I love being in the kitchen. I really do. The simple process of cleaning, cutting, measuring, stirring....it's soothing. There's nothing better than putting a swinging Latin rhythm on in the background, slipping into an apron, and letting all the worries of the world just melt away, like butter in my saucepan. For a moment, I can get lost, just letting my mind stretch out and wander while my hands do the work, or letting it fall into concentration with the rhythm of chopping onions. It makes me happy. But the best part of course, the end: getting to create happiness and share it with my friends.
Yesterday I decided to create some happiness in the form of Chicago Style Pizza. Could any meal say "love" better than homemade deep dish pizza?
Now any good Illinioan (Illini?) will tell you that it all starts with the dough. And we're not talking your regular pizza crust here, we're talking a soft, buttery, biscuit-y miracle.
Yesterday I decided to create some happiness in the form of Chicago Style Pizza. Could any meal say "love" better than homemade deep dish pizza?
Now any good Illinioan (Illini?) will tell you that it all starts with the dough. And we're not talking your regular pizza crust here, we're talking a soft, buttery, biscuit-y miracle.
Dough was one of those things I used to be afraid of. It seemed like such a complicated process...and a bit brutal to be honest: kneading, rising, punching, kneading. It sounded more like I was going to war than baking bread.
But once I started doing some research into different recipes, it was really fascinating: more like a giant science project than anything else. And well, maybe I'm a bit nerdy, but I just love science.
Now I tried two recipes, both a little different, but with great results. One was an original deep dish recipe, the other was deep dish with a healthy twist. However, in both recipes, there are 2 things you need to do to insure a perfect flaky crust.
1. Proof your yeast.
So here's the thing, yeast are living organisms. And you need to make sure they are alive and kicking before you put them in your bread. Yeast work by metabolizing the starch in flour into simple sugars. In the process they produce carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol which create air bubbles in the dough...causing the dough to, voila, rise! Magical isn't it? In any case, you can kick start the fermentation process by putting your yeast into a bowl with the warm water called for in the recipe. Drop in the sugar called for in the recipe as well, to give your hungry yeast something to munch on. In about 5-10 minutes you should see air bubbles on the surface of the water. That means you have some happy yeast and they are ready to go :) I told it was like a science project!
More info can be found here.
2. Let your dough chill! After you've punched down and kneaded your dough for the first time, put it in the fridge. This chills the butter or oil, which is necessary for the texture. "When cold butter hits a warm oven, it creates pockets of steam, which is how you end up with tons of flaky layers" (Brown Eyed Baker).
But once I started doing some research into different recipes, it was really fascinating: more like a giant science project than anything else. And well, maybe I'm a bit nerdy, but I just love science.
Now I tried two recipes, both a little different, but with great results. One was an original deep dish recipe, the other was deep dish with a healthy twist. However, in both recipes, there are 2 things you need to do to insure a perfect flaky crust.
1. Proof your yeast.
So here's the thing, yeast are living organisms. And you need to make sure they are alive and kicking before you put them in your bread. Yeast work by metabolizing the starch in flour into simple sugars. In the process they produce carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol which create air bubbles in the dough...causing the dough to, voila, rise! Magical isn't it? In any case, you can kick start the fermentation process by putting your yeast into a bowl with the warm water called for in the recipe. Drop in the sugar called for in the recipe as well, to give your hungry yeast something to munch on. In about 5-10 minutes you should see air bubbles on the surface of the water. That means you have some happy yeast and they are ready to go :) I told it was like a science project!
More info can be found here.
2. Let your dough chill! After you've punched down and kneaded your dough for the first time, put it in the fridge. This chills the butter or oil, which is necessary for the texture. "When cold butter hits a warm oven, it creates pockets of steam, which is how you end up with tons of flaky layers" (Brown Eyed Baker).
| Recipe 1 from Brown Eyed Baker 3¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup yellow cornmeal 1½ teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1¼ cups water, room temperature 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon + 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided This recipe focuses on incorporating butter into the dough through a process called "laminating." Its the same idea behind making croissants. Click on the link above to get the full details. | Recipe 2 adapted from Chowhound 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 1/4 cups white flour 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 1/4 cups warm water ½ cup olive oil Mix yeast ¼ cup of warm water, ¼ cup of flour and sugar in a bowl cover and let stand in a warm place for 15~20 minutes then mix in all the other ingredients mix well and let stand covered for about 1.5 hours, punch down and knead for about 5 minutes. Split into two dough balls and refrigerate for at least a half hour (dough may continue to rise a little) before rolling out for two pizzas! |
Take advantage of the time needed for the dough to rise to make your sauce.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup grated onion
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
"Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2½ cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper." (Recipe courtesy Brown Eyed Baker)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup grated onion
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
"Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2½ cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper." (Recipe courtesy Brown Eyed Baker)
And if you have any leftover time, well you can use it to paint your fingernails.
Oooooo pretty.
Oooooo pretty.
Now its time to laminate the dough, if you chose recipe 1 that is. Don't worry if you don't have a rolling pin, you can always improvise :)
Next step, cook up the rest of your toppings.
For Dough Recipe 1, I decided to keep it traditional and go with the standard sausage topping.
For Dough Recipe 2, since it was a healthier version made with whole wheat flour and olive oil, I stayed with the wholesome theme and made sauteed spinach.,
For Dough Recipe 1, I decided to keep it traditional and go with the standard sausage topping.
For Dough Recipe 2, since it was a healthier version made with whole wheat flour and olive oil, I stayed with the wholesome theme and made sauteed spinach.,
The end results were beautiful.
And there wasn't a single piece left-over. In fact, the spinach version, to my surprise, was the first to go. It even provoked the height of Dominican compliments, "Ya te puedes casar," literally translated, "Now you can get married," figuratively, "You really know how to cook."
We spent the rest of the night chatting away, teaching each other salsa steps, and dancing off our meal: food for the body and food for the soul.
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