The town of Platteville, Wisconsin, located about 25 miles NW of Dubuque, Iowa is home to the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, about 12,500 permanent residents and roughly that again in students, and the greatest deep dish pizza in the world.
Pizzeria Uno in Platteville has been serving up these pies since opening in 1976 and has a distant connection with the Chicago-based chain of the same name, but is wholly independent and has their own twist on the deep dish style that sets it apart and above all others. It is one of those rare institutions which has not changed very much at all over the course of many decades. Their wise choice in keeping up with the times was in buying up an adjacent building and turning it into 'The Annex" and in adding an outdoor bar as well. The original place is nearly unchanged since my college days ended in the mid 1980's. And the pizza...well it hasn't changed one bit. Thankfully.
I have been on a quest to re-create the Platteville Uno's Deluxe, A La Mode with Wheat Crust since the mid-80's at home, and was mildly successful at it until I discovered the Real Deep Dish website, which unlocks several secrets of making a good deep dish pie. That, combined with my personal research and a few tips, has enabled me to reach the point of about 98% success in recreating my all time favorite 'za.
And now, dear Reader, I pass that on to you. You will need a 14" deep dish pan (about $20 on Amazon or check your local kitchen gadget specialist), a fine mesh strainer, some aluminum foil and some patience. A stand mixer helps but is not necessary. All the other ingredients are available at most grocery outlets.
Ingredients for a 14" "Uno's Deluxe":
Crust:
1/2 C Wheat Flour
1 C Semolina Flour
2 C All Purpose Flour
1/3 C Olive Oil
1/2 TBSP Yeast
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
8 oz. beer, heated to about 100 degrees, no more.
Fillings:
1 large can Crushed Tomatoes 28oz, strained
Basil
Garlic Salt
8 oz package Provolone cheese slices
8 oz Mozzarella block, grated
Fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Green Pepper, sliced thinly
1 smallish Onion, diced
Pepperoni, sliced
1/2 lb. Italian Sausage (I like fennel, so I add fennel to mine), added to pizza in little chunks
Green Olives, sliced
Time: About 3.5 hours total
More Notes: If you don't want the wheat crust, just substitute 1/2 cup all purpose flour for the 1/2 cup of wheat flour. You can also make this crust with water instead of beer, but then you're making a Chicago Deep Dish, not a Platteville one. Omit the mozzarella on top if you want a true Chicago style pie, the cheese on top is "A La Mode", a Platteville Uno's specialty. Put any toppings on that you like, but this is the recipe for a Platteville Uno's Deluxe.
Start by adding the beer, yeast and sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Give a gentle little stir to get things going and wait about 5 minutes or so, til the yeast starts bubbling and there's a foamy head across the top.
Add 1 cup of all purpose flour, the oil and salt. Mix together to form a batter-like solution. Slowly add the rest of the flours. Don't knead this a ton, and on the stand mixer you just want to run it on a slow speed with the dough hook til a ball forms...no more. If it's a little shaggy, that's fine. If doing it by hand, just so that the dough is well-mixed and forms a ball nicely.
Line the bowl with olive oil and rub some on the outside of the dough ball, put the ball in the bowl again and cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm place. This should be done at LEAST two hours before pizza making time.
When you're done with the dough, open the can of crushed tomatoes and dump into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Let strain for an hour, giving it a little shake now and again, to remove as much tomato juice as possible. When strained, stir in a little garlic salt and basil.
Take one of the upper racks out of your oven and completely cover it in aluminum foil, put back in the oven at about the 2/3rds position. Two rack spaces below, put an uncovered rack.
About 45 minutes before pizza baking time, turn your oven on to 500 degrees. Let that thing heat up, good and hot! While that's happening, brush your pizza pan with olive oil, place the dough in the center and start working it toward the edges. When you get to the edges, press up the sides so that the dough is paper-thin on the sides and the bottom is evenly thick.
Next take the provolone slices of cheese and, starting in the center, arrange them so the entire bottom of the crust is covered in provolone. Then add your meats, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, olives. Over the top of all of this, cover with sauce.
Turn your oven down to 450. Put the pie in the oven on the rack below the one covered with aluminum foil. Set the timer for 20 minutes and bake.
When the timer goes off, remove quickly from oven, cover with shredded mozzarella, put back in the oven for another 20 minutes. You may want to check on it at 15 minutes, ovens vary. Remove when the cheese starts to brown in spots.
Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This pizza type is best served in pie slices, you'll end up with a mess if you try to do squares.
Enjoy!!!
