Chicago Tavern-style Pizza V2
Most people know about Chicago Deep dish pizza, fewer of the local thin crust variety that many (matter of fact, most) of us locals eat on the regular. That’s right, I’m talking about Tavern-style pizza. Thin cracker crust, blistered cheese, spicy sausage/giardiniera on top and cut into SQUARES, tavern-style crust IS Chicago pizza.
I want to toss a big shoutout to John Carruthers of the esteemed Crust Fund Pizza (@nachosandlager) Pop-up for letting me run a special for a pizza drop. John’s research and techniques are top tier and I wouldn’t have been able to make this video without him. If you’re ever in Chicago, check to see if he’s running a pizza drop for that month, you’ll be glad that you did.
The full recipe for classic Chicago tavern style pizza is below. The recipe includes how to make the dough, sauce, and how to bake the pizza. It also includes some recommendations for toppings, gear that I find useful for making professional-level pizza at home and a few other blurbs. I hope you guys dig the video and, more importantly, the recipe! Let’s make some pizza
🤘🏼 Adam
Chicago-style Tavern Pizza (thin crust)
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large food processor with a dough blade, process the flour, cornmeal, water, and olive oil on the dough setting until it forms into a mass and begins to ride the blade. Count to 30 and stop. Rest 20 minutes.
- Free the dough from the blade, add the yeast and process for another 30 seconds. Rest 20 minutes.
- Add salt and sugar, process for another 30 seconds and remove from the bowl.
- Divide into four equal portions of about 295 grams each. Tuck the corners and form each into a ball.
- Dip your fingertips in olive oil, coat the outside of the balls, and plop each into a separate 32-ounce deli container. Close the lids, let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature and refrigerate overnight, but preferably 5-7 days. The slow cold ferment makes the magic happen.
- Melt butter and olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and toast for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and stir while cooking for another minute or two.
- Add all the dried herbs, chili flakes, sugar, salt, vinegar and tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes into the sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until reduced and thicker.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree everything together until smooth. Season with fish sauce, taste and adjust if needed. Chill down slightly before using or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Preheat your oven to 550F (or 500F) with a pizza steel, stone or sheet tray situated on the middle rack, then allow it to charge with heat for at least one hour before baking.
- Build the pizza by ladling on 5 ounces of sauce and spreading it thin on the entire pizza EDGE TO EDGE. Sprinkle on 6 ounces of Mozzarella cheese and 2 ounces of grated Parmesan. Place a ½ pound of Italian sausage and ⅓ cup giardiniera on top, then finish with a small handful of Mozzarella and a light dusting of Parmesan.
- Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, rotating at the 8 minute mark. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing into SQUARES. Crack a brew and enjoy. You earned it.
Adam's White Pie Special
Ingredients
Instructions
- Three days before you’d like to make pizza, in a large container, mix the heavy cream and buttermilk. Cover with a cheesecloth or lid set slightly ajar to allow the creme fraiche to breath, but keep unwanted stuff like dust and bugs out. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours, then mix and refrigerate for another 24 hours. After 24 hours in the fridge, the cream mixture should be thickened and tangy- congrats, you now have creme fraiche. Keep in a sealable container in the fridge until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the heads of garlic in half and seasoned with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap in foil and bake on a sheet tray for 40-50 minutes, or until soft and browned. Store in a sealed container in the fridge until needed.
- Toast all of the peppercorns in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Grind the peppercorns to a fine powder and store in a container at room temperature until needed.
- Remove the garlic from the skin. Add the creme fraiche, peppercorn powder and peeled roasted garlic cloves to a blender and season with a pinch of salt. Puree until smooth and the peppercorns are speckled in the mix. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Keep in a sealable container in the fridge until needed. This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
- Lay down the cured and docked dough. Spoon on the creme fraiche, sprinkle with cheeses, tear speck over the top, then disperse the Swiss chard.
- Bake in a 550F oven for 10-12 minutes, rest and slice in squares.
FAQ
How do I use my frozen pizza dough?
First, it’s best if you allow the dough to fully ferment in the fridge for 2-7 days BEFORE freezing. Think about it, we want to allow it to develop flavor, then freeze it at it’s peak. Three days before making pizza remove the dough from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to temper for 2 hours before rolling it out. Roll the dough out (see recipe/video), then follow through with the recipe from there.
What gear do I need to make pizza at home?
If you’re serious about baking pizza at home, you’ll want to invest in a few pieces of special gear; doing so will take your homemade pizza from good to very, very good. I’ll leave some links to the stuff that I use below. Just so that it’s all on the table - some of these links will be affiliate links meaning that I get a small kickback when you make a purchase. Thanks in advance for supporting my work :)
Pizza Steel - not affiliate
Pizza Peel (metal) - not affiliate
What topping combos do you recommend?
I’m partial to a meat/giardiniera combo. I love a classic sausage, excuse me “sassssidge” as it’s said here in Chicago and giardiniera. Pep and giard is another great choice. Make it your own! Add what you like and report back, how did it turn out? Have fun with it.
How can I make the dough in my stand mixer?
Start by adding water, olive oil, bread flour and cornmeal to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Process the dough until it becomes homogenous, then let it run for 30 seconds, cut the power and walk away. 20 minutes later... add the yeast, run the machine for another 30 seconds, cut the power and walk away. 20 minutes later... add salt and sugar, then process the dough for another 30 seconds, until the salt and sugar are incorporated into the dough. From here, follow the steps as you would in the original recipe.
How can I make the dough by hand?
Start by adding water, olive oil, bread flour and cornmeal to a large mixer bowl. Knead the dough until it comes together. Once homogenous, knead vigorously for 1 minute, then stop and walk away. 20 minutes later... add in the yeast and knead vigorously for 1 minute, stop kneading and walk away. 20 minutes later...add salt and sugar, then knead for another 2 minutes or until the salt and sugar are incorporated into the dough. From here, follow the steps as you would in the original recipe.
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