Deep Dish Chicago Style (Printable)

Hearty Chicago-style deep dish with thick crust, melted cheese, tomato sauce, and savory toppings for a satisfying meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
03 - 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
04 - 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
05 - 1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110°F)
06 - 1/4 cup olive oil
07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

→ Cheese & Toppings

08 - 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
09 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni or cooked Italian sausage (optional)
11 - 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
12 - 1/2 cup sliced bell peppers
13 - 1/2 cup sliced black olives

→ Tomato Sauce

14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
15 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
16 - 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
17 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
18 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
19 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
20 - Salt and pepper, to taste

# Steps:

01 - Combine warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour, cornmeal, salt, olive oil, and melted butter. Mix until the dough forms, then knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
02 - Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 1 minute, then stir in crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool slightly.
03 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan or cake pan with olive oil.
04 - Press the dough into the prepared pan, pushing it up the sides to create a tall edge. Evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the dough base.
05 - Layer desired toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, and black olives over the cheese.
06 - Pour the tomato sauce evenly over the toppings and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top.
07 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
08 - Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The buttery, golden crust gets crispy on the outside while staying tender inside, like eating a savory cloud.
  • You're essentially building layers of flavor, so every bite has cheese, sauce, and toppings working together.
  • It looks impressive when you pull it from the oven, but the process is mostly just waiting and letting time do the work.
02 -
  • Sauce on top of the toppings is the key to keeping your crust from becoming a soggy mess; the cheese acts as a protective layer.
  • Your oven temperature matters more than you think, so use an oven thermometer if you have one because ovens lie.
  • The dough rises for a reason; don't rush this step or you'll end up with dense, bread-like crust instead of something with actual dimension.
03 -
  • If your cheese is browning too quickly before the crust cooks through, cover the pizza loosely with foil for the first 20 minutes, then uncover it to finish browning.
  • Letting the baked pizza rest is tempting to skip, but those ten minutes are when the cheese sets enough to hold everything together instead of sliding all over your plate.
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