Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

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This pizza is truly the stuff that dreams are made of. Dreams of unbelievable deliciousness.

But folks, this isn’t a dream. It’s the real deal. The crust is buttery and classic Chicago-style. The sauce is robust. And the sausage and cheese is the perfect topping. If you want an authentic Chicago Deep-Dish pizza recipe, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s do this!

A Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza on a cutting board with a slice pulled out next to Parmesan cheese.

HOW TO MAKE CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA

As we go through this not-difficult-to-have-success process, we’ll show you exactly how to make a Chicago deep-dish pizza that rivals even the best in Chi-Town. Learn more about its amazing history here.

We’ll go over all this shortly, but here’s what makes a great Chicago deep-dish pizza: The dough! The dough! The dough! And then the sauce, the cheese, and the sausage. And did we mention the dough?

 

PERFECT CHICAGO DEEP-DISH PIZZA CRUST RECIPE

We are using a technique called laminating for this dough. It’s a similar concept to flaky, buttery croissants.

Butter is a key component of this dough. For the best results, we use our stand mixer and the dough attachment.

Mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the warm water and melted butter and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny. About 5 minutes.

EXPERT TIP: We use Quick Rise (or Instant Rise) yeast for this recipe. You can use regular Active Yeast, too, you just may need the dough to rise a little longer for it to reach double in size. We do heat the water slightly, and the melted butter should not be scorching hot. If the water or butter is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Around 100°F is perfect.

Next, roll the dough into a smooth ball by rounding out the sides with your hands, and then place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm and draft-free area for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Pizza dough in the bowl of a stand mixer.
A ball of pizza dough held by two hands.
A ball of pizza dough in a ceramic bowl.

BUTTERY AND FLAVORFUL GUARANTEED

After 1½ to 2 hours, the dough should have nearly doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, gently dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press it down (or gently give it a couple of punches).

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out roughly into a 9″x15″ rectangle. Brush on the ¼ cup of softened butter, and then roll the dough up with both hands from the short end of the rectangle.

Form the dough into a ball again, place back in the greased bowl, cover again with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for another 45 minutes.

Risen pizza dough in a ceramic bowl with a hand pulling back plastic wrap on top.
Two hands rolling pizza dough on a floured surface.

Now, it’s time to roll the dough out and transfer it to the pizza pan.

If you are using a 12-inch pizza pan, then roll the dough out to a 19 to 20-inch diameter. If using two 9-inch pans, then divide the dough into 2 pieces, and roll each out to a diameter of 14 to 15-inches.

Carefully transfer the dough to the pan, and trim away the excess. Use your fingers to press the dough along the edges of the pizza pan.

Two hands pressing pizza dough into a deep dish pizza pan.

CHICAGO-STYLE PIZZA SAUCE

The sauce for this pizza is quite simple to put together, yet deeply flavorful.

We use 7/11 Ground Tomatoes in our version, but if you can’t find ground tomatoes, you can use crushed tomatoes.

No cooking is needed. Simply mix together the tomato paste with the ground (or crushed) tomatoes and seasonings, and then stir in the hand-crushed whole tomatoes.

A clear bowl of Chicago deep dish pizza sauce with a wooden spoon in it.

Now, it’s time to layer the pizza.

Start with 4 cups of grated (or sliced) fresh mozzarella. Next is the sausage, and then the sauce.

EXPERT TIP: We recommend using fresh mozzarella rather than pre-shredded packaged cheese. There is just a better taste and texture with fresh. Shred the mozzarella with a box grater or thinly slice it. Also, no need to cook the sausage before baking the pizza. Simply layer in small pieces of the sausage to cover the mozzarella.

A hand layer pieces of Italian sausage over a bed of cheese in a pizza pan.
A spoon ladling pizza sauce over sausage in a deep dish pizza pan.

FINISHING THE PIZZA OFF

We love to top our Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza with a healthy amount of grated Parmesan.

The pizza is now ready to be baked.

EXPERT TIP: The pizza bakes for 28 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust, we usually loosely cover the pizza with a sheet of foil after about 15 minutes to prevent the edges from getting too browned.

Fingers sprinkling Parmesan cheese over an unbaked Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza.

After the pizza is finished baking, you’ll want it to rest for 10 minutes.

You will probably see some liquid bubbling on the surface when you take the pizza from the oven. This is normal and will settle while it rests.

Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to help you ease the pizza out of the pan and onto a cutting board.

A baked deep-dish pizza in a pizza pan.
A fully cooked Chicago-style deep dish pizza on a cutting board.

HOW TO SLICE CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP-DISH PIZZA

We find that using a serrated knife is the best way to slice the pizza.

Obviously, this dough is thicker than regular pizza crust, and almost has a light bread texture to it.

Be sure to serve it nice and hot (although it’s still amazing even the next day!).

A slice of Chicago-style deep dish pizza being lifted from the pizza.

There is truly something magical about this pizza.

We love all kinds of pizza, including our wonderful Thin Crust Pizza with Soppressata, Mushrooms and Olives and Detroit-Style Pizza.

And folks, just looks at this deep-dish beauty.

A deep dish pizza with a slice missing on a cutting board.

CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA FAQs

  • Can I use Active Dry Yeast instead of Rapid Rise? Of course! You may need to allow the dough to rise a little longer, but even after just two hours, the dough should have doubled on the first rise.
  • Can I make this in a cast-iron skillet? Absolutely! We recommend using a 12-inch skillet if going with the cast-iron skillet method. Roll the dough out to at least 20 inches in diameter before placing into the pan.
  • How far advance can I assemble the pizza? You can assemble the pizza up to an hour before baking. The longer the dough sits before baking, however, it will continue to rise. If you want to make the dough the night before, no problem, just let it proof (rise) in the refrigerator.
  • Does the entire baked pizza need to be removed from the pan? Not at all. It’s a little more challenging to cut out the first piece when it’s still in the pan, but it’s certainly doable.

A slice of Chicago-style deep dish pizza on an individual plate with a bite taken out.

Ready to make the best pizza that even the Windy City folks will rave about? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo, post it on Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and hashtag #howtofeedaloon!

A Chicago-style deep dish pizza with a slice missing sitting on a wooden cutting board.

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza is nothing like thin crust New York Pizza. But it is amazing...so much flavor from the wonderful crust, to the cheese, toppings and zesty sauce. Baked to perfection!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Pizza / Italian
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Chicago deep dish pizza
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 693kcal

Equipment

  • 1 12-inch deep dish pizza pan, or 2 9-inch cake pans with 2-inch straight-edge sides

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • cup medium-ground cornmeal
  • tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ¼ oz. rapid rise yeast 1 package
  • cups warm water 90 to 100 F
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to 90 F
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for coating the pan

FOR THE SAUCE

  • cup tomato paste
  • ¼ cup ground tomatoes
  • ¾ tsp oregano dried
  • ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes drained and hand-crushed

TOPPINGS

  • 4 cups mozzarella fresh, sliced or mozzarella
  • 14 oz Italian sausage hot or sweet, removed from casing and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

MAKE THE DOUGH

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment, add the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix on low until combined.
  • Turn the speed to medium and add the melted butter and then warm water. Continue mixing until the dough has come together and is smooth and not too sticky to the touch, about 5 minutes. Remove from the bowl, and use your fingers to form a ball, turn the edges under to smooth it out. Place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 90 minutes to 2 hours.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and gently punch the dough a few times with your hands. Roll the dough out to a 10" x 16" rectangle.
  • Smear the softened butter all over the dough. Starting at the short end of the rectangle, use your fingers to roll the dough, jelly-roll style, into a log. Lift the dough from the surface and form into a ball. Place back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for 45 to 50 minutes.

MAKE THE SAUCE

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, ground (or crushed) tomatoes, oregano, salt, and oil until completely mixed. Use you hands to crush to whole tomatoes into the bowl. Stir again until all is incorporated. Set aside.

ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA

  • Preheat oven to 475 F.
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. If using a 12-inch pan, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to an 18 to 20-inch diameter. If using 2 9-inch pans, divide the dough in half, and roll them out to 15 to 16 inches in diameter.
  • Fold the dough in half to create a semi-circle. Then fold it again, into a quarter-circle.
  • Lightly oil the pizza pans and then gently transfer the dough to the pan. Unfold the pizza and use your hands to press the dough into the sides of the pan. Use a knife, or kitchen shears, to clip away excess dough that's hanging over the edge of the pan.
  • Add the mozzarella over the dough, and then pinch off pieces of the sausage and cover the cheese. Spread the sauce over the top, and the sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake for 28 minutes, loosely covering the pizza with foil once the dough is nicely browned, usually after about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Use a hot pat to hold the pan at an angle with one hand. With the other hand and a large spatula, carefully ease the pizza out of the pan onto a cutting board or pizza paddle. Use a serrated knife to slice the pizza. Serve at once!

Video

Notes

Let the melted butter cool to 90 to 100 F before adding to the mixer.  Heat the water in your microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds, until it's warm, about 90 to 100 degrees.
If using Active Dry Yeast, give the dough a little longer to rise and double in size, typically a couple of hours.
If you can't find ground tomatoes, use crushed tomatoes instead.
No need to cook the sausage before baking the pizza.
Remember to tent the pizza with foil after about 15 minutes of baking to prevent the edges of the dough from burning. 
To remove the pizza from the pan, gently slide a large spatula under one side of the crust.  You may need to use one hand to pull one side of the pizza away from the pan, allowing you to slip the spatula under the pizza.  The dough is sturdy, so it should not come apart when transferring to a board.   Alternatively, use a sharp knife and/or pizza cutter to slice the pizza still in the pan. 

Nutrition

Calories: 693kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1498mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1115IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 388mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in April 2014, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipes, with new tips, photography, and a fabulous new video in March 2020!

The crust for this recipe was adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.

10 Comments

    • Woo Hoo!! Denise!! We LOVE that you have been making our Chicago-Style Pizza and having such great success with it! Isn’t it the bomb???? Thank YOU so much for sharing and for the GREAT review! That means so much to us! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    Making it for the third time now! It could change your pizza at home life. Really fun video too.

    The only question to ask yourself before making this is, will it also make you dance?

    • Sorry for the delayed response here, Rene. You have no idea how big our smiles are right now reading your comment. We flip for this pizza, too, and we are overjoyed that you love it, too!! And YES!! It will make you DANCE for joy!!!! Thanks so much for letting us know and for the awesome review!!! Means the world to us!!! Stay in touch!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley

  • 5 stars
    I don’t care about the recipes I just LOVE you two big kids. I would love just to be in the midst of you. SOOOOO! much fun. Keep the laughter coming. My favorite recipe is the deep dish pizza. LOVE YOU BOTH!!!!

    • Felicia!!! You make our hearts swell with big ole happy smiles!!! Thank you so so so much!! We send lots and lots of love back to you, too!! That deep dish pizza is awesome!! Stay tuned…lots more on the way! And stay in touch!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley

  • This is a fabulous recipe. I made it last night and followed all of your tips. The crust did brown quite a bit even though I covered it with tin foil. No matter, it was still divine. I sliced onions, peppers and mushrooms and layered them in as well, so it was a complete meal. We enjoyed it again for lunch today and was just as tasty! Your recipes are all excellent! Thank you for what you do!!

    • Awesome, Susie!! Onions, peppers, and mushrooms are PERFECT additions! Thank you so so much for letting us know and thanks for the great support! Stay in touch and stay tuned…lots more on the way! Best, Kris & Wesley

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