Description
To me, a great stuffed pizza has a crust that stays a bit crunchy both on top and on the bottom and never gets soggy from too much sauce or too many ingredients inside. I call this one Fully Stuffed and it is on the hearty side, but I think you’ll find that the proportions of crust to fillings and sauce are just right.
Ingredients
- 1 (27-ounce/765-gram) ball Chicago Stuffed Dough
- 1 (14-ounce/400-gram) ball Chicago Stuffed Dough
- Medium-grind cornmeal, for dusting
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 9 ounces (255 grams) part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (13 slices)
- 8 ounces (225 grams) cooked Meatballs (page 287), crumbled
- 2 ounces (55 grams) sliced pepperoni, preferably in natural casing
- 8 ounces (225 grams) uncooked Calabrese Honey Sausage (page 55)
- 8 ounces (225 grams) uncooked Sweet Fennel Sausage (page 54)
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) Sautéed Onions (page 89)
- 1 cup (175 grams) Sautéed Mushrooms (page 89)
- 3/4 cup (110 grams) Sautéed Red Peppers (page 90)
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for dusting
- 4.5 ounces (120 grams/1/2 cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese, preferably New York-style Polly-O or Ricotta Cream (page 91), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) finely chopped garlic
- 5 ounces (140 grams) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 1/4 cups)
- 9 ounces (255 grams) provolone cheese, thinly sliced (13 slices)
- Garlic Oil (page 29)
- 2 1/4 cups (510 grams) Deep-Dish Tomato Sauce (page 77), warm
- Dried oregano, for dusting
Method
- Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator and leave wrapped at room temperature until the dough warms to 60°F to 65°F.
- Meanwhile, set up the oven with the pizza stone or baking steel on the bottom rack and preheat to 500°F for 1 hour (see Getting Started, page 29).
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 12 by 2-inch or 13 by 2-inch round deep-dish pizza pan.
- Dust the work surface with a generous amount of cornmeal, then transfer the larger dough to the surface (see Transferring the Dough to the Work Surface, page 30).
- Coat both sides of the dough with the cornmeal and roll out the dough into a 17-inch round (see Rolling Pizza Dough, page 103).
- Working quickly but carefully, lift the dough and lower it into the center of the prepared pan. Lift the edges of the dough to ease the dough into the corners. The dough will overhang the rim of the pan (see photo page 84). Press around the edge of the dough to secure it to the pan rim.
- Set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Arrange the mozzarella slices in the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan, overlapping the slices as necessary.
- Distribute the meatball pieces evenly over the cheese, followed by the pepperoni.
- Pinch quarter-size pieces of both sausages and distribute them evenly over the pepperoni. (Adding the sausage last will keep any fat that renders during baking from softening the bottom crust.)
- Scatter the onions, mushrooms, and red peppers evenly over the meats.
- Sprinkle with a light dusting of pecorino and the garlic. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella and top with the provolone slices, covering the toppings completely and extending slightly up the sides of the pan.
- Meanwhile, put the ricotta in a pastry bag with a 1/4-inch opening or plain tip.
- Coat the remaining dough ball with cornmeal and roll out to a 12- or 13-inch round, depending on the size of your pan. Center the round over the pan. The dough should come right up to the edge of the pan but not overlap it. If it is too wide, trim it with a paring knife.
- To crimp the dough to seal it, hold your left index finger on a slight angle against the edge of the pan and use your right index finger to fold the overhanging dough over it on a diagonal. Move counterclockwise around the edge of the dough, repeating the crimping to form a decorative edge.
- Cut three 2-inch slits outward from the center of the crust to allow steam to escape as the pizza bakes.
- Place the pan on the stone. Bake for 12 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees, and continue to bake for another 12 minutes. The crust should be richly browned. If it isn’t, rotate the pan one more time and bake for 2 minutes.
- Take the pizza out of the oven and let rest in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Run a long metal spatula around the inside of the pan to loosen the pizza from the pan. Then, using the spatula, lift an edge and check the bottom of the crust. It should be browned and crisp. If it needs more time, return it to the oven for a few more minutes.
- Using the spatula, and being careful not to pierce the bottom of the crust, lift the pizza from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Brush the edges and outer crust with garlic oil.
- Using a rocking cutter or a serrated knife, cut the pizza into 6 large wedges, leaving them in place.
- Spoon the sauce over the pizza and spread it to the edges.
- Dust the top with pecorino and oregano.
- Pipe quarter-size dollops of ricotta over the pizza, then finish with a drizzle of garlic oil.