Molly Yeh's Tips For The Crispiest Deep Dish Pizza - Exclusive
Molly Yeh tries to make pizza on a weekly basis, on Pizza Fridays. It's a tradition that the "Girl Meets Farm" home chef writes about in her book, "Home Is Where the Eggs Are." After the kids get their own, smiley-faced personal pizzas and are safely sleeping, she and Nick munch on their adult versions, à la movie night, craft beer included. "We are really so boring. But our pizza isn't," she says.
If you know Molly Yeh, you know she knows pizza. Maybe you started following Yeh in her blog days. If so, you've heard her New York City chronicles. She lived and ate in the pizza paradise for six years. It failed to convert her completely. This home chef is Chicago-bred and has real feelings about people insulting the pies her city is known for. As the Food Network personality once proclaimed on her blog, "no amount of meditating can produce the patience required for people who say that Chicago pizza 'isn't really pizza.' you people, delete your account." A true Chicago girl, she does not kid around about her deep-dish pizza.
While she once thought of pizza as a meal as best left to the professionals, Yeh's since become a professional herself. In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, she shared her absolute best tips for a crispy, deep-dish crust.
How to avoid a soggy deep dish disaster
Lou Malnati, a classic Chicago pizza spot, may or may not be the master of deep-dish magnificence (we're not here for that debate), but learning the art of a solid homemade pizza pie is completely achievable. Aiming for perfection? A deep-dish pizza isn't about just the dough, only the toppings, or simply the sauce. Ask Molly Yeh. It's the perfect amalgamation of every one of those things, plus the baking vessel, and the baking vessel's position in the oven. Yeh, for example, swears by cast iron. "Baking in cast iron will help prevent that sogginess," she told Tasting Table. But cast iron doesn't lead to crispy, no questions asked. You'll need to practice restraint with the amount of cheese and sauce you add to your deep dish, Yeh says, otherwise, sogginess is inevitable.
The home chef has two additional deep dish tips worth jotting down. "Baking at the bottom of your oven will help the bottom get crisp," Yeh advised, adding, "Also, top with things that can handle a lot of time in the oven while the crust crisps up."