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
Sized for 1 × 9-inch deep pizza (1× batch · 1 batch = 1)
note · All-purpose, not bread flour. Bread flour makes the crust too chewy.
note · Don't skimp — it's what makes the crust read as Chicago.
note · Room temp, spreadable. The butter melts during the bake and creates literal layers.
Sized for 1 × 9-inch deep pizza (350 g of 900 g/batch · 0.39× batch)
note · Hand-crushed. The chunkiness is the point.
note · Save the rest for pasta water.
note · ~4 cloves.
note · ~1½ tsp.
Sized for 1 × 9-inch deep pizza (300 g of 330 g/batch · 0.91× batch)
note · Slice into ¼-inch slabs. Deli counter will do this for free.
note · Browns into a savory cap above the sauce.
note · Optional but traditional. Pepperoni is a pretender here.
note · Over the sauce — browns into a savory cap.
The process
- ◆ DOUGH
Chicago Deep Dish Dough
↗ - 1
Mix
Mix the flour 320 g, cornmeal 40 g, salt 7 g, sugar 5 g, yeast 5 g in the mixer bowl. Add the water 175 ml and melted butter 30 g.
- 2
Knead
Knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes until smooth.
⏱ Knead05:00 - 3
Bulk ferment
Bulk ferment in an oiled bowl, covered, 1.5 hours at room temp.
⏱ Bulk90:00 - ◆
Lamination
- 4
Roll out for lamination
Roll the dough to a 15×10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the softened butter 60 g all over, leaving a ½-inch border.
- 5
Roll up & fold
Roll up tightly into a log from the short end. Flatten the log into an 18×4-inch strip, then fold in thirds (like a letter).
✶ Pizzaiolo tipThis half-hour of fussing takes deep dish from good to great. Don't skip it. - 6
Chill
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
⏱ Chill60:00 - 7
Roll & pan
Roll the laminated dough into a 13-inch round and fit into a buttered 9-inch deep cake pan, pressing the dough at least 2 inches up the sides.
- ◆ SAUCE
Chicago Deep Dish Chunky Sauce
↗ - 8
Drain & reserve
Drain the tomatoes 311 g briefly, reserving 38.9 ml of the juice. Discard or save the rest for pasta water.
- 9
Hand-crush
Crush the tomatoes by hand into rough chunks in a bowl. You want pieces, not a purée.
- 10
Combine
Add the 38.9 ml reserved juice back. Stir in the olive oil 5.83 g, garlic 5.83 g, oregano 1.17 g, salt 2.72 g, sugar 1.17 g.
- 11
Rest
Let sit 10 minutes for the garlic to mellow into the sauce before topping the pizza.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipIf you want the Lou Malnati's version, add 1 tsp of dried Italian herb blend.⏱ Rest10:00 - ◆ CHEESE
Chicago Sliced Mozzarella Layer
↗ - 12
Slice ¼-inch thick
Slice the mozzarella into ¼-inch thick slabs. You want slices, not shreds — they melt into a continuous, watertight layer.
- 13
Cover the bottom
Arrange the slices to completely cover the bottom of the dough-lined pan, overlapping slightly. Trim pieces to fill any gaps — no visible dough.
- 14
Layer toppings on top
Layer everything else (sausage, sauce) on top of the cheese.
- 15
Parm on top of sauce
After the sauce goes on, sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the top. This is the only cheese above the sauce — it browns into a savory cap.
- ◆
Assembly
- 16
Preheat
Preheat oven to 425°F on the lowest rack.
⏱ Preheat30:00 - 17
Cheese on the bottom
Sliced mozzarella 300 g across the bottom of the laminated dough, completely covering it.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipCheese on the BOTTOM, sauce on TOP. Reverse this and it's gummy. - 18
Sausage layer
Crumbled cooked Italian sausage 250 g over the cheese.
- 19
Sauce on top
Pour/spread the chunky tomato sauce 350 g on top. Add the grated Parmesan 30 g over the sauce — it browns into a savory cap.
- 20
Bake
Bake at 425°F for 25–30 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and sauce is bubbling.
⏱ Bake27:00 - 21
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
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