Hereโs how to make authentic-tasting Chicago deep dish pizza. Complete with the buttery crust, slightly sweet tomato sauce, and a thick layer of cheese.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Warning: this post has about 1,000,000 step-by-step photos and lots of little explanations to go along with them. Might want to grab some coffee.
I recently looked at my websiteโs stats and came to find out that Chicago is my most popular city in the US. I have more Chicago readers than any other place in this country. Thatโs crazy awesome because I love Chicago. As a little tribute to my #1 city, Iโm finishing one blow-out year with a Chicago inspired recipe.
Iโve only had the pleasure of having real, authentic Chicago-style pizza a few times. And those few times have been enough to convince me that Chicago-style pizza is incomparably good. Better than good.
So, what makes Chicago-style pizza so damn amazing? The answer is everything. Every little detail about this pizza is special. First, this pizza clearly doesnโt look like a pizza you are used to. Itโs baked in a deep dish cake pan. The cheese goes directly on top of the crust and the sauce is piled on top. An upside-down pizza pie of sorts. Now, I may be completely wrong, but Iโve learned that the proper way to eat Chicago-style pizza is with a fork. Is this right, Chicago readers? I hope so because itโs the only way I can eat it without making an atrocious and very embarrassing mess.
Letโs talk about all the wonderful layers in this pizza.
The deep dish pizza crust. A crunchy-edged, flaky crust is key in Chicago-style pizza. Itโs absolutely not a regular pizza crust. No, this crust is unique. And thatโs why I steered completely away from my regular pizza crust recipe and dove headfirst into something completely nuts. Adding a little cornmeal. Cornmeal is what makes the crust so crunchy and flavorful. Not to mention, tasting like youโre eating the real deal.
What else is special about this pizza crust? Itโs so buttery. The butteriest pizza crust on the planet, or at least the butteriest pizza crust Iโve ever had the pleasure of tasting. To get that ultra buttery flavor, as well as the iconic flaky texture of Chicago-style pizza crust, weโre going to laminate the pizza dough. Umm, what?? Yes. It sounds weird, I know. But laminating dough is exactly what gives croissants its flaky layers. Laminating, or layering, butter into dough is the answer an authentic tasting Chicago pizza crust.
This all sounds hard, doesnโt it? Good news, itโs not! Laminating is literally just spreading butter on your pizza dough and folding it up. Then, rolling the pizza dough out again locking that butter inside. Easy.
Iโm not sure how and Iโm not sure whyโฆ but despite being a little crunchy and very flaky, this pizza crust will absolutely melt in your mouth. Itโs crunchy, buttery, and tender all at the same time? A miracle crust.
Baking with Yeast Guide
Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with bakerโs yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Letโs talk about the pizza sauce. Slightly sweet, incredibly thick, and wonderfully flavorful. The sauce is always my favorite part about Chicago-style pizza. In fact, I usually order extra sauce on the side. All about the condiments in my world.
This garlic infused pizza sauce is made on the stovetop and, while waiting for the pizza dough to rise, simmers quietly allowing the flavors to develop and the texture to thicken. I like to add some red pepper flakes for a little heat; it really gives this sauce something extra. If you donโt like heat, you can leave it out. This sauce is unlike ANY other tomato sauce Iโve ever had. To me, it tastes like the kinds Iโve had in Chicago. Youโre going to love it. Unless of course you donโt like tomato sauce.
Along with the miracle crust and this luscious pizza sauce, a whole lotta cheese goes into this deep dish pie. You may use sliced mozzarella or shredded. Whatever it is, slice or shred it yourself from a block of real mozzarella cheese. Pre-shredded mozzarella is just fine, but the taste of sliced or shredded fresh mozzarella is just unbeatable.
My husband loves a good pepperoni pizza with bacon, so I add both to the Chicago-style pizza. These go on top of the cheese and before the sauce. A little grated parmesan to finish things up and weโve got ourselves one damn tasty copycat Chicago deep dish pizza. How many times can I type Chicago in one post?
I love you Chicago and your pizza too!
This recipe makes 2 deep dish pizzas. They are small 9 inch pizzas. Two hungry people can easily finish one. Make them both if you have a family of 4-5 or are having friends over. If your family is smaller, freeze half of the dough per the make-ahead/freezing instructions in the recipe notes. Please use my step-by-step photos below this written out recipe as a guide to making the pizza. For best results and ease of mind (!!!), please read through the recipe completely before beginning.
Print
How To Make Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 deep dish 9-inch pizzas
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Hereโs how to make authentic-tasting Chicago deep dish pizza. Complete with the buttery crust, slightly sweet tomato sauce, and a thick layer of cheese. This recipe makes two deep dish 9-inch pizzas. Make them both if you have a family of 4-5 or are having friends over. If your family is smaller, freeze half of the dough per the make-ahead/freezing instructions in the recipe notes.
Ingredients
Pizza Crust (makes 2)
- 3 and 1/4 cups (406g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (60g) yellow cornmeal
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) slightly warm water
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, divided (1/4 cup melted, 1/4 cup softened to room temperature)
- olive oil for coating
Tomato Sauce for Both Pizzas
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, grated (about 1/3 cup)*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but recommended)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- one 28-ounce can (794g) crushed tomatoes*
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
Toppings for Both Pizzas
- 4 cups (about 16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese*
- 1/2 cup (45g) grated parmesan cheese
- optional: 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
- optional: 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Please use my step-by-step photos below this written out recipe as a guide to making the pizza. For best results and ease of mind, read through the recipe completely before beginning. You will need two deep dish 9ร2-inch round cake pans if you are making both pizzas at the same time. You can also use 9-inch springform pans.
- For the crust: Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use your hand mixer and a very very large bowl. If you do not have any mixer, you will do this all by hand. Again, use a very large bowl. Give those ingredients a quick toss with your mixer on low or with a large wooden spoon. Add the warm water and 1/4 cup of melted butter. The warm water should be around 90ยฐF (32ยฐC). Make sure it is not very, very hot or it will kill the yeast. Likewise, make sure the butter isnโt boiling hot. If you melt it in the microwave, let it sit for 5 minutes before adding. On low speed, beat (or stir) the dough ingredients until everything begins to be moistened. Continuing on low speed (or remove from the bowl and knead by hand if you do not own a mixer), beat the dough until it is soft and supple and gently pulls away from the sides of the bowl and falls off of the dough hook- about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is too hard (it will be textured from the cornmeal), but if it feels too tough, beat in 1 teaspoon of warm water. Alternatively, if it feels too soft, beat in 1 Tablespoon of flour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning it around so that all sides of the dough are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size.
- Once the dough is ready, lightly flour a large work surface. Remove dough from the bowl, set the bowl and aluminum foil aside (to use later). Gently punch down the dough to remove any air bubbles and roll the dough into a large 15ร12-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter on top of the dough. Roll it up lengthwise per the photos below. Cut the dough log in half. Form the two pieces of dough into balls and place back into your greased bowl. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rise in the refrigerator (not in a warm place) for 1 hour until they are puffy as you make the sauce.
- For the sauce: Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt. Once melted, add the grated onion, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Once the onion has slightly browned after about 5 minutes, add the garlic, tomatoes, and sugar. Turn the heat down to low-medium and allow it to simmer until itโs hearty, fragrant, and thick- about 30 minutes. Youโll have about 2 and 1/2 cups of sauce at this point. If you have more than that, keep simmering until the amount has reduced. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to be used. You may store the sauce in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days if planning to make the pizza another day. You may freeze this sauce for up to 2 months as well.
- Preheat oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC).
- Assemble the pizzas: After the dough balls have risen in the refrigerator, they should be puffy. Keep one ball of dough in the refrigerator as you work with the first one. Roll it out on a lightly floured work surface, working it into a 12-inch circle. Using your rolling pin as a guide (see photos below), place over a 9ร2-inch deep dish cake pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into the cake pan. Make sure it is nice and tight fitting inside the pan. Trim any excess dough off the edges with a small knife. Repeat with 2nd dough. Brush the top edges of the dough with a little olive oil, which gives the crust a beautiful sheen. Fill each pizza with 1/2 of the cheese (about 2 cups/8 oz per pizza), then the pepperoni and bacon or your desired toppings. Pour about 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) of sauce evenly on top of each. If you do not like that much sauce, you can reduce to 3/4 cup (180ml) per pizza and have leftover sauce. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup (22g) of grated parmesan cheese.
- Place the cake pans on top of a large baking sheet, which will catch anything potentially spilling over the sides of the pans. (Nothing usually does.) Bake for 20-28 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Feel free to loosely cover the pizzas with aluminum foil after the 15 minute mark to prevent any heavy browning and uneven baking. Remove the pizzas from the oven and allow to cool in the pans placed on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slice, serve, and enjoy. Place any leftover pizza in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in a 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Dough may be prepared through step 4. In the last part of this step, the dough needs to rise in the refrigerator for 1 hour. You may leave it in the refrigerator for up to 1 full day, making sure to punch it down to remove any air bubbles before rolling out as directed in step 7. You may freeze the pizza doughs after preparing them through step 4, and instead of allowing to rise in the refrigerator, simply freeze for up to 2 months. Then, allow the doughs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour before continuing with step 7. Make-ahead and freezing instructions for the sauce are written in step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9ร2-inch Round Cake Pans or 9-inch Springform Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | Saucepan | Box Grater
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. You can use any quick rise or instant yeast in this recipe. You can also use active dry yeast in this recipe with zero changes. The rise time may be slightly longer if using active dry yeast.
- Onion & Tomatoes: Please see notes below the recipe in the step-by-step photos for details about the grated onion and the can of crushed tomatoes.
- Cheese: You can use sliced mozzarella or shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Toppings: Feel free to swap the pepperoni and bacon with cooked and crumbled sausage, thinly sliced green peppers and/or onions, sliced mushrooms, etc. Add enough toppings to suit your tastes.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Adapted from: a mix of Food.com and Cooks Illustrated
Begin by combining the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use your hand mixer and a very very large bowl. If you do not have any mixer, you will do this all by hand. Use a very large bowl.
I always use Red Star Yeast. I use it for all of my yeast doughs including cinnamon rolls, breads, pizzas, etc. Their platinum line is my variety of choice.
Give those ingredients a quick toss with your mixer on low or with a large wooden spoon.
Per the recipe instructions above, add 1 and 1/4 cups of warm water and 1/4 cup of melted butter. The warm water should be around 90 degrees. Make sure it is not very, very hot or it will kill the yeast. Likewise, make sure the butter isnโt boiling hot. If you melt it in the microwave, let it sit for 5 minutes before adding.
On low speed, beat (or stir) the dough ingredients until everything begins to be moistened.
Continuing on low speed (or kneading by handโsee my How to Knead Dough video tutorial for extra help here), beat the dough until it is soft and supple and gently pulls away from the sides of the bowl and falls off of the dough hook. If the dough is too hard (it will be textured from the cornmeal), but if it feels too tough, beat in a teaspoon of warm water. Alternatively, if it feels too soft, beat in a Tablespoon of flour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl and place the dough inside, turning it around so that all sides of the dough are coated in the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm environment. For this warm environment, here is what I do (see the right photo below):
Preheat oven to 250F degrees. Once 250F degrees, turn oven off. Place bowl inside. Close the oven. The lingering heat will help your dough rise. This is especially ideal on cold winter days!
After 1-2 hours, the dough will have doubled in size. Gently punch it down.
Lightly flour a large work surface.
Remove dough from the bowl, set the bowl aside (to use later) and roll the dough into a large 15ร12 rectangle. It does not have to be a perfect rectangle as you can see from my obscure looking shaped dough. As long as the measurements are right.
Per the written recipe above, spread 1/4 cup of softened butter on top.
Roll it up the opposite way you roll cinnamon rolls. With cinnamon rolls, you always roll the longest side. Here we are rolling the shortest side:
Cut the dough log in half. See all those layers? That is what will make our pizza crust so incredibly flaky!
Form these two pieces of dough into balls.
Place back into your greased bowl. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rise in the refrigerator (not in a warm place) for 1 hour as you make the sauce.
Letโs begin the tomato sauce.
1 very small onion, grated. Why grated? Grated onion lets off SO much moisture. Much more than simply dicing or chopping the onion. You want that moisture in your sauce, trust me. Grate the onion and use about 1/3 cup of it. If your onion yield more than this amount, save the rest for a different recipe. Or just grate the onion until you have 1/3 cup.
Easy.
Over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and then add the grated onion, the oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Once the onion has slightly browned, add the garlic, tomatoes, and sugar.
Here is a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes. I use a kind that has basil flavor added. You can certainly use a can of plain crushed tomatoes. If using that, make sure to add 1 โ 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh basil (or about 1/2 teaspoon of ground dried basil) when you add the tomatoes.
Let it simmer until it is hearty, fragrant, and thick. About 30 minutes. Youโll have about 2 and 1/2 cups of sauce at this point. If you have more than that, keep simmering until the amount has reduced.
Dough balls have risen in the refrigerator, letโs roll them out one at a time. Keep the 2nd one in the refrigerator as you roll the first. The dough should be puffy, buttery, and smooth.
Roll the dough ball out into a 12-inch circle. Using your rolling pin as a guide, place over a 9ร2-inch cake pan. Like this:
And then this:
Using your fingers, press the dough into the cake pan. Trim any excess dough off the edges. I like to brush the top edges with a little olive oil, which gives the exposed crust a little sheen when baked. After that, fill with 1/2 of the cheese (about 2 cups).
Then, top with your toppings of choice. As mentioned in the written recipe above, we use pepperoni and bacon. Diet food, really.
Top with 1/2 of the tomato sauce (about 1 and 1/4 cupsโsee written out recipe if you want to use less) and then 1/2 of the parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup per pizza). Repeat these last couple of steps with the second pizza.
Bake pizzas in a preheated 425F degree oven. Make sure that the oven is fully preheated and incredibly hot. Also, make sure you place the pans on top a baking sheet. Just in case anything spills over.
Crust is golden, pizzas look great.
Slice and serve and ENJOY.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This crust is probably one of the best Iโve eaten โ I grew up baking with my grandmother and have a strong passion for baking. This is my new deep dish pizza crust, thank you for sharing. Iโm making it again today in fact for the family and friends that were not around 2 weeks ago when I made it for the first time. I am as excited for them to try it as they are to eat it.
I make this at least once a month, and itโs always perfect! Thanks, Sally!
The sauce is AH-MAZE-ING! We topped our pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni. The flavors were soooo good. The crust was not what I was looking for, I was hoping for a more flaky, pastry type crust. I will absolutely make the sauce again and I will search for a different crust recipe
This deep dish pizza recipe is great! It was my first time making a deep dish pizza, I make my own regular ones all the time. Your recipe was easy to follow and it turned out just like yours!!
Excellent instructions, so clear and easy to follow. The dough turned out incredible.
My husband is from Chicago and we donโt have access to deep dish a lot where we live now. He absolutely loves this. And now all my kids do too!
Hi there, keen to know what you would suggest to make a gluten free crust. Could you just substitute gluten free flour or would need to incorporate xanthan gum?
We havenโt tested it, so weโre unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give it a try.
@MIMI A
Iโm at 6800 feet, when I make this tonight I will not make any adjustments to the dough. This recipe does not have any levening in it. I find that is the leven and temp that needs to be adjusted.
This was excellent!!! The sauce is so good. Good will be used on other pizza recipes as well. Itโs worth the steps to bake this if youโre far away from Chicago. Crust is really crispy and tastes really close to Giordanoโs. The recipe is a keeper! am a big Sallly fan and have her cook books and check the website a few times a week to see what to bake. Try this one. You will not be disappointed.
This is exactly what I have been looking for!! I have been wanting to recreate the pizza skins from Unos and none of the recipes I found sounded right (just a regular pizza dough??) โ this one was perfect!!
Can I use tin foil cake pans ? All I have on hand other wise would be 9ร13 Pyrex dish.
Hi Shannon, we donโt see why not. Hope the pizza turns out great!
I just finished making this recipe and it came out PERFECT! Instead of making 2 pizzas, I made 1 large pizza in a 14โณ cast iron skillet for an extra deep and huge pizza. It was fantastic! Got this recipe printed and hanging on my refridgerator. I shall impress my friends next time! Hahaha!
How long did you cook it in the 14โ cast iron?
Hello! Iโm also curious about cooking time for the 14โ? Did you use all the ingredients or did you have leftover ingredients? Thanks!
Great sauce. I have made this several times. Trying to get the crust bottom crisp or crunchy. Have tried baking on pro heated baking stone, better but still not quite there. Any suggestions?
Hi Mark, Baking the pizza for longer should help. You can also try moving the pizza to a position higher in your oven.
We bake ours in the iron skillet and coat the skillet in a thin layer of olive oil. Crisps up really nice.
Was just jumping in to say exactly this! Love making this in the cast iron!
Well written and very tasty
I love this recipe a lot! Iโve made it multiple times and itโs always a winner!
I want to make this for my boyfriend for his birthday, but I am having a hard time finding plain yellow cornmeal. The closest things I can find are self rising yellow cornmeal and white cornmeal. If I were to have to substitute it out, what would you recommend?
Hi AJ, you should be able to use white cornmeal here. Let us know if you try!
Is there an adjustment for high altitude? Iโm at just over 6,000โฒ and have not been very successful baking since moving here
Hi Mimi, we wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Your recipes are incredible and this one is no different. For some reason the second time I made it though, my crust puffed out. The dough also felt pretty elastic still so Iโm not sure if thatโs related. But the first time I made it it went perfectly- so I know itโs a me issue but Iโd love some advice. Thanks!
Fantastic recipe!!!!! Pizza is a HUGE hit!! If thereโs any better recipe out there, Iโll never know, because thereโs no reason to try! Thank you!!!
Please help. I froze one of my dough balls to use later. I took it out of the freezer on Wed night expecting it to take awhile to unthaw, I was so surprised to find it already unshaved by Thursday morning. I am not cooking my pizza until Saturday. Is it still OK to use after 48 hrs of being unthawed? It is in the fridge. Thanks and please help.
Hi Lori! It may rise too much if left in the fridge for that long. Does it seem to be rising? We would re-freeze and thaw the night before you need it, but we realize itโs a little too late for that now. You can certainly bake it tomorrow and see how it goes!
Great pizza. What is the best way to reheat?
Hi Tom! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. You can reheat leftovers (or the entire pizza, if already baked) in a 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.
I have made this 3 times now in the past 2 months. The sauce is incredible and so easy to make. The pizza crust was delicious! Growing up near Chicago this is by far my favorite! I made it with hot Italian sausage that I crumbled and cooked first, sautรฉed mushrooms to reduce the water content, and fresh green peppers. Others made their pizza with a few green peppers and pepperoni. I covered the edges of my pizza with foil and did bake it
Longer than the recipe stated and it was delicious! This is the only pizza and sauce recipe I will ever need! It was easy to make and fun. Great recipe
First time makin. Used my cast iron pans. Cooked the bottom. First on the hob then baked for 8 minutes. Mint !!!!
Would you recommend that I bake the pizza on the middle or bottom rack? Does it make a difference?
Hi Brian! We usually recommend using the middle rack, or the lower third of your oven, if possible. But all ovens are different!
Hello, I want to make this. Can you tell me what type/brand of cornmeal you use?
Hi C., you can use fine or coarse yellow cornmeal for this recipe. Any brand works just fine!
OKโฆread those directions 3 times and this recipe is a CHARM! Swapped mozz w/provolone but everything else exactly as written and made 2 incredible pizzas. Time table is a must for perfection. Not sure if we will ever order pizza delivery again. Worth BOTH the time and effort. Treat yourself, make this!
This was a lot of work but it was well worth it. Delicious!!!
Iโve tried making other recipes in the past, but this one was probably the best recipe yet for making chicago deep dish. Even though I love the real thing, this was spot on as far as taste. Great recipe! I am excited to make other treats from your website
I grew up on Edwardoโs and Gulliverโs pizza on the far north side. Iโve been making this recipe for years. Itโs the most authentic Iโve come acrossโฆand oh so very good!!
Another Gulliverโs fan! We live in Michigan but drove to Chicago for Gulliverโs many times. We really miss the Howard Street location even though we could see that the end was coming. Went to the Oakbrook location just last weekโOK but definitely not the same. Want to try this recipe but curious about Eduardoโs!
Rather disappointed. The ingredients for the dough dont add up. I measured exactly as you said in the recipe and i still had to add more flour , ( a lot more ).