How to Make Real Chicago Thin-Crust Pizza at Home | Kenji’s Cooking Show

Summary by Krater

J. Kenji López-Alt demonstrates how to make Chicago thin-crust pizza at home, detailing flour choice, dough hydration, dough curing, sauce, toppings, and baking technique.

From the video

Answers: How do you make Chicago thin-crust pizza at home?

• Chicago thin-crust pizza
• Pizza dough recipe
• Pizza dough curing
• Pizza sauce preparation
• Pizza toppings
• Pizza baking

Ingredients

• 300 g bread flour
• 7.5 g salt
• 7.5 g sugar
• 1.5 g instant yeast
• 30 g oil
• 150 g water
• semolina
• 3/4 cup canned tomatoes
• 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 pound sausage
• hot giardiniera
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• Italian seasoning

What it concludes

• Chicago thin-crust pizza uses a lower baking temperature and bakes in about 10 minutes compared to New York or Neapolitan styles.
• Using 10% oil in the dough prevents gluten from forming tightly, keeping the crust light, crisp, and crackery instead of leathery.
• Curing rolled pizza dough uncovered in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days dries out the surface, preventing it from sticking to the peel and ensuring it bakes into an even, crackery crust.
• Shredded whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella melts better and provides superior flavor compared to fresh mozzarella on Chicago-style pizza.
• Baking on a thoroughly preheated stone or steel at 500 degrees Fahrenheit ensures a crispy, evenly browned bottom crust in under 10 minutes.