Good News, Chicago Fans

I don't know why it took me 12 years of living away from Chicago to figure this one out. Little did I realize, when I first moved to Pittsburgh, that outside of the Chicagoland area, poppy seed buns do not exist except by mail order. As anyone from Chi-town knows, poppy seed buns are essential to a good Chicago style hot dog, along with the neon relish, celery salt, etc.

After lamenting this for so long, I finally figured it out. What's missing from a regular bun? Poppy seeds. How do you get poppy seeds to stick to a regular bun? Try brushing them lightly with some milk or 1/2 & 1/2, sprinkle on the seeds, and toast the tops in a toaster oven for a minute or two. Steam, fill, and be transported back to the Windy City.

The Square Cut

Mission accomplished... almost.

Here's the thin crust version of the dough from the last post. It could be a little crunchier on the bottom, but the cheese is already getting browned on top. Could be I need a screen or stone to help with that.

450 for about 15 minutes. Toppings were sausage, green pepper, mushroom. Sauce was Classico tomato and basil. Cheese was 50/50 mozz and provolone. Time to devourment (three eaters): 12 minutes.

I insisted on a square cut just so that I could fight myself for the little corner pieces. That's a little taste of heaven.