I love pizza, I think it’s actually a weekness for me. There just something about pizza that screams comfort and feel good food, and there’s no better way to end the week than with a good, hot pizza. I have a few restaurants in my area that I LOVE, a couple are local and the other is a chain, Old Chicago. Depending on what I’m craving determines where I get my pizza that night. When it comes to deep dish pizza, nothing beats Old Chicago’s deep dish pepperoni pizza. It has the perfect amount of crust, and it’s not overly breaded and then topped with the delicious tomoato sauce, tons of cheese and pepperoni, both regular and spicy. The combinations of all those flavors are soooo good, and it’s actually double the toppings since it’s deep dish. There’s really nothing that can beat that!
I love the deep dish pepperoni so much I tried to recreate it at home. I must say, it turned out quite delicious. It wasn’t identical to Old Chicago’s, but it was definitely just as tasty. I started with a homemade crust, followed by homemade marinara and topped with both spicy and regular pepperoni and tons of cheese. Can I tell you my mouth is watering now just telling you about it? To achieve the crisp, crunchy crust I baked it in a skillet that I had preheated in the oven with just a little oil. This steps makes all the difference in the world; the outer texture of the crust is delicious, it’s crunchy and the perfect texture to bite into before getting to the fluffy bread in the center. I promise this is one of the best pizzas I’ve made in a while; this too is the perfect amount of bread without being too much and then tons of delicious toppings. This is a must make recipe, and the perfect meal for your next “movie and pizza” night!
Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza
Ingredients:
1 Recipe for homemade pizza dough, or store bought
1/2-1 Cup marinara, homemade or store bought
1 Cup Parmesan, shredded
1 Cup Cheddar or Colby Jack, shredded
8 Ounce provolone, sliced
1 Package pepperoni
1/2 Package spicy pepperoni, if desired
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a 9 inch skillet and swirl around to coat entire skillet. Place in oven to warm the pan.
While the pan is heating, sprinkle the cornmeal over a clean surface, place dough on the cornmeal and roll out to desired size. Place the dough in the hot skillet and bring the dough up the sides of the skillet. Line the bottom and sides of the dough with the sliced provolone, then spoon 1/2 of the marinara over the cheese. Place a third of the cheese over the marinara then half of the pepperoni over the cheese. Start another layer by spooning the remaining marinara over the pepperoni layer, then add another third of the cheese followed by the rest of the pepperoni, reserving a few pieces to place on the top of the pizza. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the pepperoni layer then top with the reserved pepperoni. Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut the pizza and serve.
Recipe source: A Lynsey original
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