# Tavern Style Chicago Thin Crust Pizza

This recipe will guide you through making a delicious tavern-style Chicago thin crust pizza, focusing on the key ingredients and techniques to achieve a truly authentic taste.

- Total time: 10 min
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Soup
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 360 g bread flour
- 40 g cold butter
- 180 g ice cold water
- 5 g yeast
- 7 g salt
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 100 g tomato paste
- 12 g salt
- 20 g granulated sugar
- 1 g chili flakes
- 2 g dried basil
- 2 g dried oregano
- 2 g onion powder
- 2 g garlic powder
- 450 g ground pork
- 7 g salt
- 2 g black pepper
- 2 g chili flakes
- 5 g red wine vinegar
- 2 g ground fennel seed
- 5 g fresh garlic
- 450 g full-fat aged mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 pinch salt

## Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine bread flour and cold butter. Pulse until butter is in small, gravel-like bits.
2. Dissolve yeast in 90g of ice cold water and salt in another 90g of ice cold water.
3. Add yeast water and salt water to the flour-butter mixture in the food processor. Pulse for 20–30 seconds until dough is evenly hydrated.
4. Transfer dough onto a work surface and knead for 2 minutes until it forms a homogeneous ball.
5. Round dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover and ferment for 2 hours.
6. After 2 hours, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Perform a preshape and let rest for 20 minutes.
7. Press each dough ball flat with a pizza pan and roll out into a 12” round.
8. Use pizza docker or fork to pierce the dough to prevent bubbles from forming during baking.
9. Spray parchment paper with olive oil pan spray and generously sprinkle with fine grind cornmeal.
10. Place rolled out pizza dough on parchment paper, stack on a sheet tray, and refrigerate for 4-24 hours (preferably 24 hours) to cold ferment.
11. Scoop out half a cup of crushed tomatoes from a can.
12. Add tomato paste, salt, sugar, chili flakes, basil, oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder to the tomatoes.
13. Blend until herbs are broken down and everything is well combined.
14. Mix ground pork with salt, black pepper, chili flakes, red wine vinegar, ground fennel seed, and minced garlic.
15. Preheat the oven to 550°F (285°C) with pizza steel or upside-down sheet tray.
16. Spread pizza sauce over dough.
17. Distribute half of the Italian sausage in rough balls evenly on top of each pizza.
18. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the sausage, spreading edge to edge.
19. Season with dried oregano, basil, and salt.
20. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza steel or sheet tray and bake for 10 minutes.

## Equipment

- food processor
- pizza docker
- rolling pin
- pizza peel
- pizza steel
- immersion blender

## Tips

- Dissolve yeast and salt separately in water before adding to food processor.
- Do not overmix the dough.
- Cold ferment the dough for at least 4 hours, preferably 24 hours, to develop a crisp crust.
- Use a pizza docker or fork to pierce the dough to prevent bubbles.
- Use parchment paper with cornmeal for easy transfer and crispier crust.
- Use full fat aged mozzarella for best melt and flavor.
- Season pizza toppings with dried oregano, basil and salt

## Source

- Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvzX7-JnZb4
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/82388930-5f5c-4e2b-ac8c-c310f967affe
- Extracted: 2025-01-28

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt