Chicago Pizza

It's another Monday :) I only smile knowing that this week is not going to be a particularly busy week for us. We have places to go, but for the first time in quite awhile we'll get to go together everywhere! That is a nice bonus.

I love pizza! And I particularly love this pizza. I can't describe it enough. I am a sucker for BJ's Restaurant supreme pizza and this is pretty much it's clone. There are 2 types of pizza. NY pizza which has a thin crust and Chicago pizza which is more of a deep dish pizza. I don't discriminate as I like both styles of pizza, however, when making it at home from scratch, a Chicago pizza is less precise and tastes so good! I make my pizza in a 9x13 baking dish. This allows it to have the appropriate depth and it's just so much easier to put pizza dough in as it doesn't need to be perfectly round. This pizza is a bit unique as it doesn't really have a sauce (but neither does BJ's pizza either!). In fact it's the melted cheese and diced tomatoes that give it that pizza taste. I also like to make my own dough. This past time in making the dough, I was fortunate enough to try out dough in the bread machine, but I'll include the 5-minute dough recipe that will suffice for those of you who do not have a bread machine. Also, when time or your own energy is limited, Fresh and Easy sells fresh pizza dough in a bag and it is also good :)

Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
2.25 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 c warm water (110-120 degrees F)
2.5 c bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until it appears frothy or creamy (about 10 mins).
2. Stir flour, salt, and oil. Beat until smooth. Allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat/roll into desired shape. Place pizza toppings on top and bake.

Pizza

Ingredients: 

1 (1 pound) loaf bread dough 1 pound bulk Italian sausage and/or pepperoni 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 8 oz sliced, fresh mushrooms 1 small onion, chopped 2 tsp olive oil 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp fennel seed, optional 1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press dough into bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 baking dish. If desired, spread pepperoni over dough evenly.

2. Crumble the sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, and sprinkle over the dough crust. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the sausage.

3. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet; cook and stir until the onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, salt, fennel seed, and garlic powder. Spoon over the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. 4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes in the oven, or until crust appears golden brown.