Recipe: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza - Mega Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of pizza dough
• 1 cup of grated provolone cheese
• 1 pound of cooked sausage
• 10-oz can of artichoke hearts
• 1/3 cup of grated parmesan

Instructions

Step 1

Chicago Pizza Dough
All right, we're going to start with 1 1/2 pounds of pizza dough. You can buy that at the store or make it yourself. Any recipe that makes enough for 2 pizzas will work. Divide it not quite in half - like 55-45% because the bottom is going to be a little bigger. So take the larger of the two pieces on a floured board and roll it out about 1/8th inch thick.

Step 2

Arrange the Pizza Dough in the Pan
I'm going to use a 10-inch springform pan. So I want it about 4-5 inches larger than the pan. Place it in and press it against the sides. Make sure it overlaps at least an inch or so. Make sure its nice and form-fitting. A little extra is fine because we are going to go around with scissors and trim the extra. You can add that to the other dough.

Step 3

Layer the Deep Dish Pizza Ingredients
We're going to throw in 1 cup of grated provolone cheese, 1 pound of cooked sausage, and I'm going to put in a 10-oz can of artichoke hearts. The fillings are really up to you. Top that with more cheese, 1/3 cup of grated parmesan.

Step 4

Add More Pizza Dough
Now to top that, roll the other piece of dough to the same thickness and place that over the top. It's going to overlap a bit. By the way, if that looks dark it's because I used whole grain pizza dough. Trim again with the scissors. And then go around with your finger tips and roll and press the top dough into the bottom dough. Very simple. Don't worry too much about what it looks like because when it bakes it will look beautiful.

Step 5

Layer Chicago Pizza Ingredients on Top
Then take a parry knife and poke some whole to release the steam. Top with 1 cup of pizza sauce. Not to much, you don't want to weigh it down with sauce. Just enough to cover it. Place 4-oz of fresh mozzarella cheese and about 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Step 6

Bake the Chicago-Style Pizza
Bake at 375 degrees F., for 45 minutes. It has to cook for a while so all that dough can cook and it won't be all soggy. If you notice it getting too brown put some foil over for the last few minutes of cooking. As soon as you can handle it snap off the springform ring and use a spatula to remove the pizza from the bottom and let it cool for at least 10 - 15 minutes.

Step 7

Serve the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Then of course the good part; slice it, serve it…look at that. Unreal, its so delicious. I'm from New York so I love thin crust, but there is nothing like a good thick stuffed Chicago-style deep-dish pizza for a change of pace. Hey, you get like a free loaf of Italian bread going around the outside. Really nice. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy.