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!

On 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 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!
>
>

Have you tried baking it on tiles or a pizza stone? What
temperature is your oven?

<posted and sent>



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On 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 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!
> >
> >
>
> Have you tried baking it on tiles or a pizza stone? What
> temperature is your oven?
>
> <posted and sent>
>
>
>
> Practice safe eating - always use condiments

I was thinking that perhaps the OP wasn't using a high quality cheese...

kili

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 03:37:36 GMT, "kilikini"
> wrote:

>
> I was thinking that perhaps the OP wasn't using a high quality cheese...
>
It would have to be pretty bad to do that! What would
happen to fresh mozzerella if moisture was an issue? I
don't worry about "quality", use the store brand a lot...
and have never even remotely had an issue like that.

<S>


Practice safe eating - always use condiments

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.)

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 16:53:59 -0500, Steve Wertz wrote:

> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 03:18:37 GMT, sf > wrote:

>> Have you tried baking it on tiles or a pizza stone? What temperature
>> is your oven?
>
> Chicago style pizza can't really be baked on a traditional pizza stone.
> The signature Chicago-style pizza is a deep dish pan pizza.

a lot of people do pan-on-stone to try to get a heat-rush to the crust.

In article >,
(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.

Haven't seen the recipe myself, but how much tomato are you using? You
should only use about 1-1/2 ounces.

Are you using a pizza stone or unglazed tiles? A good stone will absorb
moisture.

--
to respond, change "spamless.invalid" with "optonline.net"
please mail OT responses only

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!
>
>

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

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 16:53:59 -0500, Steve Wertz
> wrote:

> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 03:18:37 GMT, sf > wrote:
> >>
> >> 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!
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Have you tried baking it on tiles or a pizza stone? What
> >temperature is your oven?
>
> Chicago style pizza can't really be baked on a traditional pizza
> stone. The signature Chicago-style pizza is a deep dish pan
> pizza.
>
Ooops, you're absolutely right! I made a standard reply
about "regular" pizza. My bad.

I've only made a deep dish pizza once and it was a long ime
ago. Mine didn't turn out like that - so I still wonder if
the actual cooking temperature was a factor.

I made mine many years ago after watching someone with the
stature of (if it wasn't) James Beard make one on TV. The
only thing I remember which was unusual - is that he (and I)
used a caste iron skillet. The crust came out just fine as
did the filling. I don't remember if the skillet was
preheated or not.

Although it was technically successful, I didn't continue
making it at home. There are items I'd rather order out and
that's one.



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

sf wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 16:53:59 -0500, Steve Wertz
> > wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 03:18:37 GMT, sf > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> 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!
Nah. I try not to give out my e-mail address to strangers...too much span, you
know.
>> >>
>> >>
HAH! especially not to a hotmail account! Nothing personal.
>> >
>> >Have you tried baking it on tiles or a pizza stone? What
>> >temperature is your oven?
>>
>> Chicago style pizza can't really be baked on a traditional pizza
>> stone. The signature Chicago-style pizza is a deep dish pan
>> pizza.
>>
> Ooops, you're absolutely right! I made a standard reply
> about "regular" pizza. My bad.
>
> I've only made a deep dish pizza once and it was a long ime
> ago. Mine didn't turn out like that - so I still wonder if
> the actual cooking temperature was a factor.
>
> I made mine many years ago after watching someone with the
> stature of (if it wasn't) James Beard make one on TV. The
> only thing I remember which was unusual - is that he (and I)
> used a caste iron skillet. The crust came out just fine as
> did the filling. I don't remember if the skillet was
> preheated or not.

Someone here in rfc-land has posted about making deep dish pizzas, with a link
to pictures too, in a cast iron skillet (Gar?) and I tried it with mixed
results. I have since bought a deep-dish pizza stone, but haven't tried it
*yet* but since I'm getting much better results with pizzas in my Kamado, I see
a deep dish (lightly smoked) pizza in the future.

BOB

" BOB" > wrote in
:

> Someone here in rfc-land has posted about making deep dish pizzas,
> with a link to pictures too, in a cast iron skillet (Gar?) and I tried
> it with mixed results. I have since bought a deep-dish pizza stone,
> but haven't tried it *yet* but since I'm getting much better results
> with pizzas in my Kamado, I see a deep dish (lightly smoked) pizza in
> the future.
>
> BOB
>
>

That sheet metal deep dish pizza pan with the large holes in the bottom
works wrll on crispening the crust (well at least on my generic bbq).

I say sheet metal cause I'm not sure what it's made of.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Thanks to all who responded i have various new things to try out and
see if it helps. I think a combination of a provolone and mozz. as
well as letting it sit to re-absorb some moisture will do the trick.

Stones don't really apply here as it is cooked in a deep dish pan, but
maybe i will try it and see if the heated stone tranfers heat more
effectively through the aluminum.

I appreciate the help and will be sure to report my findings!

Alex

(Alex R.) wrote in message . com>...
> 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!
>
>