[Baking] Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

This weekend I expanded my repertoire, and made pizza. While I love Gino's & Due's in Chicago, getting them shipped is _pricey_.
I used the following recipe I found on the net.
http://reviewboard.com/articles_ektid256.aspx
Well, that's nifty - the site has changed owners. Thank goodness for the Internet Wayback Machine, which had a copy.

The Best Deep Dish Pizza

by Philip Ferreira
Best Deep Dish Pizza Background

When I was a kid I used to work at a place in Chicago that made some of the best Italian food that I ever ate. One of their specialties was Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Now that I live on the East Coast I find myself wishing more and more that I had access to that pizza. Not that I can't make it, but because like anything it is a chore and it is easier to pick up the phone and order a few for the family.

Alas I am the only person in my house that knows how to do it so the chore gets put on me fairly regularly. Normally I don't give up my secrets without a fight, but living on the East Coast has made me sympathetic to the people that are not in Chicago who do not have access to the great pizza. That being said here I go:
Best Deep Dish Pizza Recipe:

You'll be able to make two good sized pizzas with this recipe. It takes about 3 hours so make sure you have everything you need before you start. This recipe is expensive, probably comparable to what it would cost to buy them. The ingrediants need to be fresh, and if you substitute or don't do something the way I tell you to, don't blame me for the results. Making Authentic Deep Dish Pizza is an art, it took me a long time to get it right.
Best Deep Dish Pizza - What you need to start:

You will need an electric mixer with a dough hook. If you don't have one you can try and follow along by kneeding the dough yourself (You will need to add another 45 minutes to this process if you kneed the dough).

Make sure you have the following ready:

2 18" deep dish pizza pans - Don't use a baking dish, go out and splurge on a few pans, this is serious pizza and you shouldn't go screwing it up by trying to make it in a 9x15 baking dish it won't cook right, it won't be the same and you will probably end up thinking this recipe stinks.

2 Tablespoons of Sugar (Needs to be sugar, the yeast feeds on it and won't proof without it).
4 Cups of Warm Water (110 degrees when you pour it in the bowl it will cool by the time you get everything else done)
4 Packages of Yeast or if you have the jar you can do 8 teaspoons of Yeast.
1 cup of First Press REALLY GOOD Extra Virgin olive oil.
1 Cup of Yellow Cornmeal
9 Cups of Flour (Up to 10)
Best Deep Dish Pizza - Technique

Proofing the yeast is an important part of this process. Make sure you do it right, you want your bowl of water to be about 95 - 100 degrees. Mix in the 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir it with a wisk. Once you disolve the sugar in the water, put the yeast in and make sure it all gets wet. (Yeast tends to float on the top and some of it won't proof if you don't wet it). Now walk away from it for about 10 minutes. It should be in a big bowl because this stuff is going to FOAM up and it will spill over if you don't have a big enough bowl - you have been warned ;)

In your mixer mix the olive oil, the cornmeal and 5 cups of flour. Mix it up for about 1 minute and add the yeast slowly while it is mixing up. Slowly add the rest of the flour and let the mixer mix on about 1/3 speed for 5 minutes. The dough should not be sticky or wet, it should feel like really soft smooth elastic. Coat a plastic bowl with a little olive oil and put the dough into the bowl (Big bowl). Cover the top of it with a damp towel and let it rise until it is double the size.

Punch it down and let it rise again.
Best Deep Dish Pizza - Prep Your Pans First!

Prep your pizza pans, spread a little olive oil on the surface and sides and sprinkle yellow cornmeal on the bottom of it. This will prevent the pizza from sticking to the pan. Alternately (and I do it this way quite a bit) you can take REAL butter and really give it a good coating all away around and in the pan. Layer it on very thick. It gives the crust an amazing flavor. Sprinkle with yellow cornmeal the same way you would if you used olive oil.
Best Deep Dish Pizza - Mix Your Cheeses and Make Your Sauce

Make your sauce & cheese mixes while you are waiting around for the dough to rise. Here is what you do:

Cheese Mix:
4 Pounds of Grated Mozzarella
1 Pound of Provolone
1 Pound of Romano, Parmigiano, Asiago mix (You can get them predone at the store in the deli section)

Mix the cheese mix in a big bowl so it is blended well.

Sauce:
4 28 oz Cans of Plum Tomatoes, Drain them and then put them through your blender for about 10 - 15 seconds you want them to be crushed up and chunky, but not liquid.
5 Teaspoons of FRESH Chopped up Basil
5 Teaspoons of FRESH Chopped Oregano
2 Tablespoons of Sugar (Or Splenda, I use Splenda)
10 Cloves of FRESH Garlic Peeled and Crushed with a Garlic Press
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of Parmigiano Cheese Grated

Combine the ingrediants together and make sure it has good time to sit and steep in the acids from the tomatoes. This will bring out the flavors of the seasonings.
Best Deep Dish Pizza - Bringing Everything Together.

Once your dough has doubled again take it out and divide it into two sections with a knife. Roll it out onto your deep dish pizza pans (last chance to go out and buy pizza pans if you are using a baking dish you will not get the consistancy you need and you will not be happy). When you are laying the dough onto the pan push the dough to the edge. You can then turn the pan slowly while you pull the dough up the sides. If you have extra dough (and you should) roll it flat put it on a cookie sheet mist it with some olive oil, sprinkle it with garlic powder, Parmigiano, a little salt and bake it with your pizzas. You slice it with your pizza cutter after it's baked and dip it the left over pizza sauce. Presto free pizza bread / bread sticks.

Now that you have your pizza dough ready take a brush and brush olive oil onto the dough. Add your toppings (I use Portabella Mushrooms, Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Green Pepper, Onion and Black Olives.) on the dough, then put half of your cheese mix on one pizza, half on the other. Use it all!

Pour your sauce on top until it reaches the edge of the dough (which should be all the way up the side of the pan), spread it out evenly and sprinkle with Parmigiano. Note: For all you folks that have never had Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, the sauce is on TOP so it's a red top pizza. This is traditional, and trust me it is good!
Best Deep Dish Pizza - Heat Your Oven and Make Sure You Let It Cool!

Preheat your oven and bake for 25 minutes on 350 degrees. After 25 minutes crank the oven up to 475 and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes. You want to watch the pizza and take it out when the top is light golden brownish and the crust is a light golden brown.

IMPORTANT: Let this pizza cool for 20 minutes, if you do not it will be all over the place. Once it cools for 20 minutes it will be just the right temp and will come out of the pan the right way. Cut and serve. This recipe should feed a family of 7 with maybe a slice left over.

Looking at it, I had that "aha!" moment. I've always wondered how they got the texture of the pizza crust - now I know. 1 cup of cornmeal. So, made it this weekend, with a few substitutions

* I couldn't find 18" deep-dish pizza pans nearby. So I bought 2 3"x13" pizza(?) pans at Ace-mart (local restaurant supply shop). A little too deep, but close enough!
* Halved the recipe. Which means that you get pretty close on the size (18" = 254 square inches, 13"*2 = 264 square inches). Which explains why I was a little short on crust. But also made it cheaper - I think I spent $30 on cheese alone.

Thoughts from making it:
* Garlic - rather than run in through a press, you can huck it in your blender first. Put on chop - when I dropped the garlic in (through the small opening on the top of the blender), it bounced around for a while, which wound up with it getting chopped into bitty bits quite nicely. (And we went with much less - 2 toes of garlic instead of 10). Faster than chop and it just falls straight to the bottom. Chop allowed it to keep getting flung about the blender.
* If you use the pan I did, don't attempt to go all the way up the sides. About half-way will do you. The slices still weigh 10 ounces or so, and definitely are deep dish pizza goodness.
* Maybe get whole tomatoes in a can, or just buy crushed. I bought diced, and about 3 seconds in the blender was all it took - both to mix it all up, and to make a horrid mess as my blender barely held all the tomatoes.

Some changes for next time, I think:
* Try to make a little more crust. Or just make sure I distribute it evenly. I wound up with ultra-thick sides, and not enough on the bottom. Still yummy, though.
* A little less of the parmesan/asiago/romano mix
* A little less cheese, a little more sauce. It seems like a ton of sauce - it's not.

Overall? A triumph. I'm making a note here: huge success.
Awesome Chicago pizza.

-TBD

[WAT] Weird conversion error in SQL Server

Here's a fun conversion that will bite you.

DECLARE @test VARCHAR(10)
SET @test = '50000'
SELECT convert(varchar(5), convert(int, @test))


You get back "50000".
Now do this:

DECLARE @test VARCHAR(10)
SET @test = '500000'
SELECT convert(varchar(5), convert(int, @test))

What do you get back? "*". Nifty.

[Bake] Baking tip - let your oven heat up!

So, for years we used the "preheat" cycle on our oven. 4 minutes and we can start cooking things? Awesome! Or so we thought.

One day we bought an oven thermometer, mostly so I could work on my barbecuing method (smoked-meat barbecue, not charcoal grill barbecue). Lo and behold, the temperature was 220 after the preheat cycle was finished. Gee, I think I know why we felt our oven was temperamental and not all that good.

Ignore the preheat cycle - it just warms the air inside up, and not all that well.
For 350 degrees, let it heat up for 15 minutes.
For 400 degrees, let it heat up for 20 minutes.
(etc, etc).

This will instantly make your oven MUCH better than it ever was before.
-- TBD

[Cake] Olga's Jam Cake

Okay, here's another from my Baba's trove. I was starting to think I didn't have anything useful to add, cooking-wise - then I realized that, at the very least, I have all my Baba's recipes. Which, if nothing else, you should go make the Borscht. Trust me on this.

Anyhow, here's another of her recipes growing up. You might find it a bit dry - I don't. The combination of the crumbliness of the cake and the jam holding it together works really well. I used Raspberry Preserves this last time - go for seedless. Strawberry also works really well with this.

Baba's Jam Cake
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1 cup sugar
3 cups AP flour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder (less if wanting a denser consistency)
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
18-24 Ounce jar of Fruit Preserves (your choice of flavor)

* Set butter & margarine out so they soften
* Cream butter/margarine & sugar (aka put them in the mixer, and let them mix for 3-5 minutes on medium. The color will lighten and it'll get a little fluffy)
* Mix everything but the flour together
* Mix in flour with a spoon (practically, I do everything in my kitchenaid, paddle attachment, then add the flower in small installments, on low.)
* Take 3/4 of the dough and put in a 9x12 pan (or cookie sheet, but it needs to be 1-1.5 inches deep). Make it even with a knife/spatula/etc.
* Pour your preserves over this (1.5 pounds, aka 18-24 ounce jar) Using a knife, spread it evenly over the cake
* Take that last 1/4 of dough, add flour, and roll it out into strips. Make a lattice, taking care to include all 4 sides of the pan.

This was the hardest part for me, never having made it before. What I did was to take the last 1/4 of dough, put it on a sheet of wax paper, fold the wax paper over (so it's covered) then roll out to about the right length. Stick in the freezer 20-30 minutes. Bring it out, and quickly cut the strips with a pizza cutter, and lay them out. I didn't do anything fancy - one strip on each edge (yes, some will be too long. Cut them short.), then lengthwise, then widthwise. You're making a crisscross pattern. If you want to get fancy do every other stripe in one direction, then the other, then finish the first direction, then the other.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Watch it starting at about 40 minutes. One thing you're also looking for, besides being Golden Brown on the lattice, is that the jam/preserves "crystallize". It winds up being just a little crunchy, probably due to the jam caramellizing (is that how it's spelled?). The first time I did it it came out perfectly. The second time it didn't gel, and so you didn't wind up with that wonderful texture. My only other thought, besides "I pulled it out too early", was that I used Jam instead of preserves. Ironic since it's called "Jam cake", so I bet I just pulled it early.
-- TBD

[Maint] Show free space within a database

I use this all the time. Not sure where it came from, though it's probably from Simon Sabin's Taskpad_view report for SSMS. This will run on 2000 or 2005, and will show you how big your database is, as well as how much of that is used.


create table #data(Fileid int NOT NULL,
[FileGroup] int NOT NULL,
TotalExtents int NOT NULL,
UsedExtents int NOT NULL,
[Name] sysname NOT NULL,
[FileName] varchar(300) NOT NULL)


create table #log(dbname sysname NOT NULL,
LogSize numeric(15,7) NOT NULL,
LogUsed numeric(9,5) NOT NULL,
Status int NOT NULL)
insert #data exec('DBCC showfilestats with no_infomsgs')
insert #log exec('dbcc sqlperf(logspace) with no_infomsgs')

select [type], [name], totalmb, usedmb, totalmb - usedmb as EmptySpace from
(
select 'DATA' as [Type],[Name],(TotalExtents*64)/1024.0 as [TotalMB],(UsedExtents*64)/1024.0 as [UsedMB]
from #data
union all
select 'LOG',db_name()+' LOG',LogSize,((LogUsed/100)*LogSize) from #log where dbname = db_name()
--order by [Type],[Name]
)a
order by [Type],[Name]
drop table #data
drop table #log

[ETL] Disabling foreign key constraints

When you're doing bulk loads, the Foreign Keys can bring you to a standstill. I can't load that one without this one going first, etc.

Quick way around it: disable all the constraints, load, then enable. Thanks to "sqladmin" at http://sqlforums.windowsitpro.com/web/forum/messageview.aspx?catid=60&threadid=48410&enterthread=y for this one, as well as Erland for the WITH CHECK.

I love sp_MSforeach[...] - makes it very easy to walk through databases/tables. Indispensable.

One note, though: even if you disable the constraints, on SQL Server 2005 SP2 (and possibly others; haven't thoroughly tested yet) you still cannot TRUNCATE the table. You can DELETE from it, just not TRUNCATE.

To Disable all Constraints
exec sp_MSforeachtable 'ALTER TABLE ? NOCHECK CONSTRAINT ALL'

To Disable all Triggers
exec sp_MSforeachtable 'ALTER TABLE ? DISABLE TRIGGER ALL'

To Enable all Constraints (the WITH CHECK forces it to verify all the constraints are now good. Very important, as it helps ensure good execution plans)
exec sp_MSforeachtable 'ALTER TABLE ? WITH CHECK CHECK CONSTRAINT ALL'

Enable all Triggers
exec sp_MSforeachtable 'ALTER TABLE ? ENABLE TRIGGER ALL'

[Maint] Running sql code on multiple servers

This isn't mine. A big "hey!" to Mark Hill, who came up with this many many years ago.

Very simple premise. For each .sql file in the directory of the below file (which you will save as a .bat), it will run it against each server listed, and save the results of each to a separate results file. Practically, it lets you run the same code against a bunch of servers in parallel. Hence the "maint" tag of this.

No, it's not nearly as easy/cool/pretty as SQL Farm or SQL Multi Script or the like, but it works well. And let's be honest - if we wanted our stuff to be shiny and pretty, we wouldn't be SQL DBAs, would we? We'd be building C# apps and Flash sites and the like.

Bonus points for coming up with a way to use a separate file that just has a list of servers.
(if you don't see all the code, just highlight the beginning and end and copy)

-----code begins-----
title %0
for %%a in ( .\*.sql ) do (
Start OSQL -i "%%a" -o "%%a.SERVER1_Output.txt" -E -S"SERVER1" -dMaster -n -w500
Start OSQL -i "%%a" -o "%%a.SERVER2_Output.txt" -E -S"SERVER2" -dMaster -n -w500
)
-----code ends-----

[NoBake] Tiramisu

First: Tiramisu is tasty.
Second: Given the right recipe, it's easy.
Third: ...if you can find ladyfingers.

I made this Monday, had some Tuesday, and I doubt it'll last through tonight.
We made this slightly differently - we used really strong coffee (you want probably closer to regular-strength coffee, if you don't want to buy espresso... but I'll buy the espresso for next time). The marscapone we found in our Albertson's, albeit in the "front cheese" section of store (with the Gruyere, Fontina, Goat cheese, etc), rather than the cheese section in the back of the store that had cheddar, swiss, etc.

The ladyfingers were a bit trickier to get ahold of. This first time I made it, I wound up using "Boudoir biscuits" at the local Central Market (high-end grocery store). Then I got lucky, and discovered (naturally, after I'd made the first batch) that normal grocery stores carry them, but they keep them in the bakery's freezer. That being said, here's where you order "real" ladyfingers from: http://www.sbiladyfingers.com/Ordering.htm . $18 for a case. Seems easier than what I went through.

Addendum: made it again. Using "real" ladyfingers. And... they get waterlogged much more easily. So be careful when you dunk them, not to get them too wet. Quick dunk. Don't wait to see it absorb the coffee/rum.

Fourth: even made poorly, it's still pretty decent.
Tiramisu
Copyright, 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All rights reserved
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature*
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup good dark rum, divided
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso, divided
16 to 17 ounces mascarpone cheese
30 Italian ladyfingers, or savoiardi
Bittersweet chocolate, shaved or grated
Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until very thick and light yellow [note - we had to remove one side of our bowl from it's holder, otherwise it didn't hit the bottom enough]. Lower the speed to medium and add 1/4 cup rum, 1/4 cup espresso, and the mascarpone. Whisk until smooth.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup rum and 1 1/4 cups espresso in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 side of each ladyfinger in the espresso/rum mixture and line the bottom of a 9 by 12 by 2-inch dish. Pour half the espresso cream mixture evenly on top. Dip 1 side of the remaining ladyfingers in the espresso/rum mixture and place them in a second layer in the dish. Pour the rest of the espresso cream over the top. Smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, sprinkle the top with shaved chocolate and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

*RAW EGG WARNING
Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Notes: To make espresso for this recipe in your electric drip coffee maker, use enough water for 4 cups of coffee plus 1/3 cup of ground espresso.
You can find savoiardi and mascarpone in an Italian specialty store.

[Bread] Sourdough recipe, using starter

Simple recipe, assuming you have a starter. If not, it's fairly easy to make your own - but if you ask around, odds are that someone you know is already keeping one alive, and (trust me) is more than happy to share. I'll credit the person who sent me this, if he sees this. ;)

I feed the starter with 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 2 tbsp potato flakes, and one cup warm water. Then I leave it out on the counter for 8 hrs. It gets all foamy or frothy. (If it's cold, put it in the oven with the oven light on)

When I'm ready to mix up the bread, I stir the starter with a wisk. And then pour one cup starter into my mixing bowl. Then I add 1/3 cup veg oil, 1 tbsp salt, 3/4 cups sugar, and 1.5 cups of warm water...stir that up with the wisk. Then I add 6 cups flour and mix it all together by hand. May have to add a bit more water or flour to get right consistency...but not too much more.

Once all is mixed into a lump of dough I cover the bowl with saran-wrap and then put it in the oven(with light on) to rise the first time for 8 hrs. Once that has risen I take it out and make 2 or 3 loaves and put those in loaf pans that have been sprayed with crisco for baking...Then I put the panned loaves in the oven(with light on) to rise the second time. The second rise may be 4-6 hrs depending. Lastly, I take the loaves out and set the oven for 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 20-30 minutes. Use a bamboo screwer to poke in the bread to see if it is cooked through.

The way I do it, we feed it Friday night, make dough Saturday morning, make loaves Saturday evening, then bake Sunday morning. Even if they rise too much, don't worry - when we did it, they didn't rise any further in the oven.

[Cake] Chocolate Pound Cake

My wife has been going gaga over this recipe. Why, I'm not sure - the flavor is fine, but it's not amazingly moist, and not dense enough for me. But she likes loves it, and that's good enough. Bonus for all you aspiring bakers - this is a pretty simple recipe, and comes together quickly.

Not my recipe - I'm not that talented. Shamelessly cribbed from Paula Deen, here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_36917,00.html

Two notes:
1) This is an _easy_ cake. The only downside is that it cooks for over an hour and a half. But it takes maybe 15 minutes to put together. The secret, for those of you new to baking (Baking DBAs in training, mayhaps?), is to make sure the butter/shortening & sugar are thoroughly creamed. What I normally do is let the butter hit room temp (or about 12 seconds in the microwave), toss in the mixing bowl of our stand mixer (which is getting so much more use these days now that I'm baking) along with sugar, and put on 4 for about 5 minutes. What you're doing is using the sugar to puncture the cell walls in the butter. That's what "creaming" does. The longer it goes, the lighter and fluffier it gets. Five minutes may be too long, and that may be why it's not moist enough. I don't know. But it comes out fine, so I'm doing it that way for now. Make sure that, after creaming, to turn it down to low while you add all the other ingredients - otherwise you wind up with a cloud of flouy/chocolate/etc.

2) A 10" bundt pan can mean many things. Our 10" (across) bundt pan holds 12 cups, which isn't anywhere near big enough. The first time I made it, we wound up having to pour some out into a second loaf pan. The second time, I went looking for this mythical "ten inch bundt". Um, yeah. Or not. Fortunately, it turns out that an angel-food-cake pan, which normally holds 14-16 cups, is big enough. And since it has the "smokestack" in the middle, can sub for a bundt without any problems. (This was told to me by the owner of the local kitchen supply store - nice guy, they're on Little Road, just south of I-20 but north of the Little Road exit, in Arlington, Texas). Practical upshot: make sure your cake pan is big enough. Yes, this will rise.

Here's the recipe.
"The Bag Lady's Favorite Chocolate Pound Cake"
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk [this is probably optional - the taste it imparts is fine but not great. However, since buttermilk is acidic you'll have to change the recipe to deal with the pH change - no easy feat - TBD]

Special equipment: 10-inch bundt pan [again, use an angel-food cake pan - TBD]

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well after each addition.

Add flour and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until cake is done.

Remove from oven and allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto cake plate and serve.