Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza (Printable Version)

Rich Chicago-style deep dish with thick crust, melted cheese, tangy tomato sauce, and savory toppings.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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; let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour, cornmeal, salt, olive oil, and melted butter. Mix until dough forms. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour or until doubled.
02 - Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté garlic for 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
03 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 12-inch deep-dish or round cake pan with olive oil.
04 - Press dough into pan, pushing up the sides to form a high edge. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the base.
05 - Layer desired toppings including pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, and olives over cheese.
06 - Pour tomato sauce evenly over toppings. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the sauce.
07 - Bake 35 to 40 minutes until crust is golden and sauce bubbles. Cover edges with foil if browning too fast.
08 - Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crust is thick and satisfying without being heavy, with a tender crumb and crispy edges that somehow taste buttery even though most of the richness comes from a smart use of olive oil and melted butter folded right in.
  • You can build it however you want and it always feels special—it's the kind of pizza that tastes like someone actually took time for you.
  • The whole thing comes together in about two hours including rising time, and most of that is just the dough doing its own thing while you relax.
02 -
  • The water temperature for the yeast really matters—too hot and you kill it, too cold and it just sits there; invest in a cheap thermometer and aim for 105 to 110°F.
  • Don't skip the rest period for the dough; rushing it or trying to use store-bought dough is fine, but the flavor and texture of a properly fermented dough is genuinely different in a way your guests will notice.
  • The cornmeal in the dough isn't decoration—it changes the entire texture and prevents the pan from creating a soggy bottom, so don't leave it out.
03 -
  • Use a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan rather than just mozzarella alone; the Parmesan brings salt and umami that prevents the cheese layer from tasting flat and one-dimensional.
  • If your dough is rising too slowly, a slightly warmer kitchen helps, but actual heat from an oven will kill the yeast, so just be patient or bump the temperature up a degree or two—good things take time.
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