United States • Regional Dish • Main Course

Chicago Deep Pan Pizza

Press buttery dough into a deep pan, layer mozzarella and sausage first, then top with chunky tomatoes for a rich, structured, knife-and-fork pizza.

Servings6

Prep Time30 min

Cook Time40 min

DifficultyModerate

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Ingredients

US Metric

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp fine salt

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp warm water

9 oz low-moisture mozzarella, sliced or coarsely shredded

9 oz raw Italian sausage, casings removed

14 oz canned crushed tomatoes, drained lightly

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp fine salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 oz (~ 1/4 cup) grated Parmesan

320 g all-purpose flour

35 g fine yellow cornmeal

7 g instant yeast

6 g fine salt

10 g sugar

30 ml olive oil

45 g unsalted butter, melted

190 ml warm water

250 g low-moisture mozzarella, sliced or coarsely shredded

250 g raw Italian sausage, casings removed

400 g canned crushed tomatoes, drained lightly

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

2 g dried oregano

2 g fine salt

15 ml olive oil

25 g grated Parmesan

Instructions

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
Stir in the olive oil, melted butter, and warm water until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead 4–5 minutes until smooth and soft; keep it supple but not sticky.
Cover and let the dough rise 60 minutes until puffed, not necessarily doubled.
Stir the crushed tomatoes with garlic, oregano, salt, and olive oil in a bowl, then set aside. Do not cook the sauce.
Oil a deep 25 cm cast-iron skillet or cake pan lightly.
Press the dough into the pan and up the sides to form a deep shell about 4 cm high.
Layer the mozzarella directly over the dough, covering the base fully to protect it from the sauce.
Pinch off the sausage and press it in an even layer over the cheese.
Spoon the tomato mixture over the sausage, spreading it edge to edge without flooding the crust.
Scatter the Parmesan over the top.
Bake at 230°C for 15 minutes, then reduce to 205°C and bake 20–25 minutes more until the crust is deep golden and the sausage is fully cooked.
Rest 10 minutes before slicing so the layers settle and the cheese doesn’t run.

Cultural Context

Chicago deep-dish pizza grew out of the city in the 1940s, closely tied to downtown spots like Pizzeria Uno. Its structure is the giveaway: a deep buttery crust, cheese laid directly on the dough, toppings above that and tomato sauce spread over the top. Reverse layering isn’t a quirk. It’s the job description. The dough usually includes oil or butter, sometimes with cornmeal or semolina for a firmer, almost pastry-like bite. Versions vary by restaurant, pan and toppings, but the core stays the same. This is pizza behaving like a baked pie, and frankly, it knows exactly what it’s doing.

Fun Fact

Chicago deep-dish pizza’s unusual layering wasn’t just stylistic. Early Chicago pizzerias discovered that placing mozzarella directly on the dough shielded the crust from moisture during the longer bake required in a deep pan, preventing sogginess while keeping the tomatoes bright and slightly chunky.

Cook’s Tip

Use a deep 23 cm cake pan if you don’t have cast iron.
Use low-moisture mozzarella only; fresh mozzarella releases too much water.
If the tomato mixture looks very wet, drain it a little more before topping.

Trivia

Chicago’s first widely recognized deep-dish pizza appeared in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno, introducing the reversed layering style—cheese first, tomatoes last—that still defines the city’s signature pan pizza today.

About This Recipe

A fresh serving of global recipes, food stories, quizzes and delicious discoveries.

Chicago Deep Pan Pizza

Instructions

Cultural Context

Fun Fact

Cook’s Tip

Trivia

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