Four years ago, Emmett Burke did a daring thing and opened a Chicago-style pizza joint right in the middle of Manhattan, where classic New York slices reign and the locals vocally hate deep dish. But even a Chicago native rebelling against NYC's foodie edicts can't eat deep dish every day—too much sauce, way too heavy—so Burke also put a bar pie—think cracker thin crust, cheese to the edges—on the menu at Emmett's. Compared to a New York slice, "ours is a lot zestier, it's a little bit more robust, there's more ingredients," he says. It takes a few days to make too, if you want to make it right. "It's almost similar to a bottle of wine," Burke says of the dough and sauce. "The more time it takes to ferment and develop, the true and richer flavors come through."
To make this pizza recipe, good for two 14-inch pizzas, you'll need a pizza peel and a pizza stone, and access to an Italian grocery (Whole Foods will do the trick). And of course, time, so plan ahead. It'll be worth it.
- Mix active dry yeast with 1 cup warm water. Add a pinch of sugar.
- Let sit for 5 minutes to breathe—the water will start foaming.
- Mix flour and cornmeal in a big bowl, then add salt and olive oil.
- Slowly stir in the activated yeast/water. Then, as you mix the dough with your hands, add 1 cup of water in increments so that the dough feels moist but never wet, with no excess water or dry dough in the bowl. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Once you have a good dough ball, cover the bowl with a warm and wet towel and set it in a warm place for 1 hour to ferment. (It will double in size.)
- Drizzle more olive oil over the dough, cover the bowl in plastic wrap, and put it in the back of your fridge. Let it sit for 3 days (minimum 1 day).
- Combine all the sauce ingredients, cover in an airtight container, and store in the fridge. (Sauce gets better the longer it sits, so make it the same time you make the dough.)
- Cut dough ball in half and let it sit at room temperature for an hour and a half (either save one half or make 2 pizzas).
- Put your pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees, or as high as it will go.
- Roll out the dough as thin as you can get it on a table with a rolling pin.
- Dust the pizza peel with cornmeal to it doesn't stick, then transfer the dough to it.
- Fill a ladle with sauce and apply to the center of the pizza. Make circles to spread it to the end of the dough (Chicago-style doesn't have an outer crust ring).
- Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, then dust with a mixture of parmesan and pecorino.
- Cook in oven on the pizza stone for 9-10 minutes, then finish with more grated cheese.
*Use flour that's 12-percent protein or higher. King Arthur all-purpose flour works.
**Polly-O or Grande low moisture whole milk mozzarella works.