Chicago Style Stuffed Crust Pizza Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil and salt. Add 1-1/2 cups flour and cornmeal; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down; let rest for 5 minutes. Divide into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion to a 12-in. circle. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10-in. ovenproof skillet., Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook sausage, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Parmesan cheese and oregano. Add to prepared crust. , On a lightly floured surface, roll remaining dough into an 11-in. circle. Place over pizza; seal edges. Cut four slits in top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Spread with tomato sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Roll and stretch out the risen dough on a floured work surface into a rope about 31 inches long. Press a rolling pin into the dough to create a trench and roll it to a rectangle about 3 inches wide.
• Keeping a 1/2-inch border on each long side of the dough, smear the remaining dough with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread the surface with a nice thin layer of the Arrabbiata Sauce, then sprinkle with the Parmesan, mozzarella and pepperoni. Arrange the string cheese pieces on top in a double line. Fold the long sides of the dough up over the center (over the string cheese) and pinch the edges together well so there's no leakage. Bring the ends together to form a circle.
• Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil. Carefully transfer the dough circle to the prepared baking sheet, flipping it over before putting it on the sheet so the seam side is down. Brush the egg wash over the surface of the dough. Bake until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a board to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
• Arrange the tomato slices and basil leaves in concentric circles in the middle of the pizza crust ring and serve with a dish of the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce on the side for dipping.
• Heat a pan over medium-high heat until hot and add the olive oil. Throw in the red pepper flakes and onions, give them a stir and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, whisking to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Add a pinch of sugar and some salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Combine the white sugar and the warm water in a large bowl or in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm sugar water, and let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Stir 1 tablespoon olive oil into the yeast mixture.
• Stir 1/2 teaspoon salt into the flour. Mix half of the flour mixture into the yeast water, and stir until no dry spots remain. Stir in the remaining flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (or mix with dough hook in stand mixer).
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Combine the crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and salt in small saucepan. Cover pan, and cook over low heat until tomatoes start to break down, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll one piece into a 12 inch thin circle. Roll the other half into a thicker, 9 inch circle.
• Place the 12 inch dough round into an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. Sprinkle dough with 1 cup of cheese. Shape sausage into a 9 inch patty and place in pan on top of the cheese. Layer pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper, red pepper, and remaining cheese on top of sausage patty. Top with the 9 inch dough round and pinch edges to seal. Cut several 1/2 inch vent holes in the top crust. Spread sauce evenly on the top crust, leaving a 1/2 inch border at the edges.
• Bake pizza in the preheated oven until the crust is set, the cheese is melted, and the sausage is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Let hot pizza rest for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Steps:

• 1. 1) To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients and the oils and butter, mixing till crumbs form. Then add the water, and mix and knead - by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle - to make an elastic, fairly stiff dough
• 2. 2) Place in a large, greased bowl; cover, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour. For best flavor, after its initial 1-hour rise, refrigerate the dough for several hours, or for up to 24 hours. You can use the crust after its first 1-hour rise, but its flavor will improve with the longer, slower rise offered by refrigeration
• 3. To make the sauce: sauté the coarsely grated onion in the butter till it's beginning to color.
• 4. Add the crushed garlic, and sauté for about 30 seconds.
• 5. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, sugar, and salt, and simmer gently for up to 1 hour, to concentrate the flavors.
• 6. To assemble the pizza: Divide the dough into two pieces. One should be about three-quarters of the dough; the other, one-quarter. If you have a scale, one piece should weigh about 36 ounces; the other, about 13 ounces.
• 7. Divide each piece of dough in half again. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9" x 2"-deep round cake pans, then drizzle olive oil in the bottom of each.
• 8. Stretch, then roll one of the larger pieces of dough into a round large enough (about 15" to 16") to line the bottom and sides of one pan, with some overhang. Do the same with one of the smaller pieces of dough, rolling it to about 9" to 10". Cover the pieces of dough, and go away for 15 minutes. This will relax the dough's gluten, allowing you to handle it without it shrinking.
• 9. Once the first two pieces of dough are rolled and resting, repeat with the other two pieces, covering them till you're ready to use them.
• 10. After 15 minutes, place one of the larger pieces of dough in the pan, pressing it gently into the corners; you'll have some overhang.
• 11. Spread half the cooked sausage or meats over the crust, gently patting it flat.
• 12. Top with half the sliced mozzarella. Spread with half the spinach, or any additional filling of your choice.
• 13. Place the smaller piece of dough atop the filling. Fold over the overhanging edges of dough, and squeeze/crimp to seal. Poke holes all over the top crust, to allow steam to escape.
• 14. Repeat with the remaining dough and ingredients, making another 9" round pizza.
• 15. Preheat the oven to 425°F (with your pizza stone on a lower shelf, if you're using a stone). While the oven preheats, allow the pizza(s) to rest/rise, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• 16. Just before baking, top the pizzas with the sauce, and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
• 17. Bake the pizzas till the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.
• 18. Remove the pizzas from the oven, and allow them to set for about 15 minutes. Loosen their edges, and gently turn them out of the pan onto a rack to cool.
• 19. Serve warm, with a fork. Use a pair of scissors or baker's bench knife to cut wedges.

Steps:

• Crust: dissolve yeast and sugar in water in a large bowl; let stand until bubbly; stir in oil then stir in 4 cups of the flour until smooth; add additional flour as needed to form a stiff dough.
• Lightly flour the work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 7 to 10 minutes; put into a greased bowl; turn to coat top then let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Sauce: heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic, cook 2 minutes; stir in tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper; simmer until very thick, about 30 minutes or so.
• Filling: mix spinach, mozzarella, mushrooms, parmesan, romano, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
• Heat oven to 450°.
• Punch down dough; let rest 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil a 12-inch pizza pan that is at least 2" deep.
• Roll two-thirds of dough into a 16-inch circle; let sides overhang the pan.
• Put the spinach mixture into center of dough; smooth evenly over the surface.
• Roll the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; place over the spinach filling then pinch the edges together and cut excess dough at the edges so that the bottom dough is level with the top crust.
• Pour sauce over the dough to cover.
• Bake until crust is golden, 20-40 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into wedges for serving.
• Ice cold beer or root beer is great with this pizza.