Chicago deep dish pizza with mushrooms, bacon & Cheddar

1. Make the dough 2 – 3 hours before you bake the pizza. Read through the recipe and allow time for all the steps.
2. Combine the flour, polenta, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and give them a quick mix. Add the lukewarm water (around 32c) to the bowl. Ensure this is not too hot as it will kill the yeast. Add the melted and cooled butter and beat for around 5 minutes until you have a soft dough that will be pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too thick add a little extra flour. If it is too dry add a little extra flour. It should be soft but not sticky.
3. Remove from the bowl and tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Bring the dough together in a ball. Press down with your finger and if the dough springs back it is ready.
4. Place the dough ball in a large bowl and coat all surfaces of the ball lightly with olive oil. Cover tightly with cling wrap or foil and then place a cloth over. Place the bowl in a warm place for 1 – 2 hours and allow it to double in size.
5. When the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto the floured surface one again (it will be stringy at this stage and gently roll into a ball. Cut it in half if you are making 2 pizzas and reshape into balls. Place these back into the bowl, cover and let sit while you heat the oven and make our sauce.
6. Preheat your oven to 220C / 425 F and position the oven rack to the lowest third level of the oven (the layer below halfway). The oven will take about an hour to reach temperature and heat the stone.
7. While the dough is resting, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sauté the onions until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer on a gentle heat for about 30 – 40 minutes. Use a potato crusher to break down any large pieces of tomato. Set aside for when you are ready to use it.
8. Prepare your toppings by frying the bacon in a pan for a few minutes until just starting to take on colour. Set aside. Slice the mushrooms and grate the cheese.
9. Lightly oil the tins with olive oil by wiping with a paper towel.
10. Roll out each dough ball so that it is big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your 18-23cm baking tin. Tuck the dough into each corner and press so it covers the sides. I found placing the unfloured side of the rolled-out dough down on the pan was easier to get it to stick to the pan. The underside with the flour did not adhere to the walls of the baking tin. If your cake tin is very high it should come up about halfway or ¾ of the way up the sides. If it is shallower. It should reach the top. Trim off any excess.

Layer your toppings in the following order:

1. Grated Mozzarella
2. Grated Kerrygold Cheddar
3. Bacon
4. Sliced mushrooms
5. Pizza sauce
6. Extra grated Kerrygold sprinkled on top
7. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown. Loosely cover with tin foil to prevent over-browning if necessary. Remove and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.