CHICAGO STYLE PIZZA

I LOVE PIZZA!!!  

AND....we've been trying to duplicate Chicago Style Pizza ever since we moved from that area in 2000. I've tried every 'recipe' I could find....each espousing their's revealed the 'secret'.  Sure, I've come close....but duplicating the crust exactly has never been spot on.

 "The husband" bought a small pamphlet on his Kindle for something like $2.99....with similar promises.  I almost NEVER need or follow recipes.....except perhaps for baking desserts. I was dubious....but decided to follow the Sausage/Cheese one as written.

I was surprised that ground ginger, a very unexpected ingredient, was added to the dough. The author claimed that the taste changed during baking. I must agree as I did not detect that flavor at all....and the crust was the closest we've come to the flaky thick crusts we were familiar with.

The other unusual approach is to use homemade pork sausage....(easier than you'd think) which is spread out in a thin layer, rather than chunks.  Of course that's one of the trademarks of the original Uno's pizza.

One obvious issue is the inability of home ovens to reach a higher temperature than 550 degrees.  I added a bit more time but the next attempt I'll add even more. 

Even though I vowed to follow the recipe exactly....I didn't.  I added more crushed tomato sauce than it called for....and you can see it's a bit runny.  However, that was probably caused by not waiting the prescribed amount of time before cutting it....as following pieces 'set up' better.

So the next time....and there will be a next time......the changes will be:  more seasonings.....it was definitely too bland for me (but then again I always cook with a lot of herbs/spices), more ingredients such as onions, black olives, pepperoni, longer cooking time, and longer resting time.  

Have I made you hungry???