Deep Dish Pizza, Do It Yourself




I called up one of my pizza eating friends and suggested we try our hand at making a couple of Deep Dish Pizzas. I blended semolina, all purpose flour, and corn meal for a slight granular crust lightly brushed with a garlic butter egg wash. The pie itself was gratuitously filled with hearty marinara, mozzarella cheese, chicken and meatball or pepperoni. Unsurprisingly, we ate the first pizza in its entirety while waiting for the other! Yes, yes: we were hungry. Have fun with how you fill it up and amaze yourself with a pizza very few will turn away! Enjoy!!

Ingredients
Prep Time: ~2 1/2 hrs
Servings: 2 9" pizzas
(8 slices per pizza)

Pizza Dough
1 3/4 Cups Water, lukewarm
3 Packages of Active Dry Yeast, Rapid Rise
1 Tbsp Sugar, granulated
1 1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, unsalted, melted
1/2 Cup Yellow Corn Meal
1 1/2 Cups Semolina Flour
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour + ~1/2 Cup for kneading

Egg Wash
1 Egg Yolk
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted, melted
Garlic Salt, to sprinkle

Filling
CHOOSE WHAT YOU LIKE
3-4 Cups Marinara Sauce
[See Marinara, Made Simple]
4 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
[Recommended: Deli Mozzarella, not pre-packaged]


Pizza Dough: In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the 1/4 cup of the water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Allow to sit for five minutes until foamy. Add in the remaining water and melted butter. Add in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, starting with the corn meal and ending with the all purpose flour until dough is pliable. Lightly knead on a floured surface until no longer sticky and form into a ball. Set aside in a lightly greased bowl and cover and let rise for 2 hours.



Lightly punch the dough in half and divide into two balls. Place each in a lightly greased 9" springform pan and press the dough against the bottom and sides leaving about 1/3 room from the top. Forming the dough within the pan is much like making a shortbread or graham cracker crust: press until the shape of the crust is there and let the weight of the filling take care of the rest.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



To Fill:
  1. Divide the cheese and marinara into thirds and the chosen filling into two. 
  2. Sprinkle the first third of the cheese directly onto the dough, followed by the first third of marinara sauce. Lightly sprinkle with cheese from the second third and place the first layer of fillings. 
  3. Layer with the second third of marinara and cheese, followed by the second half of filling. 
  4. Finish with the last third of the marinara and cheese. If desiring a pizza with a topping of marinara, complete the final layer with cheese then marinara. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
  5. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg and melted butter (cooled to lukewarm) and brush onto the edges of the crust followed by a light sprinkle of the garlic salt (or grated parmesan cheese). Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.


Lightly run a knife around the edges of the pan and allow the pizzas to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.  Slice using a serrated blade.







Nutrition Info (1 Slice): (Coming Soon!!)
Calories , Total Fat: g, Sat. Fat: g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: mg, Carb: g, Fiber: g, Sugars: g, Protein: g

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