Dough Ingredients (makes 2 pizzas)
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 150g water (50% hydration)
- 30g olive oil (10% oil, making effective hydration 60%)
- 7g salt (2.5%)
- 7g sugar
- 1g instant yeast
Topping per Pizza
- ~75g Chicago-style pizza sauce (see below)
- 4-6 oz low-moisture, full-fat mozzarella
- 1 oz Romano or Parmesan
- Raw Italian sausage, broken into small nubs
- 1-2 tbsp hot giardiniera (Marconi brand preferred)
Chicago-Style Pizza Sauce
Per pizza:
- Crushed tomatoes (canned is fine)
- Fresh garlic, minced
- Granulated garlic
- Italian seasoning (oregano, marjoram)
- Dried basil
- Tomato paste (small amount)
- Salt to taste
Mix well and don't pre-cook — sauce will cook on the pizza during the 10-minute bake.
Instructions
Day 1 — Mix and Bulk Ferment
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Mix briefly to separate salt and yeast.
- Add wet ingredients: Add water and olive oil. Mix on low speed with dough hook until shaggy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Rest: Cover with towel and rest 10 minutes to hydrate flour.
- Knead: Mix on low speed for 5 minutes until smooth and silky. Dough should easily stick to itself but not much else.
- Divide: Turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 2 equal balls (~250-255g each).
- Shape: For each ball: tuck edges under to create a tight, smooth skin. Roll on counter with seam side down, using friction to create a balloon-like shape. Finish with flat hands tucking the ends in.
- Oil: Lightly coat each ball with olive oil.
- Ferment: Place in Ziploc bags or proofing containers. Rest at room temperature minimum 3 hours, better overnight, best at 3-5 days in the fridge.
Cold fermentation is recommended. This develops flavour, relaxes gluten, and results in a crispier, better-browning crust.
Day 2 or Later — Roll and Cure
- Remove from fridge: Use heavily floured surface (semolina or flour — this dough handles extra flour well).
- Roll out: Using a tapered rolling pin, work from the center outward, rotating dough. Roll to a 14-inch circle, about ¼-inch thick.
- Rest if needed: If dough resists and pulls back, cover with clean towel and rest 20-30 minutes at room temperature. Gluten relaxation makes rolling easier.
- Transfer: Place on parchment or baking sheet.
- Cure overnight: Leave uncovered at room temperature overnight. This removes excess moisture, bringing effective hydration from 60% down to 30-35%. Dough becomes dry and leathery — this is essential for crispiness and ease of handling.
Bake Day — Top and Bake
- Preheat: Heat oven to 500°F with a baking stone inside for at least 30 minutes.
- Transfer to peel: Place cured dough on pizza peel, dry/leathery side down. It should slide easily with no extra flour needed.
- Sauce: Spread sauce all the way to edges (prevents edge burning). Use about 75g per pizza.
- Dock: Using a fork, poke the dough all over to prevent large bubbles from forming and burning.
- Mozzarella: Distribute 4-6 oz low-moisture mozzarella evenly to the edges.
- Romano/Parmesan: Sprinkle 1 oz over the cheese layer.
- Sausage: Break raw Italian sausage into small nubs and distribute evenly.
- Giardiniera: Drain oil from giardiniera. Distribute 1-2 tbsp over the pizza.
- Bake: Slide onto preheated stone. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are deeply browned and bubbly.
- Rest: Remove and rest 3 minutes before cutting. This allows crust to crisp further and pizza to cool slightly.
Cut and Serve
- Cut into 6 strips one direction, 6 strips perpendicular direction, creating 36 small squares.
- Corner pieces have the most crispy edge — highly prized.
- Each piece is 1-2 bites.
My Notes
⚠️ Low-moisture, full-fat mozzarella is essential. If unavailable, use 50/50 blend of part-skim mozzarella and shredded Monterey Jack.
⚠️ Raw sausage is non-negotiable. The fat renders during baking and becomes part of the flavour profile.
⚠️ Marconi brand giardiniera is preferred but can be ordered online if not available locally. It's an Italian beef sandwich condiment — pickled peppers, onions, cauliflower in oil.
⚠️ The overnight cure step is key. It's what makes this pizza truly crispy and easy to handle. Don't skip it.
The dough can ferment in the fridge for up to 5 days for even better flavour development.
Pizza peel not required — can also transfer on a sheet tray directly to the oven.