I recently looked at my website’s stats and came to find out that Chicago is my most popular city in the US. I have more Chicago readers than any other place in this country. That’s crazy awesome because I love Chicago. As a little tribute to my #1 city, I’m finishing one blow-out year with a Chicago inspired recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

1 c. water

1 pkg yeast

1/3 c. corn oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 lb Bread Flour

Pizza Sauce:

28 oz plum Roma tomatoes (or San Marzano (my favorite) tomatoes – less ¼ c of the sauce before you mush it)

1/2 tsp salt

a pinch of basil

a pinch of oregano

fresh ground black pepper

Toppings:

16 oz. mozzarella about 4 c. Low-moisture part-skim (NOT low fat. It won’t turn out good if you use low fat)

Pepperoni

Italian sausage uncooked pinched into little pieces

DIRECTIONS

Crust:

In a bowl, put water (lukewarm), then yeast, oil, cream of tartar, and sugar. Mix with hand until yeast dissolves.

Pour in bread flour a little at a time. Mix with your hand. Just curve your hand like a dough hook and hold the bowl and mix. Then, knead it until it gets firm. Add more flour if needed.

The secret is kneading. Knead it for about 10 minutes straight. Then, roll it into a ball, and put it in a bowl with oil brushed in the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let sit overnight unrefrigerated. Only let it rise once. Portion and use.

Pizza Sauce:

Take the tomatoes and sauce and place them into a bowl. Using a potato masher or just your hands, mash the tomatoes up so that there are no chunks bigger around than a quarter.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Do not use too much basil or oregano.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare your deep dish pizza pan (or a round cake pan with straight sides) by coating the inside of it with a very healthy coating of melted butter or oil.

Roll the dough out to about 3 inches larger than the bottom of the pan, then place inside the pan and pinch the dough up along the sides.

Now put the cheese in (right on the crust). Then add the pepperoni and sausage pieces, and finally the sauce (Don’t worry, the sausage will cook through completely in the oven).

Bake in the oven until the crust is starting to brown and cheese is starting to bubble up through the sauce. The little edges of the pepperoni should also be starting to crisp and the sausage should be cooked through (about 45 minutes).

Enjoy!