Deep Dish Pizza

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I have at times been accused of being too creative on pizza nights.  For every one success like Potato Pizza there have been a few disasters like the sauerkraut pizza debacle of 2014.   Who would have thought kids wouldn’t like fermented cabbage and hot peppers on pizza?

For awhile now I have been getting “Can you just make a pepperoni pizza?” from Em when she sees the pizza dough rising on the counter.  Sometimes you just need old fashioned comfort.  So to keep it a little different I decided to try a Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza this night.

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It has been a few years since I attempted a Deep Dish Pizza but I wanted to keep it simple. I used my standard pizza dough recipe or you could use a store bought dough ball.

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First up I roll out my dough and lay it into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Using my fingers I even the dough out and press it almost all the way up the side of the pan.  Then using a fork I prick holes in the dough to prevent bubbling on the bottom.

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Next a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese on the bottom.

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Now the quart of tomato sauce gets poured in. You want to use a thick sauce.  My home canned sauce is a little thinner then I wanted but it is what I have and nothing beats homemade!  For an extra tomato kick I diced up some of my dried Yellow Pear tomatoes from last years garden.  I am down to my last cup full of these bad boys (tomato season can’t get here soon enough).  I had 4 quarts of dried tomatoes at the end of last season.  You could substitute fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, or even mix in some tomato paste if desired.

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With the sauce and dried tomatoes in I add some seasoning.  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of my garden herbs (you can use any herbs that suits you), 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and a pinch of my homemade red pepper flakes.

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Then a layer of pepperoni slices.  I had a 6 oz bag of pepperoni.  I ate a handful, then put the rest in pizza.

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Last thing before the oven is another layer of mozzarella cheese.  Now you are ready to bake.  I put the deep dish pizza into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

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The crust gets golden and pulls away from the pan and the cheese is melted and delicious looking.

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The last thing I add is fresh chopped chives from the garden.  I toss them on top when it comes out of the oven and let them warm up on the pizza while it rests.  I gave it about 10 minutes to cool and thicken up before slicing and feeding my squad of maniacs.

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The really great thing about this pizza night was one dough and one pan fed the whole family dinner and lunch the next day.  On a usual pizza night one dough will make one pizza and feed about 1.5 members of my family only dinner.  It was 100% maniac approved with even #3 (Alice- the 10 month old) devouring little bits of sauce covered crusts.  Of course Spencer didn’t want to eat the “peas” – I have only told him a hundred times they are chives! More garden lessons are on tap for him.

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Deep Dish Pizza might not be the quickest way to get pizza on the table but it sure was good and it is always nice to get outside the routine and try something a little different.

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Deep Dish Pizza
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Blogging with Apples
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza dough ball
  • 16oz shredded mozzarella
  • 1 quart tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon favorite herb blend
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 6oz sliced pepperoni
  • chopped chives to garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
  2. Roll dough and press into 9 x 13 pan. Using fingers to press dough up sides of pan.
  3. Using a fork pierce bottom of dough in pan to prevent bubbling.
  4. Spread a layer of mozzarella on bottom.
  5. Pour in tomato sauce.
  6. Add diced dried tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, herbs, and red pepper flakes.
  7. Layer pepperoni slices.
  8. Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
  9. Bake in oven 1 hour until dough is golden and pulls away from pan.
  10. Remove and top with chives.
  11. Allow to rest 10 minutes to cool and thicken.
  12. Slice and enjoy!
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Jeff McIntosh

About Jeff McIntosh

Jeff's family lives in his childhood home on a 1/4 acre in town lot. Despite the small space to work with, they have challenged ourselves to produce as much of our own food as possible — and cook it! They document their journey at Blogging with Apples.