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Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

Name: Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 90 min
Yield: 1 12-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients: 1 ⅓ cups warm water; 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast; ¼ cup olive oil; ¼ cup melted butter; 2 teaspoons white sugar; 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt; ½ cup cornmeal; 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed, divided; 4 cups pizza sauce, or to taste; 4 ounces sliced provolone cheese; 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed; 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed; 4 ounces shredded part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese; 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; 1 tablespoon olive oil

Rating: 4.65 stars

37 Ratings
25 Reviews
19 Photos

Home cooks will find deep-dish pizza, with its unique buttery cornmeal crust, more forgiving than its New York counterpart. No need to worry about having the hottest oven or too many toppings - just make sure your sauce is very thick and flavorful! I garnished mine with parsley and more Parmesan cheese.

By Chef John

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Recipe Summary

prep:

35 mins

cook:

35 mins

additional:

1 hr 20 mins

total:

2 hrs 30 mins

Servings:

Yield:

1 12-inch cast iron skillet

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Sprinkle in yeast and let dissolve, about 10 minutes. Add olive oil, melted butter, sugar, salt, cornmeal, and most of the flour. Knead, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally and adding more flour as needed, until smooth and elastic.

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Step 2

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead in extra flour if needed. Roll into a ball and place in a bowl greased with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Cover with a plate and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.
Step 3

Meanwhile, let pizza sauce simmer in a pot over low heat until very thick, 60 to 90 minutes.
Step 4

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Step 5

Poke dough to deflate and turn out onto your work surface. Press and stretch out dough into a round shape 3 to 4 inches larger than a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Brush skillet with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place dough in the skillet; stretch and pull to evenly distribute it over the bottom and sides.
Step 6

Lay provolone cheese over the bottom of the crust. Scatter fresh mozzarella on top. Add Italian sausage and firm mozzarella. Ladle pizza sauce generously on top. Grate Parmesan cheese on top. Fold the edges of the crust in towards the center to seal in the sides. Drizzle crust and center with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Step 7

Bake in the center of the preheated oven until crust sounds hollow and pizza is beautifully browned, about 35 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Tips

Chef's Notes:

Instant and rapid-rise yeast both work in this recipe.

2 ounces of the Parmesan cheese equates to about 1 cup of finely grated cheese.

Feel free to make a double batch of my pizza sauce for this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

613 calories; protein 25.4g; carbohydrates 52.6g; fat 32.4g; cholesterol 74.5mg; sodium 1486.6mg. Full Nutrition

Reviews (25)

Most helpful positive review

CaityD

05/04/2018

Chef John does it again! WITH ONE IMPORTANT CHANGE: I followed this recipe exactly and watched the video, but the sausage was not even close to being done cooking when the rest of the pizza was finished, it was still completely raw. I now precook the sausage before putting it on the pizza. This dough is the best pizza crust I've ever had. I used Chef John's pizza sauce recipe and simmer an extra 30 minutes or so until very thick. TIP: If you opt to cut off the excess dough instead of folding it over, roll the extra dough and place it on top of the layered cheese and sausage, poke holes all over to allow steam to escape, then spoon pizza sauce over the dough with parmesan. Turns this (already fabulous) recipe into a Chicago style stuffed pizza like you’d find at Giordano’s! Read More

Helpful

(11)

37 Ratings

5 star values: 26
4 star values: 9
3 star values: 2
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

CaityD

05/04/2018

Helpful

(11)

jennifer272

05/30/2018

Best Pizza ever! I'm from Chicago and after one bite of this pizza my husband and I both agreed this is the BEST PIZZA WE'VE EVER HAD! I watched the video which was very helpful Thank you to the reviewer who reminded to cook the sausage first! I used 1 tsp of salt and with all that cheese it was still a touch too salty for my taste so I'll use a little less salt next time. I'd also increase the corn meal to about 3/4 C for starters and use 5 cups of sauce. After reducing the 4 cups it seemed like barely enough. Thank you!! Read More

Helpful

(8)

Neo

01/04/2019

I have been making pizza daily for almost 25 years and I give you 1 piece of advice pre-cook the sausage it will release A LOT of grease and will come out better in the pie. Read More

Helpful

(5)

Monica

06/25/2018

This was delicious! I made chef John s Pizza sauce and it was awesome. Worth the extra step to make your own. We used ground beef seasoned with Italian seasoning mushrooms and pepperoni. Will definitely make again. Read More

Helpful

(4)

Michelle Hand

08/16/2018

I made this with whole wheat flour & it turned out good except I would add more sugar to balance out the heavy whole wheat I used. I also used a can of tomato sauce a can of diced tomatoes onion powder and minced garlic for my sauce & it turned out really great. Read More

Helpful

(3)

the bug

01/20/2019

This pizza dough is amazing. Since we prefer a thin crust I cut the dough in half and froze it. The other half I rolled out and used in the cast iron skillet to make the deep dish pizza. In this way, we had a deep dish without excessive dough. Will make again. I also made it in bread machine on dough cycle instead of by hand. Read More

Helpful

(2)

Diane Norman

06/13/2019

I also pre cooked the sausage Otherwise followed chef John s recipe Doubled recipe to make two One pepperoni one sausage and fresh basil Excellent pizza recipe It makes a LOT of dough but it is a great pie Read More

Helpful

(1)

Nesley Thomas

11/08/2018

So easy and turned out perfect. Read More

Helpful

(1)

Jaya

07/23/2020

Delicious pizza, I made my own pizza sauce. Read More

More Reviews

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All Reviews for Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

- of Reviews

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

Servings Per Recipe: 10
Calories: 612.5

% Daily Value *

protein: 51 %

carbohydrates: 17 %

dietary fiber: 14 %

sugars:

fat: 50 %

saturated fat: 71 %

cholesterol: 25 %

vitamin a iu: 19 %

niacin equivalents: 57 %

vitamin b6: 11 %

vitamin c: 16 %

folate: 28 %

calcium: 42 %

iron: 22 %

magnesium: 12 %

potassium: 6 %

sodium: 60 %

thiamin: 62 %

calories from fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

Reviews for: Photos of Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

1 of 25

All Reviews

CaityD

05/04/2018

Helpful

(11)

jennifer272

05/30/2018

Helpful

(8)

Neo

01/04/2019

I have been making pizza daily for almost 25 years and I give you 1 piece of advice pre-cook the sausage it will release A LOT of grease and will come out better in the pie.

Helpful

(5)

Monica