chicago deep-dish pizza - as easy as it gets

Overview

Time: 75 minutes
Dishes: bowl, large cast iron pan or springform pan

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I really love deep dish pizza but it has always been such a chore, for some reason. This meatless, vegetarian, and vegan pizza, however, took me about 20 minutes to assemble, including the relaxing time for the dough. 

The breakdown of the difficulty is as such: 

• If you use a store bought dough, it's easy.
• If you make the dough, it's moderate, but 
• In either case it needs to bake for an hour, so difficult? 

Not sure how to classify something when you don't actively do anything to it, but I'm going with moderate in this case, assuming you make the dough.

Letting the dough relax in the pan for about 15 minutes allows you to be able to stretch it so that it reaches up the sides, otherwise it just springs back down. Drape the dough over the side, use a knife or a fork to hold it there (if it's relaxed, that's all that it will take) and then when it is layered, allow it to gather and scrunch up on the sides, as in the picture below.

I made this with Beyond Meat sausage, which is really tasty, but improvise: add all vegetables (zucchini and pepper are great), add seitan, add homemade sausage - you decide. I went traditional with vegan sausage and spinach. 

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• If making the dough, prepare it when you have time and put it in the fridge.
• While the dough is relaxing/warming, thaw the spinach in water and squeeze dry. 
• Prepare any other ingredient and preheat the oven while dough is relaxing.

 

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

Makes 4 servings 

moderate

Preheat oven to 450-F

1. Dough: Combine the ingredients in a bread machine or food processor with plastic blade. Knead the dough until smooth, Dough cycle for bread machine and 2 to 3 minutes for food processor. Leave in bread machine or remove and set in a bowl to double, about 1 hour.

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 package)

2. Add the Dough to an oiled 12-inch cast iron pan. Spread out to the sides and set aside to relax 15 minutes. Then press the dough up the sides of the pan.

3. Layer the ingredients on top of the Dough in order:  

6 to 10 slices vegan white cheese

4 links Beyond Meat sausages, crushed with hands

1 (16-ounce) bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well

1 tablespoon pizza seasoning**

1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

4. Arrange the edges of any dough hanging over the pan so it looks nice. Brush any visible dough with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until the pizza is bubbling or internal temp is 165-F. Cover the pizza with a silicone mat when the dough is getting too brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Serve.

 

 ** Pizza Seasoning: blend of dried garlic, onion, chili flakes, salt, basil, oregano. Substitute with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano and chili flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

making pizza dough

Welcome to Making Mondays, dear Readers! 

Today's Making Monday recipe is Pizza Dough. This is a simple pizza dough and does have olive oil in it. I'll do a recipe in the future that is oil free, but the first one is a good pizza dough recipe that is reliable.

You can make this in a food processor. Use a plastic blade (dough blade) to preserve the gluten strands and process until the dough comes together into a ball, a few minutes. Then add to a container to rise.

You can use a bread maker. Use the Pasta Cycle if you have one, or the dough cycle, as is and rise in the pan as per cycle - or add it to a container to rise.

You can do this in a stand mixer. Knead until a dough forms and then knead on medium for a few minutes to develop the gluten.

You can do this by hand. Form into a ball and knead for a few minutes before proofing in a container.

Use a container that the dough can double in and one that has a lid. You can also rise in the fridge, but then your container should have enough room to triple the dough, if overnight.

That's it. Use as is, or if risen in the fridge, allow to come to room temperature.

Below is the step by step.

Enjoy!

Making Pizza Dough

Makes 1 pound dough 

www.ZsusVeganPantry.com

1. Knead: Add the ingredients to a machine or bowl (bread, food processor or stand mixer), in the order given:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) dry active yeast  

2. Bead Machine: Pasta Cycle or Dough Cycle. If Pasta Cycle, add to a container to rise. Cover and rise for 1 hour.

3. Food Processor: Knead until dough ball forms. Knead for a minute to develop gluten. Add to a container to rise for 1 hour, covered.  

4. Stand Mixes: Knead until dough ball forms. Knead for five minutes to develop gluten. Add to a container to rise for 1 hour, covered.  

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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