feels too tough, beat in a teaspoon of warm water. Alternatively, if it feels too soft, beat in a Tablespoon of flour. If it is significantly too wet, add flour and cornmeal at a ratio of 7:1 until the correct texture is obtained.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning it around so that all sides of the dough are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (From original recipe, not what I do: For this warm environment, here is what I do: Preheat oven to 250F degrees. Once 250F degrees, turn oven off. Place bowl inside. Close the oven. The lingering heat will help your dough rise. This is especially ideal on cold winter days.)

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour a large work surface. Remove dough from the bowl, set the bowl and aluminum foil aside (to use later). Gently punch down the dough to remove any air bubbles and roll the dough into a large 15x12 sq in. (38 x 28 cm^2) rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter on top of the dough. Roll it up lengthwise so that it has as many layers as possible. Cut the dough log in half. Form the two pieces of dough into balls and place back into your greased bowl. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rise in the refrigerator (not in a warm place) for 1 hour until they are puffy as you make the sauce.

Preheat oven to 425F/220C degrees.

Assemble the pizzas: After the dough balls have risen in the refrigerator, they should be puffy. Oil the 9x2 Springform. Keep one ball of dough in the refrigerator as you work with the first one. Roll it out on a lightly floured work surface, working it into a 12-inch circle. Using your rolling pin as a guide, place over a 9x2 inch deep dish cake pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into the cake pan. Make sure it is nice and tight fitting inside the pan. Trim any excess dough off the edges with a small knife. Repeat with 2nd dough. Brush the top edges of the dough with a little olive oil, which gives the crust a beautiful sheen. Bake the empty shell(s) for 10 minutes.
Take the dough out of the oven. Fill each pizza with 1/2 of the cheese (about 2 cups per pizza), then your toppings which I've listed as optional in the recipe ingredients. On top of those optional toppings is the sauce. Pour about 1 and 1/4 cups of sauce on top of each. If you do not like that much sauce, you can reduce to 3/4 cup per pizza and have leftover sauce. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Cover top of crust to prevent browning.

Place the cake pans on top of a large baking sheet, which will catch anything potentially spilling over the sides of the pans. (Nothing usually does.) Bake for 20-28 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Feel free to loosely cover the pizzas with aluminum foil after the 15 minute mark to prevent any heavy browning and uneven baking. Remove the pizzas from the oven and allow to cool in the pans placed on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slice, serve, and enjoy. Place any leftover pizza in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.

Make ahead tip: Dough may be prepared through step 4. In the last part of this step, the dough needs to rise in the refrigerator for 1 hour. You may leave it in the refrigerator for up to 1 full day, making sure to punch it down to remove any air bubbles before rolling out as directed in step 7. You may freeze the pizza doughs after preparing them through step 4, and instead of allowing to rise in the refrigerator, simply freeze for up to 2 months. Then, allow the doughs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour before continuing with step 7. Make-ahead and freezing instructions for the sauce are written in step 5.