• The OTHER Chicago Style Pizza – The Pizza Locals Eat

[gcs]

So basically, a typical NY style thin crust...except for the square cutting, which would have you deported here...lol

 

[bonz50]

So basically, a typical NY style thin crust...except for the square cutting, which would have you deported here...lol

actually no, the crust is significantly different. it's really it's own animal.

 

[Moose]

So basically, a typical NY style thin crust...except for the square cutting, which would have you deported here...lol

actually no, the crust is significantly different. it's really it's own animal.

That would be easy to assume from the appearance of my finished pie, but bonz50 is correct: NY style pizza is made from bread flour, high hydration recipe(65%+)often with a 24+ hour cold rise, and hand tossed. Chicago thin is usually made from all purpose flour, short rise time, low hydration and rolled out. It's a much denser crust compared to NY style.

It might be interesting to make a Chicago thin using a rolled out NY style lower hydration dough, though.

 

[tom b]

Wow, another beauty Moose

 

[Mikhail]

Like the thinner crust style, myself. Tourist style sits on my stomach like a big rock.

 

[kurtsara]

Like the thinner crust style, myself. Tourist style sits on my stomach like a big rock.

I have had pizza from Lou Malnati‘s and Giordano‘s and to me the crust is not thick, the cheese, and meat and sauce are thick, is there a deep dish pizza in Chicago that I don’t know about that’s got a thick crust?

 

[Maylar]

I have had pizza from Lou Malnati‘s and Giordano‘s and to me the crust is not thick, the cheese, and meat and sauce are thick, is there a deep dish pizza in Chicago that I don’t know about that’s got a thick crust?

According to Google:

What makes a pizza Chicago style?
What is Chicago-Style Pizza? | Chicago Foods | Skydeck

The most unique and recognizable element of Chicago pizza, deep-dish crust is at least an inch deep, allowing room for extra sauce and toppings. With its even higher crust, stuffed pizza resembles a pot pie or casserole dish more than a New York-style thin-crust pie

 

[bonz50]

I have had pizza from Lou Malnati‘s and Giordano‘s and to me the crust is not thick, the cheese, and meat and sauce are thick, is there a deep dish pizza in Chicago that I don’t know about that’s got a thick crust?

this is accurate. Lou's, Gino's, Giordano's, Uno's etc all have pretty thin crusts actually, it's just run up the side of the pan to contain the cheese/meat/sauce.

but I will agree that they are quite heavy. we make some homemade versions of Lou's that I would honestly put up against the original and the 10" pans we use serve 4 people easily, probably weigh upward of 2-3 pounds (including the aluminum pan), I think we use somewhere around a pound of mozz/prov blend on them. we used to fix them for my sons football team, they went CRAZY for them, parents started requesting them and even had one that offered to bank roll a restaurant to get the biz off the ground. but let's be clear, the best pizza around here is pizza hut, so the bar isn't very high :laugh::laugh:

 

[bonz50]

According to Google:

the entire pizza is quite thick, yes. the crust not so much. calling it "thick crust" is misleading. most of the chicago style pizza has a crust that is not much thicker than a NY pie. the composition is quite different though. NY style is closer to the Neapolitan styles from italy using a higher gluten flour where chicago style uses AP and Semolina (some actually use corn meal) and produces a firmer and somewhat more 'biscuit' like texture (think of that nice crispy part on the bottom of a southern style drop biscuit when it's nicely browned and crunchy)

 

[Moose]

Here's a Chicago style deep-dish I did using a cast iron skillet, which illustrates the relatively thin crust of the pizza - for this pie I used TWO layers of cheese on the bottom, first provolone, then mozzarella:


https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200111


To say it was filling is a understatement - but man, was it good!

 

[kurtsara]

the entire pizza is quite thick, yes. the crust not so much. calling it "thick crust" is misleading. most of the chicago style pizza has a crust that is not much thicker than a NY pie. the composition is quite different though. NY style is closer to the Neapolitan styles from italy using a higher gluten flour where chicago style uses AP and Semolina (some actually use corn meal) and produces a firmer and somewhat more 'biscuit' like texture (think of that nice crispy part on the bottom of a southern style drop biscuit when it's nicely browned and crunchy)

Correct, that’s what I’m getting at is some people call it deep dish or thick crust, you might be able to call a deep dish, but the crust is still thin

 

[Whisky]

Recent deep dish review by Portnoy, that shows a basic cheese pizza and it's crust pretty well.

https://youtu.be/ar4QgSInpKc?si=50cCmNF3mc8OehTJ

Chicago tavern:

https://youtu.be/vHszjmTwcmE?si=X3vAXW5xmRKFPbHY

 

[Moose]

There's also the "Quod", a deep dish that duplicates the crisp edges of a Detroit Pie, along with a more airy crust, but still constructed like a typical Chicago deep dish:


https://www.realdeepdish.com/2015/11-22-the-quod/

This may be the next style of pizza I will tackle. My biggest complaint about traditional chicago deep dish crust is that it's not particularly good on its own, and mainly serves as a "container" for all the ingredients.

 

[LYU370]

Here's a link about Burt Katz, the inventor of the caramelized crust, at least in Chicago.

https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/...nferno-gullivers-pequods-and-burts-place.html