Deep Dish Pizza – Chicago Style
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Sep. 18, 2026
Yes, you can absolutely make Chicago style deep dish pizza, right in your own home. It’s hard to beat the chewy, crunchy crust and melty cheese beneath the luscious sauce.
Make Your Own Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
I know we’re in good company when I say our family is comprised of pizza lovers. People literally jump for joy on occasions when I declare that it’s “pizza night.” Thin crust, regular crust, stuffed crust… we love ’em all. From Pepperoni to a yummy BBQ Chicken Pizza, the pies don’t last long here. But nothing – nothing – beats a truly great Deep Dish Pizza.
The last time we were in Chicago, we made a point of visiting well-known joints popular for their deep dish pizzas. Perhaps it was the huge crowds of people waiting and maxing out the kitchen… or maybe we needed to manage our expectations, but we were left a bit in wanting.
Deep Dish Pizza: Better from Your Own Oven
Of course, there have been moments we’ve experienced pizza heaven at certain little pizza joints, and those memories always made me wish I could make my own deep dish pizza at home so we could have it anytime the craving hit.
One day I noticed this deep dish pizza recipe resting in my humungous Cook’s Illustrated cookbook. Nothing I’ve ever made in that beloved cookbook has ever turned out wrong, so I had a feeling this deep dish pizza would not disappoint. We have never looked back.
Dough That Bakes up wonderfully chewy and crunchy
This Chicago-style deep dish pizza turns out deeply flavorful and delish, so much so that the guys proclaimed it “way better at home.” Deep dish victory! The crust is appropriately crusty and deep, chewy yet tender, and not greasy at all. The filling is a-ma-zing. Awesome. Mouthwatering. Other pies are literally jealous of this deep dish pizza.
Follow the order for Placing the Toppings
If you decide to make this, definitely follow original order for placing of the toppings. The cheese goes first, then toppings, followed by sauce. The cheese on the bottom is what prevents the crust from getting soggy…genius! Wish I came up with that on my own. The cooked pizza will yield a beautiful deep dish with cheese that stays melty underneath all the toppings your familiy desires.
This recipe is for an awesome cheese/sausage combo, which is what we were craving the day I made this. Feel free to make it your own, with toppings of your choice. Just be sure to follow the order of placing toppings, cheese, and sauce.
Deep Dish Pizza – Chicago Style
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant, rapid rise yeast
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 1 ¼ cups room temp water
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes with juices
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
- 16 ounces 4 cups freshly shredded mozzarella
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, browned and crumbled
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix the flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar, and salt on low. Add water and 3 TB melted butter; mix 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase to medium speed and knead until dough is glossy and smooth, 4-5 minutes. Dough should be pliable and pull away from sides of bowl.Coat large bowl with olive oil and place dough ball in bowl. Turn dough around in the bowl to ensure all sides are coated with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Make the Sauce: Sauté onion and garlic in 3 TB olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, basil, and oregano. Simmer 25-30 minutes, or until reduced to 2 1/2 cups. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425F with rack on lowest position. Roll dough out onto a work surface, into a 15×12 inch rectangle. Spread 4 TB softened butter evenly over top of dough, leaving 1/2 in border along edges. Starting from the short end, roll dough into a tight cylinder (see photo.)
- With seam side down, flatten cylinder to 18×4" rectangle and cut in half crosswise. Fold each half into thirds, pinch seams to form two dough balls. Place dough balls into oiled bowl, coat all sides with oil, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill in fridge for 40-50 minutes until doubled.
- Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 TB olive oil each. Roll each dough ball into a 1/4" thick disk. Gently press into pans, working dough and up the sides. Tip: If dough resists stretching, let it sit covered for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella into the bottom of each crust. Add browned sausage and any other toppings desired. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce per pizza. Sprinkle 2 TB Parmesan cheese per pizza. Bake until crust is golden brown about 20-25 min. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.