Pizza is an absolute favorite around here, and this pizza explodes with flavor! We eat this pizza as a once-in-a-while treat because it is definitely a splurge. A must try if you are a pizza fan, however. A Chicago-style pizza has the cheese on the bottom and the sauce on the top because it has a long baking time and the sauce on the top prevents the cheese from burning. This layering method works wonders for the flavor as well. The diced tomato sauce roasts on the top of the pizza, melting the cheese into a gooey center, all held together with a thick crust. I’m getting hungry just writing about it!
This recipe comes with a whole wheat homemade crust. If you are nervous about playing with yeast, don’t worry. Pizza crust is a great place to start if you want to learn to make bread; it’s a lot of the same steps, but more simple. You should always sift your flour, or lightly spoon it into the measuring cup, to ensure you don’t use too much. I have a heavy hand when sifting, so I included the weight of flour used in the recipe. You do not need a scale to make this recipe, but if your dough ball fells dry, don’t add more flour in kneading. The dough should feel slightly tacky when you’re finished. Below (left) you can see my kneaded dough ball, coated with oil. After one hour, it had risen greatly (below right) and was ready to form a crust.
Punch down the risen dough and form in into your oiled cast iron, or cake pan, pushing it slightly up the sides. Let this rest while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
After filling and baking, make sure to let this pizza cool because it holds heat well. We prefer a traditional cheese and tomato pizza but you could include other toppings in your pizza. Those toppings should be layered between the cheese and sauce so that they do not burn in the oven. Enjoy!
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 tsp yeast
- ½ tsp sugar
- 5 ½ oz whole wheat flour (~1 cup)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 TBS olive oil, divided
- 4 oz all purpose flour, divided (~ ¾ cup)
- 8 whole plum tomatoes from a can (~ ½ a 28 oz can)
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 1 TBS grated parmesan
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp red pepper flake
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 TBS grated parmesan
- Heat water to 110°F (I use the microwave; *see notes). Mix in sugar and yeast and let rest until it starts to get foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Sift whole wheat flour into a measuring cup. Combine with salt in a large bowl. Pour yeast mixture and 2 TBS oil over flour and stir until well mixed. Add about ½ cup all purpose flour (3 oz) and stir until it is too difficult, then switch to kneading.
- Dust your kneading surface with a ½ oz (~2 TBS) of remaining flour. Dump the dough ball onto the floured surface and knead with the palm of your hand, pressing the dough out and folding it back in repeatedly. Add the remaining ½ oz of flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes, until it is smooth and slightly elastic.
- Pour 1 TBS of olive oil into your dough bowl and roll the kneaded dough ball in oil to prevent drying out while rising. Let rise in the bowl in a draft free place (I like to place it in the microwave) for about 1 hour. It should double in size.
- After the dough has risen, coat a 10 inch cast iron skillet, or cake pan, with remaining TBS oil. Punch down the dough and press into the skillet, pushing it slightly up the sides.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Let dough rest while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Finely dice the tomatoes and mix in a bowl with remaining sauce ingredients.
- Place mozzarella over the pizza crust. Top with sauce, spread to coat evenly. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Cut into 6 slices for serving.
