Deep Dish Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae

Deep Dish Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae

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, like this handsome one from Emile Henry, 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.
If you'd like to acquire this handsome ceramic deep dish pizza pan, head over Emile Henry and take 20% off, site wide, with code GV20.