Chicago Style Supreme Pizza

With the Super Bowl this weekend, I needed a big pizza recipe. Well, this is a big pizza. This is a Chicago style deep dish pizza loaded to the top with amazing toppings. And unlike the deep dish pizza you get from a lot of chain pizzerias, this one is not mostly crust. This is traditional, walking-distance-from-Navy-Pier, deep dish pizza. Thin crust, lots of toppings, and a mountain of cheese, all topped with tomato sauce and baked to perfection.

Two things set Chicago style pizza apart from New York style pizza. The first difference is the crust. Chicago style pizza crust uses a lot more oil in the crust. Traditionally, corn oil was used to make the crust, but olive oil works very well too. No need to reach for the good extra-virgin stuff, light olive oil is perfect for this pizza. Once mixed, the crust is kneaded for just a couple minutes, then allowed to rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours. This results in a flakier crust that browns up nicely and has a slightly buttery flavor.

The other big difference in this pizza and other pizzas is the assembly. Because of the amount of toppings and cheese on this pizza, it requires a longer baking time. Most pizzas I make require less than 10 minutes in the oven, this one needs at least 40 minutes, sometimes as long as 50 minutes. In order to prevent the cheese from burning, the sauce is traditionally spread on top of the pizza, rather than on the crust under the toppings. The sauce is typically not cooked prior to being placed on the pizza as it will have plenty of time to cook while the pizza is baking.

Due to sheer volume, this pizza will feed an army. I made this pizza in a 14-inch across by 2-inch deep pan. The finished pizza had to weigh at least five pounds, and one slice each was enough to fill everyone up.

Chicago Style Supreme Pizza

Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour

9 oz warm water (100-110 degrees F)

1 package (.25 oz) yeast

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp salt

9 Tbsp light olive oil

Sauce:

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

Toppings:

24 slices provolone cheese

16 oz shredded mozzarella

6 oz diced ham
12 oz cooked Italian sausage
6 oz sliced pepperoni
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced green pepper

For crust:  Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let sit 10 minutes or until foamy. In mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and oil. Mix until a smooth dough is formed, about 1 minute. Knead dough on floured surface for 2 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and cover with towel.  Let rise 5 hours.

For sauce:  Combine all sauce ingredients in bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll out crust to 18 inch circle. Transfer to oiled deep dish pizza pan. Trim crust to top of pan. Arrange twelve slices provolone cheese over crust. Layer in ham, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and peppers, layering in mozzarella between toppings.

Top with remaining twelve slices of provolone. Spoon sauce over top of pizza, spreading to cover.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5-7 minutes before slicing.