Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza Is Nothing Like Deep Dish

By King Arthur Baking · 180 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, sugar, salt and yeast.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and cornmeal, then rub in the cold butter with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
3. Add the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and uniform. Flour the work surface, turn the dough out and divide it in half (166g each).
4. Shape each piece into a ball, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Generously flour the work surface and line a baking sheet with parchment. Roll one piece of dough into a 13-inch round and transfer it to the sheet. Repeat with the second piece and stack it on top of the first.
6. Cover the rounds loosely with plastic wrap or a loose cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, or up to 3 days.
7. Make the sauce: blend the whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, Italian seasoning, sugar, red wine vinegar, garlic powder and salt until mostly smooth. Adjust with more salt and sugar to taste. Use now, or refrigerate in a lidded container for up to 5 days.
8. Preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking stone or steel on the center rack for at least 1 hour. Place one dough round on a peel or the back of an overturned baking sheet.
9. Spread 124g (½ cup) of the sauce to the edges, then evenly scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.
10. Pinch the raw sausage into ½-inch pieces and distribute them evenly over the top, followed by the giardiniera. Sprinkle with fennel seed.
11. Slide the pizza onto the stone or steel and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottom and top are deeply browned and crackery at the edges.
12. Remove to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle with the oregano. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1½ to 2-inch squares.

Summarized from King Arthur Baking's video. Watch it for the details.

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