Amazing Deep Dish Pizza

Deep dish pizza, especially homemade deep dish pizza, is one of those things that literally oozes with satisfaction.  To me, the perfect deep dish pizza crust has a slightly crisp outside edge, but a gooey, chewy, tender all around crust.  I’ve tried about ten different deep dish pizza recipes in the last few years and none of them can top this one, which is adapted from Baking Illustrated (every home baker should own this book).

I’d like to preface this recipe by saying that it looks harder and more time consuming than it actually is.  Read through the whole thing before beginning.  Also, you can easily freeze this dough.  Like my Amish Dinner Rolls recipe, this dough calls for the use of a potato.  You can also use instant mashed potatoes if you wish.  Do not omit or try to substitute this ingredient.  It’s an essential part to this fabulous homemade deep dish pizza recipe.

Notes:

• If you do not have a food processor, no worries.  Just mix it all by hand and knead it up until the dough feels smooth and supple.
• Yes, it’s a lot of olive oil, but this helps the crust crisp up nicely and in the end, it’s just right.

Makes one 14-inch deep dish crust or two 9-inch crusts.  It’s also good in a 13×9 pan, as illustrated above.

Ingredients:

1 medium russet potato, about 9 ounces, peeled and quartered (or 1 and 1/3 cup instant potatoes, prepared)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the bowl
Toppings as you wish

1. Bring 1 quart water and the potato to a boil.  Cook until tender.  Drain and cool until it can comfortably be handled.  Press through the fine disk on a potato ricer, or grate through the large holes on a box grater.  Measure 1 1/3 cups lightly packed potato and discard the rest.

2.  Adjust one oven rack to the highest position and the other to the lowest.  Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Once it reaches 200, maintain the heat for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat.

3. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor.  With the motor running, add water and process until until dough comes together in a shaggy ball. Add the potato and process for several seconds, then add 2 T. of the oil and process several more seconds, until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. Transfer to a lightly oiled medium bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the warmed oven until the dough is soft and spongy and about doubled in size, about 30-35 minutes.

Add Potatoes to the Dough

4. Oil the bottom of the 14-inch deep-dish pizza pan with remaining 4 Tbsp of oil.  Yes, it seems like a lot of oil, but the oil is what browns the crust while it’s baking in the oven. It’s VERY important. Do NOT sub spray if you want that nice, golden crust.  Remove th dough and gently punch down on a clean, dry work surface.  Pat into a 12-inch round and transfer to the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest about 10 minutes, until it no longer resists shaping.

Mmmm. Olive Oil.

5. Place a pizza stone or inverted rimless baking sheet in the oven on the lowest rack (do NOT use an insulated cookie sheet) and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Uncover the dough and pull it into the edges and up the sides of the pan to form a 1-inch lip. Cover again, and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 30 minutes, until about doubled.  Uncover and pierce generously with a fork.

Getting the crust ready for baking

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake on the heated stone or inverted baking sheet until the crust is dry and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

7. Now add your desired toppings and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Move the pizza to the top rack and bake until the cheese is golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes longer.

The crust, before topping