PIZZA

Is “Deep Dish” Really Pizza…? 

Hysterical

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This is really a very funny piece on the validity of “Deep Dish Pizza”. Even though both Deep Dish and Stuffed Pizza’s are often very good the argument still ensues. Is this Deep Dish item really pizza or something else?

Very Funny

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Deep Dish Pizza 

Is it Really Pizza – Or What…?

 

Chicago-style pizza refers to several different styles of pizza developed inChicago. Arguably, the most famous of these is known as deep-dish pizza. The pan in which it is baked gives the pizza its characteristically high edge and a deep surface for the large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Chicago-style pizza may be prepared in deep-dish style and as a stuffed pizza.

According to Tim Samuelson, Chicago’s official cultural historian, there is not enough documentation to determine with certainty who invented Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. It is often reported that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was invented at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago, in 1943, by Uno’s founder Ike Sewell, a formerUniversity of Texas football star. However, a 1956 article from the Chicago Daily News asserts that Uno’s original pizza chef Rudy Malnati developed the recipe.

The primary difference between deep-dish pizza and most other forms of pizza is that, as the name suggests, the crust is very deep, creating a very thick pizza that resembles a pie more than a flatbread. Although the entire pizza is very thick, in traditional Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas, the crust itself is thin to medium in thickness.

Deep-dish pizza is baked in a round, steel pan that is more similar to a cake or pie pan than a typical pizza pan. The pan is oiled in order to allow for easy removal as well as to create a fried effect on the outside of the crust. In addition to ordinary wheat flour, the pizza dough may contain corn meal, semolina, or food coloring, giving the crust a distinctly yellowish tone. The dough is pressed up onto the sides of the pan, forming a bowl for a very thick layer of toppings.

The thick layer of toppings used in deep-dish pizza requires a longer baking time, which could burn cheese or other toppings if they were used as the top layer of the pizza. Because of this, the toppings are assembled “upside-down” from their usual order on a pizza. The crust is covered with cheese (generally sliced mozzarella), followed by various meat options such aspepperoni or sausage, the latter of which is sometimes in a solid patty-like layer. Other toppings such as onions, mushroomsand bell peppers are then also used. An uncooked sauce, typically made from crushed canned tomatoes, is added as the finishing layer. It is typical that when ordered for carry-out or delivery, the pizza is uncut, as this prevents the oils from soaking into the crust, causing the pie to become soggy.

Some Chicago deep-dish pizza restaurants ship their partially baked pizzas within the continental U.S.