GreasyCamera has kindly asked that I share some information about a subject near and dear to my heart: Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. I posted last night’s dinner on FB (in honor of the game). Which Da Bears won, I might add!

DISCLAIMER: I am not writing about this pizza to say it’s better than any other pizza out there. This not a a Pizza War post… I promise! I like lots of different pizzas, lots of styles of crust, sauce and ingredients. That said….

My Key Points:
Crust – the recipe should be specific to Chicago style (deep dish) and preferably with corn meal. If gives the extra body you need for all the toppings and a great crunch.
Sauce: I make a crushed tomato sauce from scratch.
Cheese: Shred/slice it yourself. The pre-shredded garbage has added junk to keep the cheese from clumping.
Toppings: fresh, sweet Italian sausage and sauteed mushrooms are my favs.
Assembly (in this order): oiled, cast iron pan dusted with corn meal, dough, cheese toppings, sauce, fresh grated Parmesan or Romano. Bake until bubbly and the crust is browned.

I am slowly working my way though one of my new favorite cookbooks: American Pie, My Search for the Perfect Pizza by Peter Reinhart. Amazing book, amazing baker, amazing teacher. I have been using these recipes for a while now and they are dang near fool-proof! Here is last night’s slice, with a little extra grated Romano cheese added.