Meal time will become a celebration when Chicago Pizza Pie is served, oozing with cheese and loaded with sausage. Take a bite out of this Chicago-style deep-dish pizza!
If you are anything like my family, you love pizza! My husband has been making homemade pizza for a long time and ran a pizza restaurant before he joined the Marine Corps. So making pizza at home has always happened in our house. It's even our Christmas Eve tradition. One day our oldest son said we should try Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and that is how this recipe happened. We made it until we got it right, so we hope you try it and enjoy it also!
Did you know? Deep-Dish Chicago pizza is believed to have originated at Pizzeria Uno, in Chicago, in 1943, reportedly by Uno's founders Ric Riccardo and Ike Sewell. a try!
Try some of our other favorite recipes, such as Ham and Cheese Sliders, Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole in One Pot, Cheesy Chicken and Rice, or Pizza Casserole.
Ingredients for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Pizza Crust
- all purpose or bread flour
- olive oil
- cornmeal
- salt
- granulated sugar
- yeast
- warm water
Pizza Sauce - crushed tomatoes
- granulated sugar
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- black pepper
Pizza Toppings - mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Italian sausage, cooked and drained
- pepperoni
- parmesan cheese
FAQs
Chicago deep dish pizza is a style of pizza characterized by a thick crust that lines a deep, round pan and is filled with layers of cheese, toppings (such as sausage and vegetables), and a chunky tomato sauce on top. It is known for its rich, hearty, and filling nature.
Yes, you can prepare the dough ahead of time. After the first rise, punch it down and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before using.
Meat Lovers: Add pepperoni, bacon, and ham along with the sausage.
Vegetarian: Use a variety of vegetables like spinach, artichokes, and olives, and skip the meat.
Supreme: Combine meats like sausage and pepperoni with a variety of vegetables.
White Pizza: Use a creamy Alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce and add chicken, spinach, and mushrooms.
To prevent a soggy crust, ensure your vegetables are sautéed to remove excess moisture and drain any fat from the cooked sausage. Additionally, avoid overloading the pizza with too many toppings that can release moisture during baking.
Top Tips
- Add your favorite toppings. This recipe represents the traditional Chicago deep dish pizza toppings, but everybody has their favorites, add yours!
- Springform pans work wonderfully for this type of pizza. You can just pop it open and there is the pizza! If you do not have a Springform pan, you can use circle cake pans.
- For the best result, shred your own cheese. Shredded cheese in bags often have an anti-caking agent which may prevent the cheese from having that melted gooiness.
How to make Chicago Pizza Pie
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast. Give it a slight mix using the dough hook with the stand mixer or using a whisk/hand mixer and a large bowl.
- Pour olive oil and warm water (temperature between 105-115 degrees F) into your bowl. Do not exceed 120 degrees F or it will kill the yeast.
- Mix on low speed or stir the ingredients until moistened. Knead by hand if you do not have a mixer. It should be well mixed and only slightly sticky, if it's sticky at all. If it is too sticky, add a tablespoon of flavor and mix well. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball.
- Cut dough ball in half and form into two balls. Coat two medium bowls with olive oil or cooking spray. Place a dough ball into each bowl, turn to coat. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Using a roller, roll each dough dough in one direction to about ¼" and turn 90 degrees and roll to about ⅛". The idea is to try and keep the dough ball round.
- The dough should be spongy and you can continue to stretch by hand. Try not to stretch too much in only one area. Using your pan as a guide, make the dough about an inch or more wider than the pan.
- Place the rolled out dough into the pan and place it up the sides. Push the dough so it covers the entire bottom, make sure it gets into the corners. You will need at least 1 inch of dough going up the sides, if not more.
- Spread about 2 cups of shredded cheese over the dough.
- Sprinkle your toppings on next, any cooked meats or vegetables.
- Gather ingredients for the sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ to 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook on low to medium heat about 30 minutes. Remove from heat until ready to use. Adjust measurements to your taste.
- Spread about half of the sauce on top of each pizza.
- Sprinkle the top with about ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Any excess dough over the top can be folded back into the pan once you put the sauce on.
- Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool about 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Homemade Chicago Pizza Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose or bread flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
Pizza Sauce
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ - 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Pizza Toppings
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and drained
- Pepperoni
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast. Give it a slight mix using the dough hook with the stand mixer or using a whisk/hand mixer and a large bowl.
- Pour olive oil and warm water (temperature between 105-115 degrees F) into your bowl. Do not exceed 120 degrees F or it will kill the yeast.
- Mix on low speed or stir the ingredients until moistened. Knead by hand if you do not have a mixer. It should be well mixed and only slightly sticky, if it’s sticky at all. If it is too sticky, add a tablespoon of flavor and mix well. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball.
- Cut dough ball in half and form into two balls. Coat two medium bowls with olive oil or cooking spray. Place a dough ball into each bowl, turn to coat. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Using a roller, roll each dough dough in one direction to about ¼″ and turn 90 degrees and roll to about ⅛″. The idea is to try and keep the dough ball round.
- The dough should be spongy and you can continue to stretch by hand. Try not to stretch too much in only one area. Using your pan as a guide, make the dough about an inch or more wider than the pan.
- Place the rolled out dough into the pan and place it up the sides. Push the dough so it covers the entire bottom, make sure it gets into the corners. You will need at least 1 inch of dough going up the sides, if not more.
- Spread about 2 cups of shredded cheese over the dough.
- Sprinkle your toppings on next, any cooked meats or vegetables.
- Gather ingredients for the sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ to 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook on low to medium heat about 30 minutes. Remove from heat until ready to use. Adjust measurements to your taste.
- Spread about half of the sauce on top of each pizza.
- Sprinkle the top with about ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Any excess dough over the top can be folded back into the pan once you put the sauce on.
- Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool about 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
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