This beauty has been a favorite in our house for a while now.  Like any pizza, it’s so forgiving and willing to absorb any random things you have hanging out in the fridge.  This iteration took care of about 4 bell peppers and an onion, along with some other random meats and vegetables.  The key is the garlic.  Do whatever you want to the rest of the pizza, don’t skip the garlic.

Deep Dish Double-Crust Pizza

Yields 1 12″ deep dish pizza, enough for about 6 people.

For the dough:

1 1/2 c warm water

1 package active dry yeast

1 t sugar

3 1/2 c flour

1/2 c cornmeal

1/4 c olive oil

1 t kosher salt

Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Set side until the yeast begins to froth, about 5 minutes.  With the dough hook attachment set at low speed, slowly begin incorporating the flour, cornmeal, olive oil, and salt.  Continue kneading until the dough is cohesive but still tacky, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down the dough.  Cut about 1/3 of the dough off and set aside.  Proceed with the pizza as follows.

For the pizza:

Dough from previous recipe

2 t butter

2 c prepared pizza or marinara sauce, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb mozzarella, shredded

Other pizza items of your choosing – pepperoni, diced peppers, sliced onions, sausage, whatever

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Melt the butter briefly in a 12″ cast iron skillet and swirl around.  Lay the larger piece of dough (about 2/3 of the total dough) in the bottom of the skillet.  Gently press the dough out to cover the bottom and sides of the skillet.  If it fights back or slides back with the butter, just let it sit for a minute or two and try again.  Once you have the dough approximately how you’d like it, let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Layer 1 c of the marinara sauce on top of the dough.  Sprinkle on the minced garlic and approximately half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.  Add your other pizza toppings then top with the remaining mozzarella and 1/2 a cup of the marinara.

Press the remaining 1/3 of the dough into a circle approximately the size of the top of the pizza.  Lay the dough over the top of the pizza, pinching the top and bottom pieces of dough together as you go.  Top with the remaining 1/2 c of marinara.

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until the entire top layer of dough is cooked through.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before cutting.