This Quad Cities pizza recipe (hailing from the Quad Cities region in Western Illinois/Eastern Iowa) is truly one of the more interesting and slept on pizzas around. The crust is thin like a Chicago pub style, but interestingly sweet due to the addition of malt syrup, molasses, and cayenne pepper. The pizza is cut into strips, and sweet fennel sausage is a must. The result is a pizza that is sweet, spicy, and one of the more complex pies you will ever enjoy.
Quad Cities Style Pizza
Quad Cities Style Pizza
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons malt syrup
- 1 tablespoons molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup bottled water
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed
Toppings
- ½ pound sweet Italian sausage
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- In your stand mixer with the hook attachment or large bowl using your hands, combine all dough ingredients. Mix for 10 minutes. Roll into a ball and refrigerate overnight, up to 3 days.
- Sometime before pizza day, in a saucepot over low heat, add in oil and garlic. Sweat for 2 minutes, then add in tomatoes, oregano, black pepper, red pepper, fennel seed, and salt. Raise heat to simmer and do so for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stretch dough into 14” circle with a slight lip/crust. Thinly sauce the pizza, then sausage, cheese, and oregano. Bake on a pizza pan for 12-15 minutes or until very bubbly and brown. Let cool and, if you want to be authentic, cut into strips with kitchen shears and enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 8People | Calories: 316kcal
