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Watery Chicago Pizza?

I have just tried for the 3rd time the oft-quoted Chicago Pizza Recipe
found here and elsewhere and still am having trouble. Each time i make
it, i use the regular "low moisture" mozzarella (have tried block,
sliced and shredded) well-drained crushed/diced tomatoes and equally
well-drained toppings (so far no veggies, only sausage and pepperoni)
Every time it comes out though i have a puddle of water forming under
the crust and the crust is soggy.

I know this moisture must come from the massive amount of cheese
required by a proper Chicago pizza but how do I get rid of it? Is
there a good way of dehydrating the cheese partially? could I put it
out on a baking sheet in the open air for a day? wrap it in paper
towel and put it in the fridge? Something to reduce the moisture
contained inside.

The resulting pizza is not only soggy but the cheese becomes stringy
instead of a creamy and melted as it is in a professional pizza. I
look forward to all of your help!

Please email me a reply as i do not get on here often enough!

Watery Chicago Pizza?

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 19:22:54 -0700, Alex R. wrote:

> I have just tried for the 3rd time the oft-quoted Chicago Pizza Recipe
> found here and elsewhere and still am having trouble. Each time i make
> it, i use the regular "low moisture" mozzarella (have tried block,
> sliced and shredded) well-drained crushed/diced tomatoes and equally
> well-drained toppings (so far no veggies, only sausage and pepperoni)
> Every time it comes out though i have a puddle of water forming under
> the crust and the crust is soggy.

since i've still got peter reinhart's "american pie" out from the library,
i can tell you what he that he bakes the dough in the pan for 3-4 minutes
before, letting cool for 5 minutes, adding mozzarella cheese as the first
layer, then crushed tomato sauce, etc. etc. etc.

i haven't seen that before, though most people seem to use a cheese-first
layering for deep dish. i think that is supposed to help seal the crust.

fwiw ... great book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...757542-2087063

(funny, my library copy has a pizza on the cover with eggs as a topping.
it looks like they were broken onto the pizza and cooked in place. but
the book never mentions eggs as a topping. i see that the book at amazon
has a different cover.)

Watery Chicago Pizza?

All Chicago deep dish pizza's are fairly wet when they come out of the oven.
Having eaten many of them in Chicago, one always has to wait after it comes
out of the oven for sometimes 10-20 minutes for it to dry out before they
will serve it.

Pies are always done in a deep dish pan.

Cheese is always put on first, then the toppings.

They are baked in a fairly hot oven, over 400 degrees and most likly much
higher in the commercial ovens.

I've also had them delivered and if the delivery person is not cautious,
I've had to send them back because all the ingredients were globbed to one
end. They are packed out of the oven and should dry on the trip to the
customer IF they are kept flat. IF not, then the ingredients will run from
the wettness.

So, I don't know that you are doing anything wrong except to wait about 20
minutes with the pizza in the pan and use the cheese first. This may solve
your problem.

Mine also come out wet and it crisps up and dries out after about 20
minutes. Use a natural softer mozarella cheese. Some are harder that
others. I've also mixed in some good swiss like Ementhaler (sp) etc to give
the cheese a more rich taste. Low moisture will not melt correctly.

A softer natural one will have a more oily form and will be stringy.
Chicago pizzas are not like a regular pizza in the way the cheese presents
itself. It is usually slippery, gooey, and would look like a taffy pull if
you tried to just pull a piece of it into two pieces instead of cutting it.

Hope this is of some help.

J
--------------------------------------------------------
"Alex R." > wrote in message
om...
> I have just tried for the 3rd time the oft-quoted Chicago Pizza Recipe
> found here and elsewhere and still am having trouble. Each time i make
> it, i use the regular "low moisture" mozzarella (have tried block,
> sliced and shredded) well-drained crushed/diced tomatoes and equally
> well-drained toppings (so far no veggies, only sausage and pepperoni)
> Every time it comes out though i have a puddle of water forming under
> the crust and the crust is soggy.
>
> I know this moisture must come from the massive amount of cheese
> required by a proper Chicago pizza but how do I get rid of it? Is
> there a good way of dehydrating the cheese partially? could I put it
> out on a baking sheet in the open air for a day? wrap it in paper
> towel and put it in the fridge? Something to reduce the moisture
> contained inside.
>
> The resulting pizza is not only soggy but the cheese becomes stringy
> instead of a creamy and melted as it is in a professional pizza. I
> look forward to all of your help!
>
> Please email me a reply as i do not get on here often enough!
>
>

Watery Chicago Pizza?

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 19:22:54 -0700, Alex R. wrote:

> I have just tried for the 3rd time the oft-quoted Chicago Pizza Recipe
> found here and elsewhere and still am having trouble. Each time i make
> it, i use the regular "low moisture" mozzarella (have tried block,
> sliced and shredded) well-drained crushed/diced tomatoes and equally
> well-drained toppings (so far no veggies, only sausage and pepperoni)
> Every time it comes out though i have a puddle of water forming under
> the crust and the crust is soggy.

I see a few things that could cause problems.

- too much sauce (this is usually what craters my pizzas when they crater)
- uncooked meats
- cheese. Try a 50/50 split of whole milk mozarella and provolone.

> The resulting pizza is not only soggy but the cheese becomes stringy
> instead of a creamy and melted as it is in a professional pizza. I
> look forward to all of your help!

Try the mozarella/provolone mix. That's what the pros do. By and large.

--
-Brian James Macke
"In order to get that which you wish for, you must first get that which
builds it." -- Unknown

Watery Chicago Pizza?