Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza | Thin, Crispy & Delicious | Pizza Lab #6

Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza | Thin, Crispy & Delicious 🍕🔥 When most people think of Chicago pizza, they think DEEP DISH! But there's another style of pizza that Chicago locals have been enjoying for generations — Tavern-Style! In Episode #6 of Pizza Lab, we're making Chicago Tavern-Style pizza from scratch. We're talking an incredibly thin, crispy crust, homemade Italian sausage, seasoned tomato sauce, and plenty of mozzarella, all baked to golden perfection and cut into those signature squares. After tackling Chicago Deep Dish in our last Pizza Lab, I wanted to explore the OTHER Chicago pizza! The secret? A cold-butter dough, a 24-hour uncovered rest in the refrigerator, and a blazing-hot pizza steel. And yes... we're putting that CRUNCH to the test! 🍕 *CHICAGO TAVERN-STYLE PIZZA RECIPE* Makes two 12-inch pizzas. PIZZA DOUGH *Ingredients* 360g (approx. 3 cups) all-purpose flour 2½ Tbsp (approx. 35g) cold butter 180g (¾ cup) ice-cold water 4g (approx. 1¼ tsp) instant yeast 7g (approx. 1¼ tsp) fine sea salt *Instructions* 1. Using the metal S-blade in a food processor, pulse the flour and cold butter until the butter is incorporated into small pieces. 2. Divide the 180g ice-cold water into two equal 90g portions. Dissolve the yeast in one portion and the salt in the other. 3. Switch to the plastic dough blade. Add both water mixtures and process for approximately 90 seconds, until the dough comes together. 4. Transfer dough to the counter and knead for approximately 2 minutes. 5. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours. 6. Divide into two equal dough balls, cover, and rest another 20 minutes. 7. Roll each dough ball extremely thin into a 12-inch crust. Dock the surface with a fork. 8. Cut two sheets of parchment paper large enough to accommodate a 12–13-inch pizza. Cover each sheet with a generous, even layer of finely ground cornmeal. 9. Place each rolled crust on its cornmeal-covered parchment. Layer the parchment sheets with the crusts on a baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for approximately 24 hours. HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE *Ingredients* 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes 1¼ tsp dried oregano ½ tsp dried basil ½ tsp salt ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp black pepper Pinch of chili flakes *Instructions* 1. Combine crushed tomatoes and all seasonings in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. 2. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. During this time, remove the dough from the refrigerator to warm up and preheat the oven to 550°F with the pizza steel inside. 3. Use ⅔ cup sauce per pizza, spreading evenly all the way to the edges. No need to cook the sauce beforehand! HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE *Ingredients* 1 lb ground pork 2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 2 tsp sweet paprika ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp dried oregano ½ tsp dried thyme ½ tsp dried basil 1 tsp sugar 1 Tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed *Instructions* 1. Lightly toast fennel seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Allow to cool and crush lightly. 2. Combine all seasonings in a small bowl. 3. Add seasonings to the ground pork and mix thoroughly. 4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pizzas. 5. Divide into two 8 oz portions. PIZZA TOPPINGS *Per 12-inch pizza* ⅔ cup homemade pizza sauce 8 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, freshly shredded 8 oz homemade Italian sausage ASSEMBLY & BAKING 1. Remove prepared dough from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before baking. 2. Preheat oven to 550°F with a pizza steel inside, allowing the steel to thoroughly heat. 3. Spread ⅔ cup pizza sauce evenly across each crust, all the way to the edges. 4. Distribute 8 oz freshly shredded mozzarella over each pizza. 5. Add 8 oz raw Italian sausage in small pieces, distributing evenly. 6. Transfer pizza onto the preheated steel using the parchment for support. 7. Bake approximately 9–12 minutes, until the cheese is deeply golden, the edges are browned, the underside is crispy, and the sausage is fully cooked to 160°F internally. 8. Remove from oven, cool briefly, and cut into traditional Tavern-Style squares. 🔥 ABOUT PIZZA LAB Pizza Lab is where I experiment with different pizza styles, techniques, ingredients, and cooking methods — all from my home kitchen. No professional pizza chef here. Just a guy who loves great pizza and figuring out how to make it at home! If you enjoy pizza, cooking, fishing, and bourbon, welcome to Kokanee & Cask! 👍 If you enjoyed the episode, give it a thumbs up! 🍕Catch up on Pizza Lab episodes here: ➡️    • Pizza Lab   🔔 Subscribe to Kokanee & Cask for more Pizza Lab experiments, fishing adventures, and bourbon discoveries. #ChicagoTavernStyle #ThinCrustPizza #PizzaLab #HomemadePizza #KokaneeAndCask