What’s on the Menu:
Kenji’s Thin-Crust Pizza Dough
Chicago-Style Tomato Sauce
Thin-Crust Pizza with Jalapeños and Sausage

When you think of Chicago-style pizza, you probably think of iconic deep dish, with its many layers and rich, pastry-like crust. But there’s another style of pizza native to the Windy City that you might not be familiar with. Originating in the taverns of Chicago South Side and now popular at restaurants across the Midwest, super thin-crust pizza deserves your attention. Don’t believe us? Trust J. Kenji López-Alt, who’s been applying his detailed and science-based approach to food to pizza variations across the country. In this pre-recorded cooking class, he distills what he’s learned into essential lessons that will transform your approach to pizza at home. We review the science of hydration in the context of baking and explain why a thin crust dough’s hydration level changes dramatically from the beginning of the process to the end. You’ll learn what it means to cure dough and why curing is transformative when it comes to a crust’s crispness and browning. He explains why a bit of fat—whether it’s lard, vegetable oil or olive oil—is essential to successful thin-crust pizzas. You’ll learn how a Chicago tomato sauce is different from Neapolitan and New York sauces. And Kenji proves that it’s worth it to start your pizza dough four—or even five—days ahead of time for optimal results. Join Kenji and the Milk Street Cooking School for a class that will change the way you make and appreciate pizza forever.

About Kenji: J. Kenji López-Alt is the author of , including the James Beard Award-winning and bestselling cookbooks “The Food Lab” and “The Wok,” and the bestselling children’s book Every Night is Pizza Night. He is the host of a where he posts cooking videos and other food-related content. He is a New York Times food columnist and the Chief Culinary Advisor for . Additionally, he is the the former chef and founding partner at in San Mateo, a German-inspired California beer hall and restaurant. He is a huge fan and partner at , a San Mateo bakery specializing in naturally-leavened sourdough, pretzels and European-style pastries. He lives in Seattle with his wife Adriana, their children Alicia and Koji and dog Jamón.

What's Included: You will receive a .zip file that includes the cooking school video as well as PDFs of the recipe instructions.
How to Download: After you purchase your Milk Street Cooking School Video, you will receive an email from the Milk Street Store with the subject line "Your Cooking School Video is Ready for Download." Within this email there is a link that will direct you to a download page, click download now to download the .zip folder. To unzip the folder, double-click the zipped folder to open it. Please note: your video download file will have an approximate size of 500 MB.