Chicago Style Pizza

I'm always on the look out for new and exciting ways to use my springform pan. Especially considering that I have yet to make a cheesecake in it. I mean really. That's why I wanted the darn thing. Anyhow Springform Deep Dish Pizza from Confections of a Foodie Bride is a great recipe to utilize that springform pan for something savory. I made this pizza with leftover spaghetti sauce. This sauce was loaded with sausage, onions, zucchini, garlic, carrots and mushrooms. I also added a hearty layer of pepperoni slices in between the two layers of dough.

Blockette hated this because she likes a thin crust pizza, and this bad boy is about as far from a thin crust pizza as you can get. Mrblocko thought it could use more sauce and more cheese. I thought it was perfect. It was even scrumptious cold. But let's get real here, doesn't ALL pizza taste good cold?

There is one thing you need to be careful of with this recipe, your springform pan size. Mine is a 9 inch pan. The recipe calls for a 10 inch pan. If you use a 9 inch pan, you will have a LOT of leftover dough. When I say a lot, I mean I had enough dough to make a large thin crust pizza.

Since we had so much deep dish pizza, I kept the extra uncooked dough in the frige for 5 days before I made it into a thin crust pizza. The dough developed a monster bubble after the first day. So don't be alarmed if yours behaves the same way.

Deep Dish Pizza from Confessions of a Foodie Bride
For the dough:
1 3/4 cup warm water, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing bowl and springform pan
4 cups (22 oz) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the pizza:
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded fresh mozzarella
Fillings of your choice (we used cooked italian sausage, pepperoni, and pineapple chunks)

Put 1/2 c warm water into bowl of stand mixer and stir in sugar til dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over  top and let stand til frothy, 5 min. Add remaining water and oil. Add flour and salt to stand mixer bowl fitted with hook. Mix on low til flour combined and then turn up speed and knead til dough is smooth and elastic, 5 min. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl (I remove the dough, oil the stand mixer bowl, and put the dough back in… one less dirty dish). Cover with plastic wrap til doubles in volume, 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 2pieces, 2/3 and 1/3" size. Gently form into 2 balls, cover with damp cloth, and let dough relax 10 min. Assemble a 10" spring form pan and oil bottom and inside ring. Shape larger piece of dough into round and drape over springform pan. dough round needs to be large enough to cover bottom and slightly hang over  edges of pan. Use small pieces from other dough ball to patch any trouble spots.

Sprinkle 1/3 cheese over bottom of pan. Top with fillings and cover with half of remaining cheese. Shape remaining dough into a round and drape over springform pan. The dough round should also slightly hang over edge of pan. Taking a rolling and roll over top edge of springform pan to seal  pizza. Tuck crust edges around top of pizza. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut a few steam holes in top crust. Spoon pizza sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 40-45 min til crust is golden and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove pizza from oven and immediately remove ring from pan. Cut into wedges and serve.