Let’s take a culinary journey to the heart of the Midwest, where pizza is as rich in history as it is worthy of a taste. Don’t forget what you learned about Chicago’s thicker style. Today, we will cut the less popular, but at the same time favorite, thin-crust pizza of the city.
Kenji López-Alt, a name inseparable from the magic of food science, spent a tempting five months on the road to developing the recipe for this provincial delight. His experience was not for the faint of heart – it included late-night pizza texts, a long-distance eating contest, and an intimate relationship with flour, pretzels, and chopped tomatoes. His dedication to the art has given us a game-changing process to achieve the fresh exterior we desire in our custom kitchens.
Chicago thin crust pizza, also known as tavern-style or Midwestern thin crust, is a wonder of the pizza world. It works just as well when distributed among a rowdy crowd at a bar as it does in the mouth of a lone diner. Picture this: a crust so thin it could be mistaken for delicious but with a crunch that resonates with every bite. It’s a layer of heavily spiced sauce and golden caramelized mozzarella, often garnished with hand-torn sausages and maybe a little fiery giardiniera. This is not your New York pizza with puffy edges; The Chicago thin crust has sauce and cheese to a crispy, almost blackened edge.
Now let’s talk about the cut – this pizza is traditionally cut into small squares, so it’s perfect for popping straight into your mouth without considering the consequences. It turns the phrase “I’ll just have one bite” into a real test of willpower, with each bite a bite-sized invitation to treat yourself to a batch.
Crafting Your Own Chicago Thin Crust Pizza at Home
You’ve probably heard of Chicago-style thin-crust pizzas and want to try them. Well, you’re in luck because I’m here to walk you through the process of making the best homemade Chicago thin-crust sausage pizza. Let’s start by preparing some of the ingredients.
- 1/2 cup warm skim milk (about 110 degrees F)
- 1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn or vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Semolina flour, for sprinkling
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 4 ounces sliced pepperoni (or any other you like)
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated skim-milk low-moisture mozzarella
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella
- 1 cup giardiniera, roughly chopped if large pieces
- 8 ounces bulk sweet Italian sausage, broken up into small pieces
Every good pizza rests on a foundation: its dough. This pasta was inspired by Bryan Roof of America’s Test Kitchen, who learned from the old-school masters at Vito and Nick’s Pizzeria. In addition to being easy to manage and assemble, it also cooks to a thin, crispy, firm edge that can withstand mountains of toppings.
The Perfect Dough: Simple Yet Effective
Put the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Measure out your cold water and stir in the olive oil. With the processor running, pour the water-oil combo into the feed tube. Process until the dough forms a shaggy ball and clears the sides of the bowl.
Lightly spray your countertop with cooking spray and turn the dough onto it. Knead it a time or two and shape it into a ball. Spray a bowl with cooking spray, place the dough inside, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise on the counter until doubled in size; this is generally 2 to 2 ½ hours.
Preparing Toppings: Authentic and Adventurous Choices
Now, while your dough is proofing, you can go about toppings. To be authentically Chicagoan, though, you’ll whip up an easy no-cook pizza sauce and do a nice fresh grating of mozz to ensure perfectly melted pies. And let’s not forget about that sausage. This showstopper. You can do the recipe justice by adding some of their heat with your Calabrian chili honey sausage, or go old school and use up those little nubs from a package of plain old sausage.
Baking: Bringing it All Together
Around 45 minutes before your mixture is prepared, place your pizza stone in the broiler on the base rack and preheat it to a searing 475°. In the event that you’re sufficiently fortunate to have a twofold stove and two pizza stones, you can cook the two pizzas without a moment’s delay. If not, you’ll be heating up them each in turn.
When the mixture has risen, move it to a softly floured counter. Partition it into two equivalent pieces and sprinkle each with flour. Utilizing your fingertips, structure every half into a little round plate, then carry them out into around 12-inch circles with a moving pin, involving extra flour depending on the situation.
Sprinkle your pizza peel with cornmeal. If you don’t have a peel, you can use the back of a sheet pan or a rimless cookie sheet. Transfer the dough onto the peel, making sure it slides easily on the cornmeal. If it doesn’t, sprinkle on a bit more.
It’s time to get saucy! Spread about ½ cup of your pizza sauce over the dough, then add your desired toppings and about 6 ounces of mozzarella cheese. Before you transfer your pizza to the oven, give it a little shimmy to ensure it will slide off the peel. If it sticks, lift the edge and toss some more cornmeal underneath.
Slide your pizza onto the hot pizza stone and bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on how dark and crispy your crust is. We’re aiming for those dark, crispy edges and a well-browned top, just like at Vito and Nick’s.
Savoring Your Creation
After removing it from the broiler, let the pizza cool for a moment before cutting it into large squares. Top it with freshly grated parmesan, a pinch of ground red pepper, and maybe a drizzle of oil for the occasion.
Remember that the best part of making pizza at home is knowing the different repair options. Whether you seriously love the exemplary hot dog or are brave enough to try pickled peppers and stewed honey, the conceivable results are immeasurable. Also, remember that extra salted pepper or cooked wieners can be kept in the fridge ready for the next pizza night.
Related posts:
Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Chicago Thin Crust Pizza
