PIZZA CRUST:

3/4 cups water (room temperature; about 70-80°F)
3/4 tsp. white granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (don't use bread flour, we want a biscuit like dough)
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/3 cup cooking oil (5 tbsp. corn or canola oil plus 1 tbsp. olive oil) - corn oil adds a buttery flavor to the crust

Add sugar and yeast to water, stir well. If not using instant yeast, allow the yeast to bloom in water for about 15-minutes. If using instant yeast, you can use the water mixture right away.

Stir in flour, cornmeal and salt. Mix well. Stir in cooking oils. Mix for 1 minute then knead for 3 minutes. You can use a stand mixer or by hand. Add more flour or warm water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed, to make a workable dough. Don't over-knead, we want a biscuit like dough for deep dish pizza.

Form dough into a ball, place in a large mixing bowl, coat dough lightly with oil, cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm place for 6 hours. This long rise time develops a rich flavor in the dough that comes through in the baked crust. You can use the dough after about 1 hour of rise, but it won't have the deep flavor.

Punch down dough and allow it to rest 10 to 15 minutes.

BBQ PIZZA SAUCE:

1 (24 oz.) can garlic & herb pasta sauce (Hunts)
2/3 cup Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 tsp. hickory flavor liquid smoke (Wright's or Colgin brand)
1/4 tsp. seasoning salt (Lawry's)

Mix ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened.

ASSEMBLE PIZZA:

Roll out or press dough into a 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up inner sides of deep dish pizza pan. Spread BBQ pizza sauce evenly across bottom of pizza dough.

TOPPINGS:

3/4 lb. cooked ham, sliced 1/8-inch thick and cut into 1-inch pieces.
1/2 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Distribute sliced cooked ham pieces evenly across the pizza sauce. Distribute drained pineapple chunks evenly across the ham and pizza sauce. Sprinkle shredded Mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the pizza.

BAKE:

Bake the deep-dish pizza in a preheated 425°F oven until the top is melted and gooey and the edge crust is a light golden brown, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Makes one 12-inch deep-dish pizza or 14-inch regular crust pizza.

Total time: about 7 hours (6 hour dough rise, 25 to 35 minutes baking).

Submitted by: Rusty Barton