Chicago Tavern Style Pizza

Timeline for one pizza

How long before you eat each step starts, as the PieForge app plans it for one pizza. The dough is mixed three days ahead and then spends that time in the fridge. The quick sauce is blended 1 hour before you eat.

Want these as clock times? Pick the time you want to eat and the planner shows every step on your own clock.

Oven Settings

Ingredients

Dough (one 16-inch pizza, ~525g)

• 328g unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
• 177g cold water
• 3g sea salt
• 1g sugar
• 0.4g Red Star instant yeast
• 13.5g corn oil

Sauce & Toppings (per 16-inch pizza)

• 175g Quick Pizza Sauce (Range 120-180g. See Quick Pizza Sauce recipe; Base Pizza Sauce also works. Giordano's uses Escalon 6-in-1 tomatoes; they are excellent here and on pizza generally.)
• 10-11 oz Low-moisture whole milk mozzarella (Grate yourself; recommend Polly-O or Walmart Great Value)
• Parmesan and Romano, about 5g (Grated; mix into the mozzarella, plus a light dusting on top before baking)
• 6.5-8 oz Italian Sausage (Dime- to nickel-size pieces under the cheese; pre-cooked and drained, or let it cook on the pizza)
• 2-2.5 oz Green Bell Peppers (Diced or thin-sliced; pat dry; on top of the cheese)
• 1.3-2 oz Yellow Onions (Thin-sliced; pat dry; on top of the cheese)
• Black pepper, to taste (Dust over the cheese before baking)
• Dried oregano, about 0.5g (Light dusting over the cheese before baking, for color)
• 5-6 oz (alternative) standard flat pepperoni (Not Cup & Crisp. Single layer directly on the sauce, under the cheese; use instead of sausage and vegetables)

Quick Pizza Sauce

• 28 OZ can Crushed Bianca DiNappoli tomatoes (blue can) (Escalon 6-in-1 also works and is what Giordano's uses.)
• 100g Contadina tomato paste
• 20g granulated sugar
• 12g Kosher salt
• 2g McCormicks onion powder
• 2g McCormicks garlic powder
• 1g McCormicks dried oregano
• 1g McCormicks dried basil
• .25g red chili flakes

Step-by-Step Instructions

Dough

1. Combine the flour and salt in the mixer bowl.

2. In a separate container, stir the cold water, instant yeast, and sugar together until the yeast is dispersed.

3. Add the liquid to the flour and salt and mix about 1 minute, just until there is no dry flour left.

4. Add the corn oil and mix it in.

5. Final mix 6 minutes (54% hydration). The dough never gets smooth; a rough, brain-like surface is normal. Oil always goes in last so the flour hydrates first.

6. Ball dough, cover, and cold ferment in fridge up to 3 days.

To Prepare Pizza

1. Pull the dough from the fridge about 5 hours before baking and let it warm on the counter.

2. Preheat oven with stone/steel to 550°F; heat soak 60-90 minutes.

3. Grate 10-11 oz low-moisture whole milk mozzarella (Polly-O or Walmart Great Value) and mix in about 5g grated Parmesan and Romano.

4. Slice peppers and onions thin and pat dry. If you are pre-cooking the sausage, brown and drain it now and break it into dime- to nickel-size pieces.

5. Roll the dough very thin on cornmeal and dock thoroughly.

6. Spread ~175g Quick Pizza Sauce almost to the edge (range 120-180g).

7. Scatter the sausage over the sauce. Fatty proteins like sausage and pepperoni always go under the cheese.

8. Cover with the grated mozzarella.

9. Top with the peppers and onions. Wet vegetables like peppers and onions always go on top of the cheese.

10. Before it goes in the oven, dust the top with black pepper, a little grated Parmesan and Romano, and about 0.5g dried oregano for color.

11. Bake directly on stone/steel about 10 minutes (10-12) until crisp and browned. No turn needed.

12. Cool on cardboard, paper towels, or a rack; square cut; rest 5 minutes before serving.

Optional Notes

1. Sausage: pre-cook and drain it, or let it cook on the pizza. Both work.

2. Par-bake: for extra crispness, par-bake the rolled crust 2 minutes before topping.

3. Pepperoni alternative: skip the sausage, peppers, and onions. Lay a single layer of standard flat pepperoni (not Cup & Crisp) directly on the sauce, cover with the cheese, and bake and finish the same way.

Quick Pizza Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or with an immersion blender on low until smooth.

2. Makes a batch; portion by the pizza you are topping. Freeze leftover immediately, or use Base Pizza Sauce instead. If using previously frozen sauce, reheat in a saucepan on low only until liquid. Do not boil.