Tavern Pizza
Tavern pizza, the original Chicago-style pie, has a super thin, crispy crust with almost no rise. The toppings used here are a great combo of spicy and sweet — the pickled pepperoncini add a nice acidic balance to the pepperoni and cheese. Customize to your liking. Using a rolling pin to fully flatten the edges of the crust is different from how you would normally shape a pizza crust but this helps keep it thin. Add red chile flakes and Parmesan to finish.
Ingredients
Dough:
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1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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1 teaspoon granulated sugar
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3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold water
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1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
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cornmeal, for dusting
Toppings:
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1/2 cup marinara sauce, divided (such as Rao’s®)
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1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
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1/4 cup drained and sliced pepperoncini salad peppers, or to taste
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12 slices pepperoni, or to taste
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1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
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hot honey, for drizzling
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coarsely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
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Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a food processor and process until combined, about 3 seconds. With processor running, slowly pour cold water and oil through the food chute and process until dough forms a sticky ball that clears the sides of the bowl, 45 seconds to 1 minute.
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Lighly oil a work surface and set dough ball on top; knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into a tight ball and place in a large bowl greased with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place a pizza stone on the lowest rack in the oven.
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Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently re-shape into a ball. Coat dough ball lightly with flour and flatten into an 8-inch disk using your fingertips. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12‑inch circle, dusting dough lightly with flour as needed.
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Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal and transfer dough circle on top. Spread marinara sauce on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Top evenly with mozzarella, pepperoncini, pepperoni slices, and sliced jalapeño.
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Carefully transfer pizza onto pizza stone in the preheated oven and bake until edges are golden brown and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
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Remove from oven; drizzle with hot honey and sprinkle with basil.
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