You might think that making a stuffed Chicago-style pizza would be akin to taking on an all day sucker! Not so. I just made one last night and all together I spent about 20 minutes working on it. Yes, you’ll need to start a little earlier than normal because the dough will need to rise an hour and it will take 30 minutes or so in the oven. Still, in between the steps where your hands are needed, you can visit, have down time or whatever floats your boat. Then, the real fun begins … Spinach-Stuffed Pizza for dinner!
In case you have never made bread before and don’t have some of the equipment that would make the process less hands-on, I’m going to provide the “handmade” instructions. Please don’t be intimidated because the recipe looks long. I’ve written it to answer the questions most recipe writers assume you already know. In addition, I want to teach you a technique or two along the way. I promise this pizza is not hard to make… you can do it!
Note: For you purists out there, I could give you 20 pages on various opinions about the make up of the “correct” pizza sauce. Some say, cook it. Others opine, leave it fresh, untouched by herbs and spices. And, everything in between. I have experimented with pizza sauce one hundred ways to the middle and find merit in most arguments. For this recipe, I’m opting for an uncooked, lightly seasoned chunky sauce, which is “Chicago” in nature. Is it the definitive sauce? No, but I believe you will enjoy your pizza!
- 2¼ Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour (Regular All Purpose is OK)
- ½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour (Regular or Unbleached can be substituted)
- 1 Envelope of "Rapid Rise" Yeast
- 1 Teaspoon Salt (Kosher or Sea if you have it)
- 2 Tablespoons Oil (Olive if you have it)
- 1 Cup Water
- 14 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes (Highest Quality Available)*
- 2 Twists of the Black Pepper Mill
- ⅛ Teaspoon Dried Whole Oregano
- ⅛ Teaspoon Dried Whole Basil
- Pinch of Garlic Powder
- 4 Ounces Fresh Spinach Leaves, Roughly Chopped (Baby Spinach, if available)
- ¼ Cup Chopped Sweet Onion
- 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella (3 Ounces)
- 3 Ounces Sliced Provolone Cheese (4 - 5 Round Slices)
- Line a colander with a full sheet of paper towel and put it in the sink. Pour the entire contents of the can of diced tomatoes into the paper-lined colander. We are doing this to let the excess fluid drain away.
- Next, get out the largest mixing bowl you have. Measure the flours into this bowl. Add the yeast and salt; stir well. Pour in the oil. Put the water into a microwave-safe cup and microwave it for 20 seconds (the water shouldn't be hotter than 120 degrees, and it won't unless you have a 2,000 watt commercial microwave). Pour the warmed water into the dry mixture and, using a large spoon, stir and mix the water into flour.
- You want to keep using the spoon to work in the water until all of the loose flour is incorporated into the dough. Turn the mass over, poke it with the spoon, mash it ... whatever it takes.
- Now, using a clean hand, knead the dough in the bowl for about a minute. Remove it from the bowl to a clean counter top and continue kneading. Using both hands, flatten the dough, then fold it over itself, push and roll it back together and continue these motions in the same order for 3 or 4 minutes. The dough will become elastic and smooth.
- Roll and form the dough into a ball. Your bowl should be free of loose flour so you can use it for the rise; spray the inside lightly with cooking spray. Place the ball of dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then a hand towel, and set aside for 50 minutes to 1 hour. (I usually let mine rise in the microwave because it is out of the way and likely warm)
- Go take a break for 30 minutes or so.
- Place a rack 1 slot below the middle slot in your oven; preheat to 350 degrees.
- Shake the colander with the tomatoes to release remaining fluid. Pick up the tomatoes by the paper towel and pour them into a small bowl. Add the pepper, oregano, basil and garlic powder to the tomatoes and stir well; set aside.
- When the rise time for the dough has expired (it will have doubled in size), dust a counter top with 2 tablespoons of flour and remove the dough and place on the flour. Mash down and knead for 1 minute as before. Cut the dough into two pieces. One of the pieces should be cut to a little (say, 60 percent) bigger than one-half of the dough; the remaining piece will be smaller. Take the larger piece, place it on the flour (add another tablespoon, if needed to prevent sticking) and flatten it into a round shape using your palm. Then, roll out into a circle about 12" in diameter. How to roll? Us a rolling pin or other cylinder, place it centered across the flattened dough and use the palms of your hands to roll it back and forth across the dough. Then, start in the middle again and roll outward in a different direction. Repeat this process rolling in different angles each time until you get the shape you want. It doesn't have to be exactly round!
- Fold the rolled and shaped dough in half, then into a quarter, pick it up and put into a 9 inch cake pan, unfold and push the edges up the sides of the pan as for a pie crust.
- Scatter the spinach evenly in the crust, then likewise with the onions -- sprinkle with a little salt if you like. Next, dust the Parmesan over the vegetables and finally spread the shredded cheese.
- Roll out the smaller piece of dough as before. Fold it into quarters and unfold in the center of the pan. Pull this dough outward to meet the edges of the bottom crust and pinch together, then roll the excess under to form a crust and pinch together again.
- Use a pointed knife to cut 4 evenly spaced slits in the top crust about 2" long to allow steam to escape during baking. Arrange the Provolone cheese slices evenly over the top. Spread your pizza sauce over the cheese. Just cover the cheese completely ... no more than that amount of sauce is needed
- Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until the top crust edges are brown. Also, you can further check readiness by taking a fork and slipping the tines between the crust and the inside of the pan. Then, lift the pizza up carefully to see the sides of the crust. If it is golden brown, it's done. At that point, remove the pizza to a serving dish or cutting board using your fork and sliding it out of the pan. Allow it to cool for 8 minutes (I can never wait the normally suggested 10 minutes) Cut into quarters and serve.
- * Tip: If you live near a well-stocked grocery store, you'll find several canned pizza sauces. While it is unlikely you'll find a chunky one, many are very good. Sometime when I want to cut a corner, I'll buy a can of Cento Pizza Sauce. If you want chunky, cut a fresh red tomato in half, seed it by sticking your finger into the seed pockets and then chop roughly. You can scatter these chunks around the sauce before baking.
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