Homemade Pizza

One of my favorite things to make is homemade pizza with homemade dough. It is a little bit of a project to make, because it involves some planning ahead, but it is so worth it. Once you have had it you can never go back to the kind you can buy at the store.

I have made several different kinds including New York style, Chicago deep dish, California style, They have all been really good and just a little bit different. The other night I made a Chicago Style dough, which turned into 4 mini Chicago dish deep pizza.

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza Dough

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (90-100 degrees)
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups flour
1/2 medium grind yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and 3 cups flour, the cornmeal, salt, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Using the wooden spoon, mix the dough, incorporating as much of the flour as possible. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic for 10 to 12 minutes. It will still be a little sticky but shouldn't stick to your hands. Add only a minimum amount of flour to the work surface to keep the dough from sticking. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough and turn to coat on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean, damp kitchen towel over the top.

2. Place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and let the dough rise over night.

3. Bring the dough to room temperature before completing the final rise. When the dough has doubled in volume from its original size, punch it down and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Then divide the dough into 4 equal balls.

4. Lightly oil the bottom and side of the round deep dish pizza pans and press the dough firmly into the bottom. Let the dough rise in the pans for 15 to 20 minutes. Press the dough until it comes up the sides and is even on the bottom and at the corners of the pans

5. Top with toppings of you liking and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.