Deep Dish Pizza

When Will Moore came to visit me in Chicago, I signed us up for the cooking classes I thought he would enjoy. It was a win-win; I did some things that I never would have tried otherwise: homemade pasta, this Deep Dish pizza, and funnel cakes. Will stood at the stove piping funnel cakes into hot oil for everyone in our entire class.

This recipe is a favorite on Hickory Hill. Last year for an Oscar party, I made mini-Deep Dish pizzas in muffin tins for the VFW. They all chose their own toppings!

1 1/2 cup warm water

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

~ Combine water, yeast, and sugar and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

~ Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour, semolina, oil and salt, mixing by hand until incorporated and mixture is smooth. Continue adding flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, about 3-5 minutes.

~ Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or refrigerate overnight.

~ Divide into 2 equal portions.

~ Press crust into cast iron skillet that has been lightly dusted with semolina flour.

~ Layer with toppings, sauce*, and cheese.

~ Bake at 375º F for 23 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.

* - Using muffin tins made it easy to make some gluten-free crust ones for the Supkos!