Chicago Deep Dish
Buttery laminated crust, slabs of mozzarella melted into the bottom, sausage, chunky tomato sauce on top.
Intro
Honest assessment: deep dish is a casserole, not a pizza, and it's a project. But when it works, it's spectacular. Built upside-down — cheese on the dough, then toppings, then sauce on top. Sliced (not grated) mozzarella melts into a sealed layer that protects the crust. Italian sausage is canonical; pepperoni is a pretender here. Eat with a fork.
Ingredients
note · See the linked dough.
note · Sliced, not grated — see linked cheese prep.
note · Optional but traditional. Pepperoni is a pretender here.
note · See the linked Chicago Deep Dish Chunky Sauce.
note · Over the sauce — browns into a savory cap.
The process
- 1
Preheat
Preheat oven to 425°F on the lowest rack.
⏱ Preheat30:00 - 2
Cheese on the bottom
Sliced mozzarella across the bottom of the laminated dough, completely covering it.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipCheese on the BOTTOM, sauce on TOP. Reverse this and it's gummy. - 3
Sausage layer
Crumbled cooked Italian sausage over the cheese.
- 4
Sauce on top
Pour/spread chunky tomato sauce on top. Add grated Parmesan over the sauce — it browns into a savory cap.
- 5
Bake
Bake at 425°F for 25–30 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and sauce is bubbling.
⏱ Bake27:00 - 6
Rest 10 minutes
Rest in the pan 10 minutes — essential, otherwise it's a soup. Run a knife around the edge, then transfer to a board to slice.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipEat with a fork. This is not foldable.⏱ Rest10:00
The gear used
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