Soooft pizza, Chicago style.

(In Portuguese)

Think of an extremely soft, fluffy pizza.

Filled with a lot of grated cheese and sauce. With browned edges.

I took from Annie the recipe that leads to it.

My version was made this way:

1 1/2 cup (230g) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (40g) fine cornmeal

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/8 teaspoon yeast

150ml water, room temperature 

1 1/2 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons oil, to grease

(Cup measure: 240ml)

I mixed all of the ingredients in a bowl, using a wooden spoon, until the dough started to form.

I set the spoon aside and started kneading with my hands, so that the dough would become uniform and glossy, really soft, and stopped sticking to my hands.

I shaped a ball and greased it with a tiny bit of oil. I covered the bowl with plastic and let it rise for one hour, until almost doubled in volume.

After that, I rolled out the dough with my hands until I got a rectangle of approximately 20x15cm.

I spread 2 tablespoons butter over it, leaving a 2cm border free, then rolled up the dough as a tight cylinder, starting with the short end.

I put the seam side down and pressed it again, to form a 20x05cm rectangle, the folded in three parts just like a letter. I pinched the seams close and shaped a ball, letting it rise for 30 minutes. I don't actually know what this is for, but Annie's recipe recommended it, so I did.

At the end, I rolled out the dough as a circle, until it was approximately 40cm in diameter* and  1cm thick. I placed it in a 35cm diameter bottom pan and arranged the dough, leaving the edges high against the pan's side.

Then I filled it with grated mozzarella, tomato sauce, and sprinkled grated parmesan cheese.

It baked in preheated oven for 30 minutes in medium heat, 180oC, and 10 minutes more in high heat, 250oC, until the edges browned.

I let it cool for 5 minutes before serving, to avoid burned tongues.

*OBS: there were many people dinning together in this occasion, so I prepared a double dough and baked it in a 35cm diameter pan, yielding 12 slices. If you prepare the normal dough, use a 25cm diameter pan, which will make for 6 slices.