I won’t call this a Lou Malnati’s copycat recipe to hopefully save Corinne and I from the perpetual recipe battle found online about this topic. But this is a Lou’s copycat recipe. And we think it’s pretty damn tasty.
I slightly modified a recipe found in the comments section of a question posed on the Serious Eats website about a good buttercrust recipe. In my research on the subject (which consisted of reading the comments section of recipe posts and watching the Lou Malnati’s ingredient series on Youtube) I came across a couple of myth’s that I am going to venture to address:
- Corn Oil = Cheap Alternative to Olive Oil
Most folks online seem to be confident that several Chicago establishments use corn oil in their dough. It also seems like many believe that this is for cost reasons. I would have assumed the same had it not been for one comment (source pending) that I saw mentioning that the corn oil actually helps impart that buttery nuttiness that makes buttercrust a buttercrust. I decided to give it a gamble and used a mixture of fats – 3 Tbsp corn oil, 2 tsp good olive oil, greased the pan with butter – voila. - Fresh Mozzarella = Good Mozzarella
This is one I learned while trying to make Nepoletana pizza a few years ago. That dream died after realizing my crappy little Milwaukee apartment’s oven simply didn’t have the heat to melt fresh mozzarella properly. To be fair, fresh mozzarella is AMAZING, but it is not the only amazing type of mozzarella. The aged alternative, firm and creamy, is the way to go for any pizza. Lou’s sources their cheese from an artisan in Wisconsin, I source mine from a cheese monger in Eastern Market, you can source yours from anywhere you find mozzarella you like – just don’t use the fresh stuff! - Cornmeal = Crunchy Golden Crust
I don’t blame anyone for thinking that cornmeal would be used for a golden color and extra crispy crust – after all, corn bread is both of those things in a big way. BUT, I think it is safe to say no cornmeal is required or recommended for Chicago deep dish. Use All Purpose flour (I use White Lily, being the blind follower of Kenji that I am), and if you miss the golden color, toss in a pinch of turmeric or yellow food coloring.
I wouldn’t call my research intensive with any seriousness, but it was apparently enough to pull off a pie that made this Chicago suburbanite feel a little closer to the Midwest on this aptly stifling but gorgeous summer night.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp corn oil
- 2 tsp good olive oil
- 6 Tbsp water
- 3/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Butter to grease the pan
For the Pizza:
- 3/4 lb mozzarella (aged, not fresh)
- 1 can San Marzano tomatoes
- Oregan
- Garlic powder
- Shredded parmesan
Instructions
- Mix all the dough ingredients until incorporated
- Knead for just a minute or two
- Let rest for approximately 6 hours (it won't rise a tremendous amount)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit
- Punch the dough down (it will be suspiciously loose/wet, that's perfect)
- Let the dough rest for 15 minutes (an important 15 minutes)
- Place in a cast iron pan or (as we did) use a spring form cake pan and press until evenly spread across the bottom of the pan and up the side by 1/2-3/4" (don't be afraid to make it pretty thin in these areas, you should be just shy of seeing the dark of the pan beneath the dough)
- Layer in the sliced mozzarella until you're convinced one person would have a heart attack eating the pizza alone
- Top with crushed San Marzano tomatoes (I let them strain after crushing for 5 minutes or so)
- Sprinkle on garlic powder, oregano, and shredded Parmesan to taste (DON'T OVERDO IT!)
- Bake for 30-40 minutes and enjoy the crap out of it!