The Deepest Dish Pizza

In anticipation of father's day, here is one of my husband's favorite recipes- besides, what dad doesn't love pizza? We use a 9X13 inch cake pan because its so deep, and we eat it with a knife and fork but, it is absolutley to die for! You can adjust the toppings to fit your taste, these just happen to be Mike's favorites.

The Deepest Dish Pizza:
Crust
1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Cup warm milk
1 packet active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 3/4 Cups Flour
1 ounce Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use olive oil to greas a 9X13 cake pan and set aside. I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup, but you can use a mixing bowl if you prefer; in this vessle, heat milk, if it's too hot it will kill the yeast, if its not warm enough then the yeast will not activate, you want it about the temperature of your baby's bath (I know, that's probably an inappropriate referance, but its the way I determine temperature). Add the yeast and the sugar to your milk. Mix it up until it is all dissolved, then set it aside for a few minutes to let it proof for 2-5 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, cheese and salt and mix to combine. Add milk mixture to dry ingredinets and mix until a dough forms. Knead for about 5 minutes then cover and let it raise in a warm place for about 5 to 10 minutes. Press dough into oiled cake pan- make sure there is dough in the bottom but also up the sides as well. Pre-cook in to oven for 7 minutes then pull it out and set the dough aside. The dough will not be all the way cooked, we just need to get it started before we cover it with loads of toppings! While dough is cooking, get started on your filling...

Filling
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 clove Garlic
1 small Onion
1/2 lb Mushrooms
4 oz Pepperoni
1 can Black Olives
14-16 oz Marinara Sauce
1 lb mozarella cheese
4 oz Parmesan Cheese

This pizza is much too thick for the toppings to cook on their own while the pizza is in the oven, so, to help things along: in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Begin browning crumbled sausage- when its about half way done (about 5-7 minutes), add chopped onions and garlic to saute for about 3-5 more minutes. Continue cooking over medium heat and add peperoni and mushrooms- they can be sliced, but I prefer quartered, I can taste them more that way. Cook toppings until vegetables are softer and peperoni is starting to get crisp. Remove from heat and prepare to top pizza.

In the precooked dough, begin layering with sauce on the bottom, then a few scoops of toppings then mozzarella and parmesan on top; I usually layer 2 or 3 times, but make sure cheese ends up on top. When you've used up all your toppings, sauce and cheese, cover the pizza with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove the foil at this point and continue cooking for about 10 more minutes.

Once you've had this pizza, you'll never go back to delivery! Happy Father's Day!