So growing up, this was the best place on the planet to me, the neighborhood pizza place...Home Run Inn Pizza in Chicago, a little taste of home.
If you have never had it, really,
Go here now!!! ------------------------>>>>>
You must try it fresh (frozen does it no justice!). When we moved to the 'burbs I recall being shocked to discover that not all pizza tasted like home, in fact most pizza was really bad when compared to home.
My dad grew concerned about my unhealthy Home Run Inn obsession and to shut me up he would make a special pizza just for me.
He would pull out his antiquated pizza pan and start making a dough that was to die for. But the real special thing was what he put on top of the pizza...
So today we are gonna pay homage to dear old dad by sharing with his signature pizza recipe for little old me
First The Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup corn oil
Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in warm water. Add yeast and stir.
Let stand for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup flour and mix well.
Add 3/4 flour and corn oil. Combine well.
Add remaining 3/4 cup flour and knead 5 minutes.
Place in bowl, cover with moist towel to prevent dough from drying out, and let rise in warm area for 2 hours.
Punch down, replace moist towel, and let rise for another 2 hours.
Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll out to approximately 16 inches across.
Transfer to pizza pan and pinch up sides to make crust.
Now the special dad stuff:
1 - 8 oz.can of Pastorelli Pizza Sauce
1/4 cup fine shredded romano cheese (my dad always called it stinky feet cheese, I know not very appetizing sounding but tasty!)
3/4 pound of brick cheese sliced thin
Fresh Italian sausage (Dads cool secret: put it in the freezer for about an hour or so until it becomes mostly frozen) sliced into 1/8 inch round slices
Now for the assembly:
Spread the pizza sauce over the dough
Next sprinkle the romano cheese
On top of that layer the sliced brick cheese
Now put the sausage rounds on top
Bake in 475 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes before slicing (in squares of course).
And there we have it my dad's special just for me pizza!
