Chicago Style Gluten Free Pizza
Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza is a creature unto itself. The crust is supposed to be crisp, flaky, and tender all at once. It should also have a distinct buttery and yeasty flavor. Work is required to get these results, but it’s worth it. I usually scoff at the people who say that pizza crust should be the best part of the pizza. I really like toppings! But, this crust made me understand what those people were talking about.
You’ll need some extra tools to make this pizza – aluminum foil, cooking spray, and either a spatula, basting brush, or large spoon. This dough is really soft, and very hard to manipulate. All of the tools above will make it easier (as you’ll see in the accompany video which I HIGHLY recommend that you watch) but this is not a recipe for beginners.
This recipes is a gluten free adaptation of the Chicago Deep Dish pizza in the January 2010 issue of Cook’s Illustrated.
Dough
14.75 oz. (3.25 cups) Mary’s Gluten Free Flour Mix
2.75 oz. (1/2 cup) gluten free cornmeal
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 1/4 tsp. rapid-rise yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. (18 oz.) water
2 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
Sauce
28 oz. diced tomatoes, drained
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
Toppings
1 lb. mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c. grate Parmesan cheese
Dough Instructions: Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in bowl in a large mixing bowl. Add water, melted butter, and 2 Tbsp oil and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 3 – 4 minutes. The dough will be very soft – much like gluten free bread dough. Be sure to watch the video to see the actual consistency in case you need to adjust the amount of water.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl; cover with Saran wrap; and let rise on the countertop for approximately 1 hour.
Now, cover your rolling area with aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray (make sure it’s GF). Turn the dough out onto this surface and then roll it into 15- by 12-inch rectangle using a rolling pin (or your hands if necessary). Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the edges.
Now, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. With the seam side down, flatten the cylinder into a 18- by 4-inch rectangle and then cut the rectangle in half crosswise. Take half the dough and fold it into thirds and then pinch the seams together to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining half.
Return the dough balls to the oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator to rise for another hour.
Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Slide a dough ball out of the oiled bowl and into one of the pans. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. Repeat with the remaining dough ball.
For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from the oven and let the pizza rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Sauce Instructions: Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a medium-size pot over medium heat. Once the sauce is bubbling use a stick blender to puree part of the tomatoes. (Alternatively, remove half of the sauce to a blender or food processer, give it a whiz, and then return this sauce to the pot).