ISO: ISO: Giordano's Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Recipe and Method

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richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
While on vacation, we feasted on a Giordano's deep dish pizza in Chicago and it was amazing. I've been researching how to recreate this, have found dozens of Chicago DD pizza recipes, and many purporting to be "AUTHENTIC" Giordano's copycat recipes.

Only problem, they are all different and they all can't be "AUTHENTIC." We all know how that goes.

So, I think the main thing is getting the crust right. It had a sweet, buttery biscuit texture/taste.

Also, to prebake bottom crust or not? Second crust or not?

I would love to hear from anyone with experience trying to recreate Giordano's Deep Dish! It is quite extraordinary!

 
We brought home the frozen Giordano's on the train...

put it in the freezer and just pulled it out last weekend. It was not Giordano's. I want that big, sweet, crusty, biscuity, crusty pile we experienced in Chicago. In it's pure form. I have looked at the link King Arthur put up but, sorry, there is no cornmeal in the Chicago pizza. It is a fraud.

 
CI's recipe. I have not tried it but am posting it for your consideration.

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

From the episode: Deep-Dish Pizza

Makes two 9-inch pizzas, serving 4 to 6
Place a damp kitchen towel under the mixer and watch it at all times during kneading to prevent it from wobbling off the counter. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands, or it might stick. The test kitchen prefers Dragone Whole Milk Mozzarella; part-skim mozzarella can also be used, but avoid preshredded cheese, as it does not melt well. Our preferred brands of crushed tomatoes are Tuttorosso and Muir Glen. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater.
INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups water (10 ounces), room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus 4 tablespoons, softened
1 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons olive oil
SAUCE
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion (see note)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
table salt
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (see note)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
ground black pepper
TOPPINGS
1 pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 4 cups) (see note)
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE DOUGH: Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)
2. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl, turning once to oil top; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. FOR THE SAUCE: While dough rises, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper.
4. TO LAMINATE THE DOUGH: Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto dry work surface and roll into 15- by 12-inch rec-tangle. Using offset spatula, spread softened butter over surface of dough, leaving 1/2-inch border along edges. Starting at short end, roll dough into tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten cylinder into 18- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with 1 half, fold into thirds like business letter; pinch seams together to form ball. Repeat with remaining half. Return balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes.
5. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into 13-inch disk about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.
6. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 
Richard, I have been a fan of Chicago Pizzeria Uno's deep dish pizza for literally 45 years, & any

time I've come across a cookbook containing a recipe that assures me it's a clone to the Uno crust, I've purchased the volume and promptly made that crust recipe, but each time it has not been the precise taste that the original possesses. I'm not sure if Uno's adds onion salt or garlic salt, but there is some taste in the original that really MAKES it tops.
About 8 years we lucked out with having a Pizzeria Uno's franchise open up in Indianapolis (about 30 miles north of where we live) so I have literally done taste tests with my homemade version versus the real McCoy, and no clone recipe has yet done the trick. My husband saw on a documentary a while back that the top 5 establishments to go to the ends of the earth to protect and keep secret their recipes--two of the 5 are Pizzeria Uno's and Mrs. Field's, both of which have long have been my goals to reproduce. No luck yet, but I'll be trying the King Arthur taste-alike that Traca just posted. I keep plugging away. Good luck with your quest. I've never eaten a Giordano's pizza, but if you hit a crust that is a dead ringer, please post so I'll know as I figure it must be closer to what I'm looking for than anything else I've run across to date.

 
It's a pdf...and a little slow to load, but worked just fine. I tested it again. No problem here.

 
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