It is a regional culinary treasure.
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It is a regional culinary treasure.
But during the decade I lived in the Quad-Cities, I never thought of the area’s pizza quite that way. Back then, it was just pizza. Really good pizza, mind you. But I didn’t realize how unique it was until I left the area in 1999.
Until relatively recently, it was only found in the bi-state region which consists of Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I found myself hankering for that unique style of pizza. So, I decided to bake my own rendition.
The only problem is I’m not a baker. My kids would add, I’m not much of a cook either. My wife is more diplomatic saying I don’t tend to alternate my selections. (Hamburgers and sandwich ribeyes on Mondays, pork chops on Tuesdays, corn and sausage casserole on Wednesdays.)
That said, I used a recipe for Quad-City style sausage pizza that Roots Handmade Pizza shared with the Washington Post.
In 2011, Roots opened in Chicago specializing in Quad-City style pizza. Despite Chicago being a notoriously difficult restaurant market known for its own unique style of pizza, Roots has flourished and now has four Chicago locations.
“What makes Quad-City style pizza unique is that no one else puts malt in the crust,” explained Scott Weiner, co-owner of Roots.