Learn to make Chicago style pizza

The great city of Chicago is known for its top of the line deep-dish pizza. The pizza style consists of thick, right-angled crust filled with a bevy of sauce, cheese and additional toppings (see image below). Thankfully, Chicago Style Pizza has expanded beyond the city and all throughout the U.S., including North Texas. You can find fantastic Chicago style pizza in Irving, TX and you can even make one at home…

If you do want to make a Chicago style pizza in the comfort of your own home, you will need the following supplies, ingredients, and recipe:

Ingredients & Supplies

Cookware

• Multiple mixing bowls
• 2 9×2 inch deep dish pans
• Mixer or mixing spoon
• Spatula

Dough

• 1 ½ cups warm water (about 95° F)
• 1 Package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup semolina flour
• ½ cup vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons to grease bowl
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup melted butter

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

Let’s make the dough first

You’ll want to add the flour, salt, sugar and dry yeast to a mixing bowl. A stand mixer would work best; however, you can mix by hand with a large wooden spoon and a large bowl. If you have a stand mixer, you can mix on low power.

Then, add the warm water, the melted butter and mix again. Again, low mixing speed should do the trick. You’ll know when to stop once the mixture moistens. You’ll notice it falling from the edges of the bowl or from the dough hook.

Take the dough from the mixing bowl and form it into a ball. Once formed into a ball, take mixing bowl #2 and grease the base with a coding of olive oil. Roll the ball of dough in the bowl to where all of the dough is covered with a layer of olive oil.

Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and place it in a warm environment. If you’re cooking on a hot summer day then placing the covered bowl by the window sill should do the trick. If it’s not sunny or hot outside, try placing the bowl in an oven preheated to 250°. The goal is for the dough to double in size while warming. It should take 1-2 hours.

When the dough is ready, pour a layer of flour onto your countertop and place the dough atop it. Massage the dough to remove air bubbles and then take your roller and roll the ball of dough into a completely flattened rectangle. Once flattened, roll the dough again, but this time from the shorter side of the rectangle. It should like a burrito once rolled up.

Cut the dough burrito in half, place each half back into the olive oil bowl, cover with aluminum foil and let them sit for about an hour.

Next, make the sauce

Pour the two tablespoons of butter into a sauce pan and let melt on medium heat. When melted, add whatever ingredients you like in your pizza sauce, whether it be onions, garlic, red pepper, salt, oregano…

Of course, the tomato sauce is most important. Add the tomato sauce and cook in saucepan on medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, until you have about 2 ½ cups worth of sauce.

The sauce and the dough have been prepared, now let’s compose the pizza! Give it a Chicago style!

Remove one of the dough burritos from the refrigerator and once again lay it on a bed of flour on your countertop. Try to roll it into a circle, 12-13 inches in circumference. As long as the dough can extend over a 9-by-2-inch deep-dish pan then you will be in good shape.

Place the spread-out dough into the deep-dish pan and firm the edges to where the dough is completely flat across the base and the edges. Cut off the excess dough that is protruding beyond the edges. Complete the same process with the other dough burrito.

Add and spread your half cup of parmesan cheese as the first layer. Then add pepperoni, sausage, bacon, vegetables…whatever you like on your pizza. Pour half of you sauce onto each pizza and spread.

Finally, once the oven is preheated to 425°, place the deep-dish pan into the oven and cook it for 20-30 minutes or until you see that traditional golden-brown crust.

Tada! Your Chicago style deep-dish pizza is complete! Slice it up and it will hopefully taste amazing!

Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza

Of course, not everyone is a cook. Either that, or folks would much rather go out or order a pizza in order to save time and put the faith of making a high-quality deep-dish pizza in the hands of someone else. If you are one of those people, rely on Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza to satisfy your pizza needs! We’re located in Irving, TX and you can reach us (972) 717-7770. Please visit our website—www.classicchicagogourmetpizza.com—to view our menu and visit our blog for additional tasty Chicago Style Pizza news!

Chicago style pizza is very unique. In fact, you won’t find any other pizza like it. The makeup of the pizza is different, the cooking of the pizza is different, even the way Chicago style pizza is eaten is different. It’s a different type of pizza, but it may be the most delicious type of pizza!

How it’s layered

Traditional pizzas are layered as follows: crust, sauce, vegetables, cheese, meat

Chicago style pizza is layered: crust, cheese, meat, cheese again, vegetables, sauce

You see the difference? There are more layers to Chicago style deep-dish pizza. Hence, its thickness. Each layer of cheese sandwiches the meat. The way each layer is separated allows the pizza to cook evenly and for the fat and grease to disperse. Imagine biting into a minimally greased, thick piece of pizza, filled with carefully cooked ingredients.

How it’s cooked

Chicago style pizza requires the use of a cast-iron pan. Unlike a traditional pizza pan, cast-iron pans have edges. The edges are meant to shape the crust so it can match the width of the many layers. The pizza dough is pushed down as much as possible to eliminate air bubbles and to create a desired crisp. People often match the thickly-layered pizza with thick crust, but that is not the case. Actually, Chicago style pizza crust is relatively thin. Not paper thin, but thin enough to where the vast majority of a bite will consist of the pizza toppings.

What’s really cool about this type of pizza is the fact that the pan seasons the pizza. That’s right, the cast-iron pans are essentially permanently seasoned. Therefore, as the pizza cooks, it seasons. After a firm bake of about 40 minutes, your Chicago style pizza is ready!

How it’s eaten

Now it’s time to eat. But how? Cut the pizza diagonally and pick it up with your hands? Nope. Instead, you do the exact opposite. Chicago style pizza is often cut into squares and is meant to be eaten with a fork. While it is okay to eat it the traditional way, it can be quite messy given its thickness. If you want to fit in, go the square and fork route, at least in Chicago.

Also, it is important to realize that this type of pizza is meant for a sit down, family-style meal. It is too large and too filling to eat on the go. That is why you always hear of Chicago style pizza restaurants and never fast food. Furthermore, how many pizza chains have you come across that serve Chicago style pizza? The answer is likely zero.

Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza serves you in Irving, TX. If you’re looking for the best Chicago style pizza in Texas, visit or order from Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza. We cook up all sorts of unique Chicago style deep-dish pizzas, and, for the non-pizza lovers, we have pastas and salads as well. Contact us today to get your pizza fix. Also, visit our blog for additional mouth-watering pizza talk!

Oh yes, the ancient comparison of Chicago style pizza to New York style pizza. It’s not like these two famous cities didn’t already have enough to be prideful of. However, any topic involving Chicago and New York is going to be full of one-sided arguments, including pizza. Even if a New Yorker has never tried Chicago style pizza or a Chicagoan has never tried New York style pizza, you best believe each side will have plenty of fuel for the argument. But, let’s put biases aside and breakdown the two unique pizza styles from an unbiased point of view. What truly does make New York style pizza different from Chicago style pizza?

Thin crust compared to deep-dish

New York is known for their thin crust pizza. It consists of traditional pizza layering: a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of cheese, and a layer of toppings. Chicago style, on the other hand, is deep-panned pizza. The thick crust with its sides angled up allow for multiple layers of sauces, cheeses and toppings. Each crust is nice and crispy, you’ll just get more crust with a Chicago Style pizza.

On the go compared to sit-down

The crust and layering signify the purposes of each pizza. New York’s thin crust, single-layered pizza allows for a quick meal. The consumer can grab it, fold it up and eat it rather easily while walking or standing. New Yorkers never stop and their primary mode of transportation is the subway. The New York style pizza is perfect for the city lifestyle.

Chicago style deep-dished pizza is the exact opposite. This pizza is way too thick and layered to eat on the go. There is a reason Chicago style pizza is served in squares. It is too risky to hold; therefore, the customary way of consuming the pizza is with a knife and fork. In fact, you may be quickly judged if you try to attack a Chicago Style pizza with your bare hands.

Rapidly cooked compared to carefully cooked

Again, each pizza is cooked to meet the lifestyle of the consumer. Thus, New York style pizza is made quickly and in volumes, while Chicago style pizza is cooked slowly and tenderly. This is not an admittance that Chicago pizza is better. It just speaks to one style being made for those in a hurry and one style being made for those who are not. A New York style pizza can be ready in 10 minutes, while a Chicago style pizza generally takes around 30 minutes. Hence, the difference between an in-and-out pizza shop and a pizza restaurant.

It’s a strange comparison between the two when you really think about. At each style’s core, they are entirely different, taste wise and functionality wise. Starting at the very beginning in how the dough is cooked, New York style pizza and Chicago style pizza are vastly different. So much depends on personal preference, the place you get the pizza from, what specific pizza you order…In any event, you now understand the differences between the two well-known pizza styles.

Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza

So, it turns out we may be a little biased. After all, our name is Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza. While we’re sure you can find a delicious New York style pizza, we prefer and suggest you try our Chicago style pizza. We promise it’s every bit as gratifying as it sounds and looks.

Contact or visit Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza today! We also deliver and cater!

 

Deep Dish VS Thin Crust

The world is getting healthier. Well, maybe not the world, but at least the United States. Healthy eating has gained in popularity. We’ve seen a vegan push over the last few years. More and more people have transitioned to the vegan way of life by forfeiting food which stems from animals. Additionally, food markets such as Whole Foods and Sprouts have emerged as healthy outlets. These stores offer a much greater selection of healthy foods in comparison to Walmart or Kroger.

It’s great to see an American health kick! However, amidst this health kick, pizza still hasn’t lost its flavor. We’re all aware pizza does not have a healthy connotation, but, in many ways, it’s still good for us. Please keep reading to grasp the benefits of PIZZA.

It tastes amazing!

Here’s a fact: pizza is really, really good. Something about the combination of cheese, tomato, and bread just makes people obsessed. You can’t go wrong with that combination. There is a constant demand for pizza in this world simply because it tastes delicious. Even a cheaply made pizza tastes good. Though, if you really want a treat, dabble in a gourmet pizza. Many pizza options are offered simply out of convenience; however, a gourmet pizza is handled with care and prepared carefully for each consumer. Gourmet pizza is the creme of the crop; it will undoubtedly leave you satisfied.

So many options

You can have your pizza made exactly as you want it. Many pizza places literally have a “build your own pie” option. Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, pineapple, anchovies, olives, chicken, BBQ chicken, thin crust, fat crust, deep dish, garlic crust, cheesy crust…the list goes on and on. Pizza is what you make it, that’s one of the reasons it is so popular. The opportunity to have something made exactly how we want it makes us happy. Just as we express ourselves in life, we express ourselves in pizza.

Great for parties!

What is the most common meal served at a party? It’s pizza! Parties present the challenges of feeding a large amount of people, as well as feeding the large amount of people something they all like. Pizza overcomes both challenges. Whether it’s a Super Bowl party, an office party, or a party for your kid’s sports team, pizza is an easy and effective food selection. Select a variety of pizzas, have it delivered or catered, and you’re all set. Your guests will be happy and full, ready to enjoy the remaining fun.

Pizza is accessible

Pizza is everywhere. You can buy pizza at the grocery store, at a shop, at the mall, or at a restaurant. Not only can you be in and out of a store with a pizza in a matter of minutes, but you can also have it delivered right to your door step. We all live busy lives. Pizza is a convenient option that doesn’t force you off your daily path.

Salad is an option

For those of you who prefer salad over pizza, you don’t have to worry. Practically every pizza place now offers salad. You no longer have to put up with your pizza-loving friends and be forced to go to a pizza place when you don’t even want pizza. Now, you can tag along and still have your salad. Many pizza joints offer various pastas as well.

In retrospect, pizza may not be good for your health, but it’s good for your life. It’s tasty, diverse, welcoming, and accessible. If reading this made you hungry for some pizza, contact or visit Classic Chicago Gourmet Pizza. We service via sit-down, delivery, and catering. Feel free to look through our menu. We have salad, too!