HOMEMADE CHICAGO-STYLE PIZZA

 INGREDIENTS:

 For the dough:

3¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup yellow cornmeal

1½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1¼ cups  room temperature water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

4 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

 1 teaspoon + 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

 For the sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup grated onion

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1  can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

¼ teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

Black pepper, freshly ground

 For the toppings:

1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

(pepperoni)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 Preparation:

Prepare the dough: Mix the flour, corn flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.

Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed with a dough hook until completely combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until  dough is shiny, smooth and pulls away from side of  bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can easily do this by hand by combining water and butter with a spatula and then kneading by hand.)

Coat a large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil.Using a greased spatula, transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes until almost doubled in volume.

Make the sauce: While the dough is rising, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and salt; Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.Add tomatoes and sugar, increase heat  and  simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2½ cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, add basil and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Puff pastry: Place the dough on a dry work surface and roll out into a 38 x 30 cm rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges.Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Flatten the cylinder, seam side down,  into an 18-by-4-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half crosswise. Fold half into thirds like a business letter. Bring the seams together to form a ball. Repeat with  remaining half. Return the balls to the greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in the refrigerator until almost doubled in size, 40 to 50 minutes. Meanwhile, place the oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 200°C.Bake the pizzas: Brush two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons each of olive oil.

Transfer 1 ball of dough  to a dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the pan by loosely rolling it around a rolling pin and rolling it out in the pan. Press the dough lightly into the pan, working into the corners and 1-inch edges. If the dough doesn’t stretch, let it rest for 5 minutes before trying again.Repeat with remaining dough ball.

For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella evenly over the surface of the dough. (If  using  meat or vegetable toppings, add them to the cheese now.) Spread 1¼ cups tomato sauce over the cheese (or toppings) and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over the sauce. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Have fun