Deep Dish Pizza

Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages quick-rising yeast
• 2 cups tepid water (90 degrees)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and squished
• 1 teaspoon basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, for topping
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe

• 1 in the bowl of your electric mixer- kitchenaid is perfect for this- dissolve the yeast in the water.
• 2 add the oils, cornmeal, and 3 cups of the flour.
• 3 beat for 10 minutes with the mixer.
• 4 add the dough hook and mix in the additional 2½ cups flour.
• 5 knead for several minutes with the machine.
• 6 it is hard to do this by hand since the dough is very rich and moist.
• 7 pour out the dough on a plastic countertop and cover with a very large metal bowl.
• 8 allow to rise double in bulk.
• 9 punch down and allow to rise again.
• 10 punch down a second time and you are ready to make your pizza.
• 11 oil round cake pans or deep dish pizza pan.
• 12 put a bit of dough in each and push it out to the edges, using your fingers.
• 13 put in enough dough so that you can run the crust right up the side of the pan.
• 14 try to make it approximately 1/8" thick throughout the pan.
• 15 the filling for 9 or 10 inch pan:.
• 16 place the cheese in tilelike layers on the bottom of the pie.
• 17 next put in the tomatoes and the basil, oregano, garlic and salt- reserve the parmesan cheese for the top.
• 18 drizzle the olive oil over the top of the pie and bake.
• 19 additional variations: before you put on the parmesan cheese and olive oil drizzle you might like to add any or all of the following:.
• 20 italian sausage- hot or mild.
• 21 yellow onions- peeled and sliced or diced.
• 22 pepperoni- sliced thin.
• 23 mushrooms- sliced.
• 24 green sweet bell peppers- cored and sliced thin.
• 25 sliced black olives.
• 26 very thinly sliced ham or canadian bacon.
• 27 put any or all of these on your pie and then top with the parmesan and the olive oil.
• 28 bake the pie in 475º oven until the top is golden and gooey and the crust a light golden brown.
• 29 this should take about 35-40 minutes.