Chicago Style Pizza, Made in Montréal

Before the oven:

Cooked and ready to eat:

Last week, I saw this recipe and got so excited about it that I could hardly wait until the weekend to try it. Since moving from Chicago, I had been missing that city's delicious pizza*, specifically Lou Malnati's** "Lou"*** pizza.**** But after trying this pizza, I now know I can make this and satisfy the urge, even long-distance. Though it was time-consuming, it wasn't as complex as I would have thought, and I even got to use my cast iron skillet.

I took a risk and made it for the first time for company. (Gotta love the added drama!) It was a big hit though, so I made it again tonight since we had all the necessary ingredients. The second time, I tried a different approach by mixing the yeast and sugar in water before adding it to the dry ingredients (which is a variation from the instructions), and the dough did not mix well, nor did it really rise. I'm not sure what happened there, but even so, it still tasted great.

Learning how to make Chicago-style pizza at home might be my most exciting culinary achievement of the year. So thankful to those that figured out this recipe!

*It has a more pie-like, deep crust, and the sauce and toppings go on top of the cheese.

**My favorite Chicago-style pizza.

***The toppings are spinach, mushrooms, and sliced tomatoes. MMMmmm. It is my favorite!

****How many notes can I put in one sentence, anyways?