The Deep Dish

My first mission for this recipe was to make the crust. How was I going to get it thick and fluffy, airy inside and slightly crisp outside? I used my bread machine to make the dough (use beer in lieu of water if you have it, and add oregano and basil to the dry ingredients) and found a round cake pan to press it into. I went about halfway up the sides, as I didn’t want it to rise over the top of the pan, then I pre-baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, just until it rose and the crust was barely beginning to brown.

The pre-baking worked well. It ensured that my crust had a crisp bottom, and it gave me a solid form to load my ingredients into. The end result was a crusty exterior, an airy interior, and a great overall thickness. I might pre-bake every crust from now on.

But! When it came time to remove the pizza from the pan, I couldn’t. The next day, I went and bought a springform pan and tried the recipe in that. It worked perfectly. You can find quality springforms for under 20 bucks. I bought mine at the Faberware outlet for $8.99. Get a nice heavy duty, non-stick model that’s easy to work.

For the sauce, I opened a can of whole tomatoes and crushed them. But I wanted a thicker base and the smokier flavor of tomato sauce in addition to the nice acidity and chunkiness of the whole tomatoes. The solution, I found, was half of a 4.5 oz. can of tomato paste. I mixed it into the tomatoes, along with garlic, basil, oregano, and black pepper.

Overall, I found it to be well-balanced, with enough crust and sauce to make it deep dish. Traditionally, you eat deep dish with a knife and fork. I tried to convince my husband of this, but he insisted on picking it up anyway. Whatever. It was tasty!

Ingredients (for two pizzas):

2 lbs. dough
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese
14 oz. whole tomatoes
2 oz. tomato paste
pepperoni, green pepper, mushrooms, or ingredients of your choice
garlic power, basil, oregano, pepper, or other spices of your choice
Parmesan cheese

Special Equipment:

springform pan

1. Make your dough. Form it into your pan, only extending halfway up the sides, and making the sides slightly thicker than the bottom. Pre-bake crust in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until the crust has risen and is just slightly browning.

2. To your pre-baked crust, add a thick layer of mozzarella on the bottom.

3. Layer your pepperoni, diced green peppers, sliced mushrooms, or ingredients of your choosing, over the top of the cheese. Use ingredients liberally.

4. Add a light layer of cheese over the top of your chosen ingredients.

5. Top with a thick layer of sauce.

6. Finely grate Parmesan cheese over the top of the sauce.

7. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until Parmesan is melting and the crust is golden brown.

8. Pop out of the springform pan, and let cool slightly before cutting.

Two pizzas will serve 3 people easily, 4 people if you have other dishes or light eaters.