Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza is a thick crust pizza layered with mozzarella cheese, sautéed onions, bell peppers, button mushrooms and tangy marinara sauce. The crust is buttery, crisp at the edges and soft and chewy inside. This vegetarian deep dish pizza is baked in a deep pan which gives it its signature hearty texture and rich cheesy layers.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 70 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 100 minutes
  • Yield: 2 · 2 Deep Dish Pizza
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American, World

Ingredients

  • 3 cups or 375 grams all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ cup or 85 grams semolina flour ((rava/sooji) or cornmeal)
  • 1½ teaspoons or 6 grams instant yeast
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water (or add as required)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (– divided, for brushing the parchment)
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (– divided, for brushing on the dough after the second proofing)
  • 3 cups or 300 grams mozzarella cheese ((shredded or finely diced), divided)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (– for sautéing)
  • 1 medium to large onion (– sliced)
  • 1 medium to large green bell pepper ((capsicum) – sliced)
  • 1½ to 2 cups button mushrooms (– sliced or chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or black pepper powder)
  • salt (as required)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs (or pizza seasoning)
  • 1 to 1¼ cups marinara sauce (or pizza sauce, divided)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons mozzarella cheese (– divided)

Method

Making Deep Dish Pizza Crust Dough

  1. Mix instant yeast and sugar. Combine with all-purpose flour, semolina flour or cornmeal, olive oil, melted butter, water and salt. Knead to a soft and elastic dough.
  2. Spread some olive oil on the dough lightly.
  3. Keep the dough covered and let it rise until doubled in volume. This will take 30 to 45 minutes or more depending on the room temperature.
  4. Brush some olive oil on a 7-inch baking pan. Next line the baking pan with parchment paper and brush 2 tablespoons olive oil all over the parchment.
  5. Divide the proofed dough in two equal portions and form two neat round balls.
  6. Roll one of the dough balls with a rolling pin to about ½ inch thickness on a lightly dusted flour.
  7. Place the rolled dough in the prepared pan. Gently stretch and press the dough towards the edges, bringing it about ¾ up the sides of the pan while leaving a little space at the top edge.
  8. Cover the baking pan with a napkin and proof dough again for 25 to 30 minutes.

Preparing Toppings

  1. Sauté onions, bell peppers and mushrooms in olive oil on medium low heat, for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly softened. Season with salt, black pepper and dried herbs.

Assembling

  1. Preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit).
  2. Brush 2 tablespoons olive oil on the proofed dough in the pan.
  3. Add 1½ cups mozzarella cheese first, then half of the sautéed vegetables and mushrooms.
  4. Finally spread about ½ cup or ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons marinara sauce or pizza sauce on top.

Baking Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

  1. Place the baking pan on a baking tray and keep it in the preheated oven.
  2. Bake at 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit) for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and crispy at the edges.
  3. Once baked remove the pan from the oven.
  4. The crust should look golden and crisp at the edges and feel firm from the sides. The sauce on top should appear slightly thickened.
  5. Top with 1 or 2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese or vegetarian parmesan cheese. Sprinkle dried mixed herbs or Italian seasoning if using.
  6. Place the pan back in the oven and bake at the same temperature for 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.
  7. Let the deep dish pizza rest for a few minutes before removing it from the pan. Slice after resting for a few more minutes and serve hot.
  8. Similarly make the second deep dish pizza with the remaining dough. If not using immediately, refrigerate both the dough and toppings for a day. You can also freeze the dough for a few weeks in an airtight container.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.