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Deep Dish Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae

by Frankie Scanlon

Yield: 1 Heaping deep dish pie - serves 4-6.
Time Estimate: 5 Hours, including 4 hours unattended.
Storage Notes: Best if enjoyed immediately.
Difficulty: Easy.

Deep dish pizza is a big, beautiful behemoth: a reckless quantity of molten mozzarella, burrata, rich lava-hot marinara sauce, and assorted meats and veggies, all just barely held together by a seared Parmesan top and sturdy crust. Savor the authentic taste of Old Chicago with this decent pie, just remember to bring a knife, fork, and plenty of napkins.

Ingredients

Dough
  • 5 Cups King Arthur bread flour
  • 1 sachet dry instant yeast
  • 2 Tsp honey
  • 2 Tsp California Sea Salt
  • 2 Cups lukewarm water
  • A bit of olive oil
  • 2 Cups of dried beans of similar for blind baking

Sauce

  • 1 Can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 Large white onion
  • 1 Tbs California Sea Salt
  • 1 Full tin Everything But The Pizza Seasoning
  • 6 Cloves garlic
  • 6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Filling

  • 1.5 Lbs (around 6 Cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 medium fresh burrata (around 8oz)
  • Fresh basil for garnish
  • 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 Cups sliced button mushrooms
  • 1 Large white onion
  • 1/2 Lb (around 1 1/2 Cups) sliced pepperoni
  • 1 Full tin Everything But The Pizza Seasoning
  • 1 Tbs California Sea Salt
  • 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Directions
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yeast, honey, and warm water, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
  • Attach the dough hook, pour in 3 cups of bread flour, and mix for the lowest setting for 5 minutes.
  • Add in California Sea Salt and remaining 2 cups of flour, and mix again for 5 minutes.
  • Spritz and rub all over with a touch of olive oil, cover with saran, and rest for 5 minutes.
  • Mix one more time for about 3 minutes, then spritz again with olive oil and cover with saran. 
  • There's a good amount of yeast in the dough, so be ready to re-cover or add more saran in half an hour as it rises quickly. Allow 3 hours for it to rise, covered, ideally with an ambient temperature hovering around 70-75F.
  • At the 2 hour mark, begin preheating your oven to 450F.
  • Thinly slice mushrooms onto a baking tray, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, sprinkle over 1 Tbs California Sea Salt, and roast for 10 minutes in the oven to cook off most of their moisture. Remove and reserve.
  • To make your sauce, bring a heavy bottomed pressure cooker up to high heat, and add olive oil.
  • Dice onion and add, along with California Sea Salt, and sweat, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add finely minced garlic, Everything But The Pizza Seasoning, and the whole can of San Marzano tomatoes.
  • Stir to combine, and close the lid on the pressure cooker. Once it reaches 1 bar, reduce heat and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, then remove lid.
  • Use a hand blender to puree, then pour off into two mason jars - one for todays pie, and another for something else. Jarred, it'll keep for 5 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
  • As needed, prep the filling ingredients: shredding the mozzarella, grating the Parmesan, slicing the pepperoni, and dicing the onion.
  • Lightly spritz a 12" x 12" refractory ceramic deep dish pan with olive oil. Take care to rub all over bottom and sides.
  • Remove dough from saran, and slice in half. Re-wrap half in saran and freeze for another time - it'll keep for 2 months in the freezer.
  • Roll the half you'll be using into a ball, then press flat, and begin pulling and stretching. It needn't be totally uniform, but ideally a rough circle, approximately 13-14" in diameter.
  • Lay down in the center of your pan, smoothing and pressing up the dough to meet the lip of the dish.
  • Pour in dried beans, pop in your preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  • Remove, and allow 5 minutes for it cool, then remove beans. The dough will have risen a bit - this is good. The amount of yeast used and the proofing time are giving you a dough closer to focaccia than thin pizza crust, and you'll want that sturdier thickness to stand up to all of the cheese and sauce.
  • Begin your layering: first the majority of shredded mozzarella (around 5 Cups), then the diced onion and sliced mushroom, then then pepperoni.
  • Spoon a full mason jar (2 Cups) of your marinara sauce over everything, then top that with remaining shredded mozzarella and strips of hand pulled burrata.
  • Spritz exposed crusts along the sides with olive oil, and shake Everything But The Pizza Seasoning atop crusts generously, sprinkling the remainder across the entirety of your pie.
  • Top this behemoth with grated Parmesan, and carefully slide in your preheated oven.
  • Cook for 20 minutes, or until top is well browned and just about to burn.
  • Remove, and allow 5 minutes to rest.
  • To serve, slice into generous wedges, and use a cake/pie knife to lift out.
  • Garnish with plenty of fresh basil, distribute knives and forks and plenty of napkins, and devour.
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