Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

Votes: 1

Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Complexity: average
Servings: 6-8

This American pizza is designed specifically for those who enjoy delicious food to the fullest. It's baked in a deep-dish pan using standard ingredients—yeast dough, tomato sauce, and grated cheese. If you don't have a deep-dish pan, use a round crust pan. The dough is pressed against the bottom and sides to create high edges, which are then filled with a thick layer of cheese (use a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan for a more vibrant flavor) and a layer of tomato sauce seasoned with garlic and oregano. This thick pizza requires a longer baking time, so the sauce is added on top to prevent the cheese from burning.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Dough

4 cups of flour
3 tbsp. finely ground corn flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2.5 tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp olive oil + extra for the bowl
4 tbsp melted butter
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. warm water (38°C-43°C)

Toppings

3 tbsp olive oil + extra for pans
2 cloves garlic, grated
0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (800 g) of canned tomato puree (preferably San Marzano)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 x 220g packages of whole milk dry mozzarella, thinly sliced
Finely grated Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Knead the dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, yeast, olive oil, melted butter, vegetable oil, and warm water. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix for another 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over to coat the entire surface with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic softens slightly, about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree and 1 cup of water. Add the oregano and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Generously grease two 22cm round deep pizza pans (or 22cm crust pans) with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil each. Divide the dough in half, place each half in the bottom of the pan, and press down. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your fingers. Top each crust with a layer of cheese and spread 1.5 cups of sauce over each.
Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, 40-45 minutes (the topping will still be jiggly in the center). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (if using); let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into pieces.
You can freeze baked pizza for up to a month. Let it cool, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. To reheat, unwrap the pizza and bake at 325°F (160°C) until heated through and the cheese is bubbly, 50-60 minutes.