Pan pizza, or Chicago-style pizza, eschews a thin, crisp, sparsely topped crust in favor of a thick, tender crust loaded with toppings. The unique crust requires a unique dough. Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries
- Prepare the dough with a liberal amount of oil, a little bit of sugar, and milk instead of water. The oil ensures a crisp exterior and the sugar and milk make the crumb soft and tender.
- Proof the dough in a warm oven for a quick rise. Be careful, though; yeast is compromised at temperatures above 140 degrees.
- Treat the dough gently. If overworked it will turn tough. Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin, then gently stretch it over your knuckles to increase its diameter.
- Use a plain tomato sauce (see Basic Pizza Sauce) and choose part-skim mozzarella cheese. Whole-milk mozzarella tastes too rich when paired with the pepperoni.
- To prevent the pepperoni from leaching grease over the top of the pizza, briefly microwave it sandwiched between sheets of paper towel. This quick step removes much of the grease without toughening the meat.
Makes two 9-inch pizzas serving 4 to 6
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for counter
- 1 package instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
Topping
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package sliced pepperoni
- 1 1/3 cups tomato sauce (see related recipe, "Basic Pizza Sauce")
- 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
- To make the dough: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 tablespoons oil.
- Mix milk, sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- To shape and top the dough: Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.
- While dough rises, put half of pepperoni in single layer on microwave-safe plate lined with 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard towels and set pepperoni aside; repeat with new paper towels and remaining pepperoni.
- Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.
Pizza Dough without a Mixer
In step 2, mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then pour the milk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough becomes shaggy and difficult to stir. Turn out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead, incorporating any shaggy scraps. Knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and proceed as directed.
STEP BY STEP
How to Make Pan Pizza
1. Roll the dough outward from the center in all directions to form a 7-inch circle.
2. With the dough draped over your knuckles, gently stretch it, using the weight of the dough to make a 9 1/2-inch circle that is slightly thinner at the center.
3. Place the dough in the oiled cake pan and gently push it to the edge, taking care not to let too much oil spill over the top.
STEP BY STEP
The Amazing Shrinking Pepperoni
Microwaving pepperoni eliminates the possibility that it will turn your pizza into a grease trap. You can see how much fat is rendered in only 30 seconds by comparing the size of the slices before and after microwaving.
BEFORE
AFTER