A thick, buttery crust filled with mozzarella, Italian sausage, and a chunky tomato sauce on top, baked in a deep, seasoned pan.
Chicago deep dish pizza inverts the typical pizza order -- cheese goes directly on the buttery, laminated crust, followed by toppings like sausage, then a chunky, uncooked tomato sauce is spooned over the top, all baked in a deep, well-oiled pan until the crust turns golden and slightly fried at the edges. It's less a pizza in the traditional thin-crust sense and more a savory, cheese-filled pie, requiring a fork and knife to eat properly. The technique that defines deep dish is the crust and the assembly order: the dough is enriched with butter or oil (sometimes cornmeal too) for a slightly flaky, almost pastry-like texture, pressed up the sides of a deep, well-greased pan to form a proper crust that can hold a substantial amount of filling. Cheese goes on first to prevent the crust from getting soggy from the sauce, then meat and vegetables, with the chunky tomato sauce spooned on top last and left uncooked before baking, since it will cook through in the oven. Baked low and slow to ensure the thick crust cooks through without burning while the fillings meld, Chicago deep dish is a genuine regional institution, a dish visitors specifically seek out when in the city.
Serves 6
Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, and yeast. Add olive oil, butter, and warm water, kneading until smooth. Rest covered 1 hour until doubled.
Brown Italian sausage in a pan, breaking it into crumbles, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Combine crushed tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and salt in a bowl (no cooking needed, as it bakes in the oven).
Preheat oven to 220C/425F. Press dough into a well-greased deep dish pan or cast-iron skillet, pushing it up the sides.
Place mozzarella slices over the dough, followed by cooked sausage, then spoon the uncooked tomato sauce evenly over the top.
Sprinkle with parmesan and bake 30-35 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the sauce is bubbling.
Let rest 10 minutes before slicing, as deep dish holds a lot of hot filling.
Layer cheese directly on the dough, before the meat and sauce -- this prevents the crust from turning soggy, unlike a traditional pizza's layering order.
Use a generously oiled deep dish pan or cast-iron skillet; the oil is what helps the crust develop its characteristic slightly fried, crisp edge.
Let the pizza rest for at least 10 minutes after baking, since it holds a substantial amount of hot filling that needs time to set before slicing.
Make it vegetarian by omitting the sausage and adding sauteed mushrooms and spinach.
Add pepperoni alongside or instead of sausage for a different classic combination.
Use a mix of mozzarella and provolone for a more complex cheese flavor.
Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat slices in a 180C/350F oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the crust re-crisps; microwaving makes the crust soggy.
Chicago deep dish pizza is widely credited to Pizzeria Uno, which opened in Chicago in 1943, and the style has since become one of the city's most iconic culinary exports, closely associated with Chicago's identity even as thin-crust tavern-style pizza remains more common locally.
The sauce cooks through during the long baking time in the oven; adding it uncooked and chunky preserves its fresh tomato flavor rather than reducing it to a paste beforehand.
Yes -- the dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated after its first rise; bring it to room temperature before pressing into the pan.
The layering order was likely reversed, with sauce touching the dough directly, or too much sauce was used. Always layer cheese first against the dough, then meat, with sauce spooned on top last.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 6 servings total
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