pizza.

This is my favorite deep-dish pizza recipe.

It may even end up as our V-day meal because there's so much love baked into these little pies.  I've alluded to this baby before, so now I'm posting the whole recipe, step by step.  Now I just need to find the perfect hand-tossed pizza recipe.  Anyone have a good one you're willing to share?


Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza
adapted from America's Test Kitchen TV
makes 2 - 9" pizzas



Dough:
½ c. olive oil
¾ c. milk + 2 T., warmed to 110°F
2 t. sugar
2⅓ c. all purpose flour
1 pkg yeast
½ t. salt

Sauce:
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

Topping:
pepperoni
1⅓ c. sauce
3 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
       (plus anything else you'd want to add)

1. Preheat oven to 200°F, then turn off. Place rack on lowest position. Lightly grease large bowl. Coat bottom of 2 - 9" cake pans with 3 T. olive oil each. 
2. Mix flour, yeast and salt in mixer with dough hook.  Mix milk, sugar, and 2 T. olive oil.  On low, slowly add milk mixture. Increase speed to med-low for 5 minutes. Turn dough onto counter and gently shape into a ball. Place into greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, place in oven 30 minutes.
3. To make the sauce, cook olive oil and garlic on low for 2 minutes in a small saucepan. Add crushed tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers.
4. Divide dough in half. Shape into 2 - 9" rounds with your hands and press into pan. Avoid getting the olive oil on top of the dough! Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot for 20 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 400°F. Microwave pepperoni for 30 seconds on paper towels (to remove excess grease). Top the dough with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Bake 20 minutes. Let rest 1 minute.