Have you been interested in making a Chicago-style Stuffed Pizza (like Patxi’s or Zachary’s in the Bay Area or Giordano’s and Gino’s East in Chicago), but not sure where to start? Together, we will walk through the steps to make a great pizza in your own kitchen and discuss some of the finer points of different types of pizza (and some bread tips, too). Stuffed Pizza is different than what is typically called deep dish, the style originally popularized by Pizzeria Uno in Chicago. In the Bay Area, Little Star and Blue Line make deep dish in this way. We’ll talk about some of the differences between the different types of pizza in Chicago (including a thin crust offering), but we will be making a Chicago-style Stuffed pizza.
No prior experience making pizza or bread is needed, but an appetite for pizza is required!
About the Class
The Chicago-Style Stuffed Pizza class is about 2 hours long. Your pizza will require additional 30-45 minutes after the class ends to finish cooking before eating. In the class, we will make the dough, make the sauce, assemble everything together, and put the pizza in the oven.
The ingredients list will be sent out in advance of the class.
What you need
An oven that can reach 450F and also has a relatively low temperature setting (the lowest setting on my oven is 170F and this works great).
A knife and cutting board for mincing garlic, slicing mozzarella cheese, and chopping toppings.
Measuring cups.
Bowls for holding toppings.
A large bowl for mixing the dough.
A stand mixer can also be used to make the dough if that is preferred. I can help you make the dough either way, although I personally do it by hand typically.
A rolling pin.
A saucepan with a lid or splatter guard for making the tomato sauce.
12” round baking pan with a 2” edge. My pan is made out of aluminum and works great. If you don’t have a pan with an edge that is 2” high, then a cast-iron pan can work well or even just a pan with at least a 1” edge.
A spatula for removing the pizza from the pan. I use a metal spatula with rectangular ends.
A surface to roll out and assemble the pizza.
About Roger
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, quickly taking the availability of all Chicago-style pizzas for granted. Around a decade ago, I was living in Oregon and craving the pizza of my youth and started experimenting to make my own slice of Chicago. A number of pizzas (and delicious accidents) later, I was able to dial in my own version of Chicago-style stuffed pizza. Since then, I’ve explored a variety of pizza types with my current favorite being naturally-leavened, Sicilian-style pizza, but the Chicago-style stuffed pizza will forever have a warm spot in my oven and I’m excited to share this type of pizza with you!