Authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza: The Only Recipe You’ll Need
Chicago Deep Dish is both a pizza and a pie, capturing the best of each: a flaky, biscuit-like crust that crumbles with every bite, holding a generous layer of cheese, rich tomato sauce, and any toppings you choose. This recipe will guide you through making an authentic Chicago deep dish pizza, bringing you as close as possible to the iconic version found in Chicago
There’s something magical about Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, as it sits somewhere between a pie and a pizza. Chicago deep dish is a complete meal, and unlike other types of pizzas, is typically enjoyed with a knife and fork on a plate.
Interestingly, deep dish isn’t the most popular pizza among Chicagoans – that honor actually goes to Chicago thin crust, also known as bar or tavern-style pizza. For locals, deep dish is often reserved for special occasions, and now, you too can make it at home.
As you are about to see, the deep dish dough stands apart from any other pizza dough. With its biscuit-like, crumbly texture, it resembles a pie crust more than a traditional pizza dough.
Equipment Needed
The only essential equipment for a Chicago Deep Dish pizza is a pan or skillet that are at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep. I highly recommend using a dedicated deep dish pizza pan.
For this recipe, I use a Lloyd “regular” deep pan (not specifically designed for deep dish), which is 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter and 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep:
Make sure to set the pan size in the calculator below to determine the correct dough amount.
Making the Dough for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Dough Ingredients and Quantities (Pizza Dough Calculator)
Below is PizzaBlab’s pizza dough calculator, featuring a preset recipe formula and quantities for a 25 cm / 10” pan, designed for a 3-hour fermentation at 20°C/68°F.
It is highly recommended (and even mandatory) to:
- Adjust fermentation duration and temperature: Tailor these to your preferences so the calculator can provide the correct yeast quantity for your dough. This is crucial for achieving ideal fermentation. You can select any fermentation time and method (room temperature or cold fermentation), ranging from 2 hours to long fermentation.
- Modify the pan size: Set the dimensions according to the pan you’re using to ensure the correct amount of dough.
Changing the other values in the calculator is not recommended.
The calculator is based on baker’s percentages. If you are not familiar with this concept, I highly recommend reading about it in the Encyclopizza, as it’s a crucial yet simple concept that will greatly enhance your baking skills.
For further details on using the calculator, you can also refer to the guide on using PizzaBlab’s dough calculator.
| Ingredient | Grams | Tsp | Tbsp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Salt | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yeast | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Dough Weight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Single Ball | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Flour and Water (including preferment)th> | Grams | Tsp | Tbsp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Preferment | Grams | Tsp | Tbsp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour in Preferment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water in Preferment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Final Dough | Grams | Tsp | Tbsp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour (remaining) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water (remaining) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Salt | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yeast | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Dough Weight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Single Ball | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Flour for Chicago Deep Dish Dough
Deep dish dough calls for relatively weak flour, so any all-purpose flour will work well. You can use bread or pizza flour, but it’s not recommended, as it may negatively impact the texture and isn’t really necessary.
For further reading on selecting pizza flour, refer to the following article: The Ultimate Guide to Pizza Flour: Characteristics, Differences, and Choosing the Ideal Flour.
Sugar and Oil in Chicago Deep Dish Dough
Sugar is included to promote browning. While it can be left out, it is not recommended to do so.
Oil acts as a dough softener, and specifically in deep dish crust, helps create its signature biscuit-like, crumbly texture.
While you can adjust the amount of oil, it’s best not to go below 10% (in baker’s percentage), as this would affect the texture of the crust. You can use any type of oil or shortening, including butter.
Mixing/Kneading the Dough
The dough for deep dish pizza should have a biscuit-like texture – flaky and crumbly, similar to a pie crust. This requires minimal gluten development.
Consequently, the kneading process for deep dish dough is very short, and more about mixing than kneading, continuing only until the ingredients are fully combined.
I recommend kneading by hand rather than using a mixer. A mixer can easily cause the gluten to develop too much, leading to a tough, chewy dough instead of the light, tender, and crumbly texture we aim for.
Dough-Making Steps:
1. Prepare Ingredients: Prepare all the ingredients according to the quantities listed in the calculator.
2. Mix all the Ingredients: Add the water, salt, sugar, and oil to the bowl (for deep dish dough, it’s fine to add the oil at the start). Then, add all the flour and sprinkle the yeast on top.
If you’re using dry yeast and cold water (below 20°C/70°F), it’s recommended to suspend the yeast in warm water (about 40°C/105°F) for about 10 minutes before adding it to the cold water. Adding dry yeast directly to cold water can damage the yeast cells and impair their ability to ferment the dough.
3. Knead the Dough: Begin kneading the dough until it just comes together. It’s okay, and even preferable, if the dough looks a bit “rough” and lumpy (see picture below). Kneading should take no more than two to three minutes by hand, or one to two minutes with a mixer (if you prefer using one).
4. Final Dough Temperature: It’s recommended to aim for a final dough temperature of 23-27°C/73-80°F. This is regardless of the kneading method used.
5. Fermentation: Place the dough in a container of your choice and let it ferment until baking.
Make sure the container in which you ferment the dough is well-sealed to prevent air from drying it out. Since this is a very dry dough, it can quickly lose moisture and form dry skin if not kept in an airtight environment. You can cover the container with a wet towel, plastic wrap, a plastic bag, or a plate placed on the bowl – anything that keeps air from reaching the dough will work.
Pre-Baking Preparations
Ingredients and Quantities
The amounts of sauce and cheese provided below are for a 10″ / 25 cm Chicago deep dish pizza. If you wish to adjust the quantities of cheese and sauce based on your preferences or different pan sizes, you can use PizzaBlab’s cheese and sauce calculator.
- 330 grams of crushed tomatoes
- 370 grams of sliced mozzarella
- Parmesan or pecorino cheese (optional)
- Any toppings you like
Cheese for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
The ideal cheese for deep dish pizza is whole milk (22-26% fat), low-moisture (“dry”) mozzarella, sliced to a thickness of 0.1-0.2 inches (0.3-0.5 cm). Avoid using fresh mozzarella, as it will result in a soupy mess.
The mozzarella slices are placed directly on the dough in an overlapping pattern to cover the entire surface.
For added flavor, it’s highly recommended to grate parmesan, pecorino, or any other hard cheese of your choice over the sauce.
Sauce for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
To make the sauce, simply mix crushed tomatoes with oregano and salt, adjusting the seasoning to your taste. For added flavor, consider including 1 tsp of olive oil, one minced garlic clove (or a dash of garlic powder), and a touch of sugar if you find the sauce lacks sweetness.
If the sauce is too watery, you can thicken it by straining out excess liquid (see picture below) or by adding tomato paste.
The sauce should not be pre-cooked, as it will “cook” for about half an hour during baking, eliminating the need for additional cooking beforehand.
Baking the Pizza
General Baking Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 260°C/500°F, using the upper and lower heating elements, without convection.
If you have a baking surface like a stone or steel, it’s best to preheat it with the oven and bake the pizza directly on it (place the pan on the baking surface). If you don’t have one, you can place the pan on the oven’s grid or shelf.
It’s recommended to bake the pizza on the lower shelf of the oven to keep it farther from the upper heating element, reducing the risk of over-browning during the relatively long bake.
If you notice that the top of the pizza – whether the dough, sauce, or toppings – begins to burn, dry out, or brown too much, you can cover it with foil to protect it from the heat.
Baking times may vary depending on your oven, rack position, pan type, and other factors. For the first attempt, I recommend checking the dough’s condition after about 30 minutes of baking, then adjusting as needed.
For instance, you can move the pizza to a different shelf in the oven to control the level of doneness. If the top receives too much heat, try baking on a lower shelf next time, and vice versa.
Before stretching the dough into the pan, make sure the base of the pan is well-oiled. You can use any oil or shortening, including butter – a thin layer is sufficient.
The sides of the pan don’t need to be oiled, as we want the dough to stick to them.
Assembly Order for Deep Dish Pizza:
- Place the dough directly into the oiled pan.
- Layer the sliced mozzarella in an overlapping pattern to fully cover the dough.
- Add any toppings that you don’t want exposed directly to the heat, such as meats, low-moisture vegetables, fresh leaves, etc., as direct heat can cause them to dry out.
- Spread the sauce over the cheese and toppings.
- Sprinkle parmesan or pecorino over the sauce, along with any high-moisture toppings, like peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes, or mushrooms.
Baking Instructions (Step-By-Step)
1. Preheat the Oven: Ensure the oven is properly preheated (to 260°C/500°F).
2. Oil the Pan: Generously oil the bottom of the pan (canola oil works well) with a thin layer of oil, shortening, or butter. Do not oil the sides, as we want the dough to “stick” to them.
3. Stretch the Dough in the Pan: Place the dough in the center of the pan and stretch it outward from the center, pressing it evenly to avoid dents or hills.
When the dough reaches the sides of the pan, press it firmly against the edges to create a “crown” or elevated rim around the entire perimeter, about 1-2 inches (2-4 cm) high. The rim should be just thick and high enough to prevent the sauce and toppings from leaking.
You can choose to form a thick rim (as shown in the example pictures) for a heartier crust edge, or a thin rim, nearly as thin as a sheet of paper, for a more traditional style, like the classic Chicago Deep Dish from Lou Malnati’s. The choice is entirely up to you.
4. Add the Cheese: Lay the mozzarella slices over the dough, overlapping them to fully cover the surface.
5. Add “Dry” Toppings: Layer any toppings that you don’t want exposed to direct heat (such as meats, low-moisture vegetables, and fresh leaves) on top of the mozzarella.
6. Add the Sauce: Pour the sauce over the cheese and toppings, spreading it to completely cover them so that only the sauce is visible.
7. Add “Wet” Toppings: Place high-moisture toppings, like peppers, onions or mushrooms, on top of the sauce.
8. Bake: Lower the oven temperature to 230°C/450°F and place the pizza on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Note that baking times may vary, so it’s best to check the pizza after about 30 minutes.
The pizza is done when the crust is fully baked and golden brown. You can gently lift the pizza to see if the bottom is browned and crisp.
If the top of the pizza (dough, sauce, or toppings) begins to burn, dry out, or brown too much, cover it loosely with foil to protect it from the direct heat of the top heating element.
9. Place the Baked Pizza on a Cooling Rack: When the pizza is baked to your liking, carefully remove it from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack or any surface that allows steam to escape from the bottom. This step is crucial for keeping the crust crisp – without it, the dough will absorb moisture and become soggy.
Let the pizza cool on the rack for about 5 minutes.
Serve: Transfer to a serving dish and slice with a large, sharp knife. Press firmly in a quick, downward motion, similar to cutting a pie, rather than using a sawing motion.
Enjoy your authentic Chicago deep dish pizza!
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