Let’s face it: We all have a favorite kind of pizza. Mine has and forever will be deep dish pizza, and if you try this recipe, you’ll understand why! For me, it’s all about the crust.

My journey towards finding a solid deep dish pizza recipe was long, arduous, and oftentimes heartbreaking. Few recipes produced the crust exactly how I wanted it, and not much could be said for the sauce either. After years (yes, years!) I finally encountered America's Test Kitchen's terrific recipe, and haven't looked back since. I have altered a few things from the original recipe, and as always, you'll find ways to make this your own below.

Deep Dish Pizza

Ways to make this your own:

  • I’ve purposely given you the basic recipe here, but it is made for you to add your own twist to it. You can (and should) add your preferred toppings. Likewise, you can play around with a different pizza sauce if you’re not a fan of the one provided here.

  • The dough calls for cornmeal, but if you don’t have that on hand, you can substitute with whole wheat flour.

  • Though the recipe asks you to use cake pans, you can also use a cast iron pan or any other oven-proof pan that works for you.

Deep Dish Pizza

Makes 2 9-inch pizzas

Adapted from America Test Kitchen’s Deep Dish Pizza recipe found here. (You must be a member to see the full recipe). Find it also in their excellent book Bread Illustrated.

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cups of cornmeal (or whole-wheat flour)

  • 3 tsp active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast)

  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

  • 3 tbsp butter, melted

  • 4 tbsp butter, softened

  • 2 tsp sugar

  • olive oil

Sauce:

  • olive oil

  • 1 onion, minced

  • kosher salt

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

  • pinch of sugar

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • 1/2 tsp red hot pepper flakes (more if you like your sauce spicy!)

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil (or 1 tsp of dried basil)

Toppings:

  • 1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (enough to make about 4 cups worth). Use vegan mozzarella to make this plant-based.

  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan.

  • Mushrooms, assorted fresh herbs, or any other toppings your heart desires! (optional)

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a regular bowl, if you aren't using one), add your flour, cornmeal or whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Meanwhile, measure your water in a measuring cup, and add the melted butter and sugar. Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.

3. With the standmixer running on low, slowly add your water mixture and let it run until a dough forms. Turn it up to medium low, and keep it going until the dough is pliable, about 5-8 minutes. If you're doing this by hand, the dough will be stiff and might take longer to come together. On a floured board, knead until you have a malleable dough that's smooth.

4. Coat a bowl in a generous amount of olive oil, and stick the dough in it. Use either a damp dish towel or plastic wrap to cover the bowl and let rise until doubled in size. (Alternatively, you can stop here and put the dough in the refrigerator for 8 to 16 hours, then proceed with the rest of the steps).

5. Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half. Using a rolling pin, roll out one half of the dough until it's roughly the size of an 18" by 6” inch rectangle. (Don't worry if you don't quite get a rectangle shape, or one quite this large. We're only using this method to spread the butter on the dough, not for shaping purposes.)

6. Taking a spatula, butter knife, or an icing tool, take the softened butter and spread all over the dough. Try to spread this as evenly as you can without cutting into the dough or making holes.

7. Once you've spread the butter, fold each piece of dough over itself twice, like you would a business letter. Take the dough in your hands, and roll the dough so you form a nice, smooth ball. Put back in the greased bowl. Complete this step with the other half. Once both are done, cover with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel, and leave in the fridge to rise until roughly doubled (about 30 to 45 minutes).

8. Now that your dough is rising again in the fridge, it's time to prepare your oven and work on everything that will go on your pizza.

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start preparing your pizza sauce. (If you already have a favorite pizza sauce, then ignore this step, and move on to your toppings). Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add your onion, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Let cook until the onion starts to wilt (maybe 5 minutes or so). Don't let the onions brown. Make a well in the middle of your pan, add more olive oil, and put in your garlic. Let it sit until it becomes aromatic, and then mix around with the onions for 30 seconds. Add your crushed tomatoes, sugar, and oregano, if using. Turn the heat down to low, and let everything cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or so, or just long enough for the canned tomatoes to lose their 'canned' taste and for the sauce to thicken slightly. Add in your basil and turn off the heat. Let it cool.

Pizza sauce

9. Take out two 9 inch cake pans, put a drop of olive oil in each of them, and with your fingers, spread the oil all over the inside of the pan. Take the dough out of the fridge. Take one ball, put it in an oiled cake-pan, and with your oiled fingers, spread and push the dough so that it molds to the form of the cake pan. You might notice some resistance here. That's okay. If it's not spreading at all, let the dough rest another 10 minutes, then try again.

10. Unlike other pizzas, deep dish starts with the cheese on the bottom. Put about a cup's worth of mozzarella on the bottom. If you're adding other toppings here, go for it! They should go on now, before the sauce.

11. Once you're satisfied with your topping selection, spread about a cup's worth of sauce on top of everything. If you need more sauce, then by all means add it. The only thing you want to watch out for is overfilling your pizza. Sprinkle some Parmesan over the sauce and bake in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until you notice the dough beginning to become a golden brown.

12. Take out of the oven, let cool slightly, and serve!