Tavern Style Chicago Thin Crust Pizza

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*Pizza Dough Ingredients*
▪360g (3c) bread flour
▪40g (3T) cold butter
▪180g (3/4c) ice cold water, divided
▪5g (1 1/2t) yeast
▪7g (1 1/2t) salt

Pizza Dough Instructions:
1. In a food processor, combine the bread flour and cold butter. Pulse until the butter is broken down into small, gravel-like bits.
2. Dissolve the yeast in 90g (1/4c + 2T) of ice cold water and the salt in another 90g (1/4c + 2T) of ice cold water.
3. Add the yeast water and salt water to the flour-butter mixture in the food processor. Pulse for 20-30 seconds until the dough is evenly hydrated. Be careful not to overmix.
4. Transfer the dough onto a work surface and knead for 2 minutes until it forms a homogeneous ball.
5. Round the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover, and ferment for 2 hours.
6. After 2 hours, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Perform a preshape by folding in the sides and rounding off the dough into a ball. Cover the dough balls and let them rest for 20 minutes to relax the gluten.
7. Press the dough ball flat with a pizza pan or large pot then roll out each dough ball into a 12” (30cm) round
8. Use a pizza docking tool or a fork to pierce the dough to prevent large bubbles from forming during baking.
9. Spray 2 pieces of parchment paper with olive oil pan spray and a generous amount of fine grind cornmeal and place rolled out pizza doughs on top.
10. Place both doughs stacked on a sheet tray and refrigerate, uncovered, for 4-24 hours to cold ferment and develop a skin for a crispier crust. Preferably 24 hours.
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*Pizza Sauce Ingredients*
▪1 28oz/800g can crushed tomatoes
▪100g (1/3 cup) tomato paste
▪12g (2 1/2 tsp) salt
▪20g (5 tsp) granulated sugar
▪1g (1/2 tsp) chili flakes
▪2g (2 tsp) dried basil
▪2g (1 tsp) dried oregano
▪2g (1/2 tsp) onion powder
▪2g (1/2 tsp) garlic powder

Pizza Sauce Instructions:
1. Scoop out half a cup of crushed tomatoes from the can.
2. Add the tomato paste, salt, sugar, chili flakes, basil, oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder to the remaining crushed tomatoes.
3. Blend the sauce with immersion blender until the dried herbs are broken down and everything is well combined.
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*Italian Sausage Ingredients*
▪450g (1 lb) 80/20 ground pork
▪7g (1 1/2 tsp) salt
▪2g (3/4 tsp) black pepper
▪2g (1 tsp) chili flakes
▪5g (1 tsp) red wine vinegar
▪2g (1 tsp) ground fennel seed
▪5g (1 clove) fresh garlic, minced

Mix together all ingredients until well combined.

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*Assembling and Baking the Pizza*
▪450g (16 oz) full-fat aged mozzarella cheese, shredded
▪1lb (1/2kg) italian sausage (preferably homemade, recipe above)
▪Pizza sauce (recipe above)
▪Dreid oregano
▪Dried basil
▪Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 550°F (285°C) with a pizza steel or an upside-down sheet tray.
2. Spread prepared pizza sauce evenly over the rolled dough.
3. Distribute half of the Italian sausage in rough balls evenly on top of each pizza (1/2lb per pizza)
4. Sprinkle half the shredded mozzarella cheese generously over the sausage of each pizza, spreading edge to edge (½ lb per pizza).
5. Sprinkle each pizza with a pinch of dried oregano, dried basil, and a pinch of salt.
6. Slide assembled pizza onto the preheated pizza steel or sheet tray in the oven.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes until the crust is deeply baked and the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

CHAPTERS:
0:00: Intro and preparing the pizza dough
5:27 step 1 in my morning routine
6:22 Making the pizza sauce
7:06 Making the italian sausage
7:50 Assembling and baking the pizzas

🎧MUSIC:

#chicagopizza #thincrustpizza #tavernpizza

[TheMidwestWaterproofing]

I grew up 3 blocks away from Vito and Nicks. The standard bearer of Chicago pizza for over 100 years. Cash only, no delivery. Nick Barraco said "you want my pizza, you come get it"

[Art_Murder]

B taking a bite out of every block of cheese always gets me

[saintseymour]

your first video for this style of pizza is the first thing i watched of yours during the pandemic. it was a weird time to be alive, and i made your recipe for my family, and we all felt really at home and happy eating it together. the channel is really doing it's thing now, and you deserve every bit of this. way to go dog

[damienlu]

Yes sir I'll take this over a deep dish any day.

[tmpickrell]

THIS is true Chicago style pizza. Thank you, Brian. I cant wait to make this.

[rockgtr]

I made this yesterday. Wow! Blown away!! I've been searching for this crust for years. Native Chicagoan living in Phoenix for the last 12 years. You can't find this crust here. I've tried many different recipes. This one nails it!! The sauce was also spot on. Thank you for posting this video!

[michaelplanchunas]

Sixty-four years ago, I started eating thin crust Pizza from Nick and Sons on Chicago Avenue in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. It has always been my standard of comparison for all other pizzas. The photos took me back to my teenage years prior to the military. I can still taste that pizza.

[DappledShade]

Someone nailed it at last! This version brings a tear to the eye of any displaced Chicagoan. Absolutely delicious. Going straight into rotation at my house. Thanks, Brian!

[byohnk]

Babe wake up Brian uploaded a Chicago pizza video

[MartinJohnson-qd]

Thank you so much I've been living abroad for a year now and every pizzeria that I've gone to here just does not compare to Chicago Tavern Style Pizza. I decided to take a crack at it and with your recipe, I instantly had flashbacks of eating at Vito and Nicks, and other pizzerias. Thank you again!

[palaceofwisdom]

Vito & Nick's has been my birthday dinner several times, it really is amazing. If this is as close to the real thing as it looks, you have achieved something incredible.

[Justicehillmusic]

That’s the real chicago style for sure. Tavern style baby

[FoulOwl]

I use a 16 inch ceramic floor tile as a pizza stone. They work great and are dirt cheap compared to a commercial pizza stone. I keep it in my oven all the time. Even when I'm not making pizza. The thermal mass of the hot stone helps maintain a constant oven temp.

[jefferykalata]

I made this last week and it was absolutely amazing. Pizza in Florida is trash. Now we make our own with your recipe. Thank you so much!

[eaton]

Some cooking channels really aim for entertainment. Others try to be educational. This channel mixes entertainment value with legit teaching and easy to follow recipes with the way things are shot. Kudos to Brian, he has made me a much better cook, love it!

[jennroeb]

I have been through so many pizza dough crust only to find this recipe has nailed it for me. It is so good. I follow it to a T and it works perfectly. I love all of the detailed videos thank you so much for this perfect tavern style pizza recipe

[coupdefoudre]

The technique looks flawless. It looks challenging, but (as always) you take the time to breakdown the key steps. Your attention to detail misses nothing!

[iancryar]

Our sister lived in Chicago for 7 years. I visited often & we hit every pizza place we could when I visited. Tavern style is the best. We ate at Vito and Nicks and yeah they rocked. Down here in The GNO we miss Rocky’s Pizzeria.

[Berggren_]

SO happy to see tavern style get some love. Don't get me wrong, deep dish is something special (I'm a Malnati's guy myself), but tavern style definitely deserves more recognition. Much love from Chicago!

[coepuffs]

Vita and Nicks is THE best pizza in the world! I’m so glad you went there for this video!!!