Chef Tom has his take on the iconic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Prepared in a cast iron pan and loaded with cheese and just the right amount of sauce, it still maintains a light & flaky crust on this incredible tasting pizza. Grab a slice without ever having to visit the Windy City.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Cold butter goes straight into the food processor with the dry ingredients. Blitzing it into the flour before any liquid is added is what gives this deep dish crust its "light and flaky" texture instead of a dense, bread-like one.
- The sauce gets reduced down to a concentrated two cups. Simmering the crushed San Marzano tomatoes with garlic and seasoning for 20 minutes thickens the sauce so it doesn't turn the crust soggy under all that cheese.
- Cheese goes down before the sauce, not after. Layering mozzarella directly against the dough and topping it with sauce (rather than the reverse) is the classic deep-dish build that keeps the crust from getting soggy during the long bake.
- Raw sausage cooks right on top of the pizza. Pinching off pieces of raw Italian sausage and distributing them around the pie means it renders its fat directly into the pizza as it bakes, rather than needing to be pre-cooked separately.
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.5 stars by 14 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
16
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
334
Chef Tom's take on Chicago deep dish pizza is so good, you don't need to head to the Windy City to get that perfect slice! Loaded with cheese and the right amount of sauce, this delicious pizza features a light, flaky crust that will have you coming back for more!
Ingredients
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250 g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) warm water (110ºF)
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7 g (2 1/4 tsp) dry active yeast
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7 g (1 1/2 tsp) sugar
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400 g all-purpose flour
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100 g cornmeal
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7 g (1.5 tsp) Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
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75 g (5.5 tbsp) unsalted butter, diced, cold
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75 g (4.5 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
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2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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1 (28 oz) can San Marzano tomatoes
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tbsp sugar
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1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning
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Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
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1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
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12 oz Low moisture mozzarella, sliced
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Fresh grated parmesan (optional)
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Urban Slicer Mojo White Pizza Seasoning
For the dough:
For the sauce:
For the toppings:
Directions
For the dough: Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a pint sized container. Whisk to combine and let sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the dry ingredients and butter. Blitz until the butter is broken down, about 10 seconds. With the food processor still running, pour in the water/yeast mixture, then immediately pour in the extra virgin olive oil. Keep processing until the dough balls up, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a floured surface and knead by hand for 30-60 seconds, until mostly smooth on the surface. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down. Divide into two equal portions. Form into balls. Rest 30 minutes in the refrigerator before building your pizza.
For the sauce: Crush tomatoes by hand. Warm a Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil to the dutch oven. Add tomatoes, garlic, sugar and Cattleman’s Grill Italiano. Bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low. Cook to reduce the sauce for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce measures about two cups.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 425ºF, with the Yoder Smokers Wood Fired Oven installed.
Roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin to about 12”-14” diameter. Pour a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet and rub around to coat the skillet. Drape the pizza dough over the skillet. Push the dough down into the skillet. Press the dough up the sides as well, to form a lip.
Lay out slices of mozzarella to cover the dough (6 oz each pizza). Pinch off small pieces of the raw hot Italian sausage and distribute evenly around the pizza (8 oz each pizza). Ladle about one cup of sauce over the top. Season with Urban Slicer Mojo White Pizza Seasoning.
Transfer the skillet to the Yoder Smokers Wood Fired Oven. Bake until the crust is dark golden brown in color and the sausage temps over 165ºF, about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Top with freshly grated parmesan and slice to serve.
This recipe yields 2 pizzas, or 16 servings.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why add cold butter to the dry ingredients before any liquid?
Blitzing cold butter into the flour first creates small pockets of fat throughout the dough, which is what gives this deep dish crust its light, flaky texture rather than a dense, uniform crumb.
Why reduce the sauce down to about two cups?
Simmering the crushed tomatoes down concentrates the flavor and thickens the sauce, which keeps it from soaking into the crust and making it soggy during the long bake.
Why layer cheese directly against the dough, with sauce on top?
This order is what defines Chicago deep dish. The cheese acts as a barrier between the dough and the sauce, protecting the crust from getting soggy while it bakes.
Why use raw sausage instead of pre-cooking it?
Pinching raw Italian sausage directly onto the pizza lets it render its fat into the dish as it bakes, adding flavor throughout instead of losing that fat to a separate pan beforehand.
What internal temperature should the sausage reach?
Over 165°F, which is comfortably above USDA's 160°F minimum for ground pork — this recipe gets that number right.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — a home oven at its highest setting with a cast iron skillet will get you very close to this result; the wood-fired oven mainly adds a bit of extra char and speed.
Recipe Highlights
Cold butter cut into the dough: Breaking butter into the dry ingredients before adding liquid is what produces this crust's light, flaky texture instead of a dense one.
Reducing the sauce to two cups: Concentrating the tomato sauce through a 20-minute simmer prevents it from making the crust soggy once it's baked under the cheese.
Cheese-then-sauce layering: Placing mozzarella directly against the dough before adding sauce is the defining technique that protects the crust throughout the bake.
Raw sausage baked in place: Distributing uncooked sausage pieces across the pizza lets the fat render directly into the dish rather than being lost in a separate pan.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 slice of pizza
- per serving
- Calories
- 334
- Fat
- 14 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 6 grams
- Cholesterol
- 31 milligrams
- Sodium
- 592 milligrams
- Carbs
- 32 grams
- Fiber
- 1 grams
- Sugar
- 2 grams
- Protein
- 19 grams
