Deep Dish Pizza
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This Chicago-style deep-dish pizza has it all: a buttery, flaky crust, lots of melted cheese, savory sausage, and that signature layer of sauce on top. It’s a fun one to make at home—and well worth it.
Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is in a category all its own—unapologetically rich and layered, with a flaky, almost pastry-like crust. If you ask five Chicagoans what makes the perfect version, you’ll probably get five different answers. So, in the name of research, I ordered a few to try at home (some all the way from Chicago!). And as luck would have it, I also had a Chicago native staying with us while I was testing this recipe, so I had some built-in quality control. With his help, I think we got pretty close to the real deal.
What sets Chicago deep dish apart is its structure as much as its flavor. It’s baked in a deep pan, with a buttery crust that comes up the sides, creating a pie-like shell. The cheese goes in first, followed by the toppings, and then a layer of chunky tomato sauce on top. The dough itself is richer than typical pizza dough, thanks to the added oil, which gives it that tender, slightly flaky texture and helps it crisp and lightly fry against the pan as it bakes. It’s the kind of pizza you eat with a knife and fork—and every bite is worth it.
What You’ll Need To Make Deep Dish Pizza
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the crust.
- Salt and Sugar: Flavor the dough.
- Cream of Tartar: Just a bit helps keeps the crust tender rather than a chewy.
- Instant/Rapid-Rise Yeast: This gets the dough rising quickly and can be mixed straight in with the dry ingredients. If you’re using yeast packets, you’ll need slightly more than one.
- Corn Oil: Corn oil is traditional and gives the crust a subtle richness, but vegetable oil works too.
- Unsalted Butter: Using softened butter to grease the pan helps the oily dough cling to the sides much better than liquid oil or melted butter; also gives the crust a buttery flavor.
- Whole Tomatoes: Makes the classic deep dish pizza sauce; San Marzano tomatoes are best here. Drain well to keep the pizza from getting soggy.
- Sliced Whole-Milk Mozzarella: Stick with whole-milk and avoid part-skim so the cheese melts into a rich, gooey layer.
- Raw Italian Sausage: Since this goes on raw in small pinches, it cooks right in the oven and releases its flavorful juices directly into the pizza.
- Dried Oregano: A classic herb that adds that familiar savory aroma to the pizza.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: The freshly grated cheese goes on last to create a salty, savory crust on top as the pizza bakes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and yeast. Add the corn oil and warm water, then stir with a spoon until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass.
Step 2: Knead and rise. Knead briefly by hand for about 30 seconds just until the dough comes together, being careful not to overmix. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, flipping to coat the top, then cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 5 to 6 hours.
Pro Tip: Don’t worry if the dough looks spotty or uneven; that’s normal for this high-oil dough, and it will smooth out.
Step 3: Make the sauce. Place the tomatoes and their juices into a colander in the sink to drain. Crush the tomatoes by hand to let the excess liquid and seed gel drain away, then set them aside.
Pro Tip: Removing as much water as possible from the tomatoes prevents the crust from getting soggy during the bake.
Step 4: Press the dough. Divide the dough into two halves. With floured hands, press the dough evenly across the bottom and about 1½ inches up the sides of two generously buttered 9-inch cake pans.
Pro Tip: If you have a 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan, you can bake the entire batch of dough in that single pan instead of dividing it into two smaller cake pans.
Step 5: Layer the toppings. Cover the dough with the sliced mozzarella, then scatter small pinched pieces of raw sausage over the cheese. Layer the crushed, drained tomatoes on top, sprinkle with the oregano and salt, and finish with the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step 7: Bake, rest, and serve. Bake on the bottom rack in a 450°F oven for 25 to 35 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the top is lightly browned. Let the pizza rest in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes to set. Run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen, then carefully lift it out onto a cutting board and slice with a serrated knife.
Pro Tip: Do not skip the 10-minute rest after baking. Letting the pizza settle keeps the heavy layers of cheese and sauce from sliding off the crust when you slice it.
Deep-Dish Pizza Video Tutorial
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Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant/rapid-rise yeast
- ½ cup corn oil
- 1 cup warm water (see note)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the pan
For the Sauce
- 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
For the Toppings
- 12 oz sliced whole-milk mozzarella (not part-skim)
- ½ lb (8 oz) raw Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of salt
- Heaping ¾ cup (3 oz) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and yeast. Add the oil and water and stir with a spoon until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass.
- Knead briefly by hand—about 30 seconds, just until the dough comes together. It will be sticky. Do not overmix. Lightly oil a large bowl (you can clean and reuse the same bowl if you like), add the dough, flip it to coat the top with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled, 5 to 6 hours (this dough rises slowly because of the high oil content). Don’t worry if the dough looks spotty or uneven; that’s normal for this high-oil dough.(Alternatively, for a make-ahead option, let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. If chilled, let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour before shaping so it’s easy to press into the pan.)
- Preheat the Oven: Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Generously grease two 9-in cake pans or one 12-in deep-dish pizza pan with the softened butter, coating the bottom and sides well. (Do not use oil, as the soft butter helps the pizza dough cling to the pan, making it easier to press out.)
- Make the Sauce: Place a colander in the sink and add the tomatoes and their juices. Let the juices drain. Crush the tomatoes by hand, allowing their excess liquid and seed gel to drain away. Set aside while assembling the pizza(s).
- Assemble: Divide the dough as needed (one portion for a 12-in pan, two for 9-in pans). Dust your hands with flour and press the dough evenly into the pan(s), working it across the bottom and about 1½ in up the sides, keeping the sides thinner than the base (aim for about ⅛-in thick around the sides and ¼-in thick on the base). Flour your hands as needed; this is an oily dough.
- Cover the dough evenly with the sliced mozzarella. Pinch off small pieces of the raw sausage and scatter them over the cheese. Scatter the crushed, well-drained tomatoes into an even layer over the sausage, then sprinkle with the oregano and salt. Finish with the Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Bake on the bottom rack for 25 to 35 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the top is lightly browned. If needed, rotate the pan once for even baking.
- After baking, let the pizza(s) rest in the pan(s) for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the cheese to set and the crust to firm up. Run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen it, then carefully lift the pizza out of the pan and transfer it to a cutting board before slicing. A serrated knife works best. Serve with a knife and fork, if you like.
Notes
- Warm water helps activate yeast. The temperature should be about 110°F (43°C), but it doesn't need to be exact; just try to get it about the temperature of bath water.
- Don’t be tempted to overload the toppings or reduce the oil in the dough, or the crust won’t crisp properly.
- Freezing Instructions for Dough: After the first rise, divide it (if making two pizzas), wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour before shaping so it’s soft and easy to press into the pan.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Looks very dry. I live in Chicago and have been eating deep dish/stuffed pizza since 1987 when I moved here for college and chicago pizza is much saucier on top with a much cheesier interior…that literally flows out when the pizza is cut. Just an FYI.
I made this tonight and it was a hit with family. I am from Chicago so I was excited to try the recipe and I made it exactly as Jen wrote it except I used the 12″ cast iron skillet. It turned out delicious and I plan to add this one to the regular recipe rotation. And in my opinion this is a very easy recipe to make. Thank you, Jen!
This turned out very well! I have a 14″ deep dish pan, and it worked perfectly. The tomatoes I bought were packed in sauce, so draining was a pain. I’ll try a different brand next time.
Hi Jen,
As a lifelong Chicagoan, I think you nailed it! I didn’t have a 12″ cast iron so used two 9″ cake pans as you suggested. The pizza came out of the pan easily, crust was crispy – it was perfect! My son compared it to Georgio’s – confession – we live in the suburbs of Chicago – and it is high praise to compare your recipe to theirs! Thank you for another keeper!
We loved it!
Adapted slightly in a 12-inch cast iron, and by adding minced garlic to tomatoes (hat tip to Pequod’s), extending rise time in the fridge overnight, then 4 hours at room temp prior to baking. It tasted great. A big hit with my wife and two adult daughters, who told me to add it to the pizza lineup, joining the recipes from Peter Reinhart’s Perfect Pan Pizza and Roberta’s Neapolitan pizza recipe. Thanks for a great recipe.
Can you use store crusts, such as pillsbury pizza dough? And I usually cook the sausage first, apparently I don’t have to.
I don’t recommend store-bought crust – sorry! (And, that’s correct – you don’t need to cook the sausage first.)
Is a large cast iron skillet better or 2 cake pans? I have both types of pans.
And should I use the pizza setting on my oven?
Thanks!
Hi Nidhi, I haven’t made the pizza in a cast-iron skillet, but a few readers have commented they have in a 12-inch one and have been happy with the results. And I’d stick to the regular setting in your oven, as I’m not sure how the pizza setting will differ. Enjoy!
Wonderful dinner with the deep dish pizza made in a 12 inch iron skillet and the delicious Italian salad, it is one I will make many times, thank you!
Made this last night and it was a big hit. Followed recipe exactly except I did bake it in a 12” cast iron and it worked perfect. Also, I have a proofing setting on my oven so was able to shave some time off the recommended rise time. Such a simple meal and perfect with a nice salad and Jenn’s Italian dressing! I can’t wait to try with fresh tomatoes this summer! Thanks for another great recipe!