No pizza blog would be complete without a recipe for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Although 95% of the time I’m eating NY style pizza as that is what I grew up with and crave the most, Chicago Deep Dish is one of the best change-ups. With NY pizza the sauce goes on the bottom and the cheese on top. With Chicago Deep Dish, the cheese goes on the bottom and the sauce on top. Any other ingredients go in between these two.
I keep specifying “Chicago Deep Dish” as there is another type of Chicago pizza that at a glance looks a lot closer to the NY pizza. Chicago has five main pizza styles – deep dish, stuffed, pan, tavern and pizza pot pie. The Chicago Tavern Pizza, though lesser known to tourists, is the most popular style of pizza for Chicago locals. It’s round, but instead of being cut into triangular slices like a NY pie, it is cut into squares. It is also very thin with a cracker-like crust.
Like most food history, Chicago Deep Dish Pizza has competing claims as to who invented it. The only thing they agree on is that it was invented in Chicago.
According to Tim Samuelson, Chicago’s official cultural historian, there is not enough documentation to determine with certainty who invented Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. It is often reported that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was invented at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago, in 1943, by Uno’s founder Ike Sewell. However, a 1956 article from the Chicago Daily News asserts that Uno’s original pizza chef Rudy Malnati developed the recipe, and Michele Mohr from the Chicago Tribune reports that the menu at Rosati’s Authentic Chicago Pizza has included deep-dish since it opened in 1926, according to the descendants of Saverio Rosati. – Wikipedia
The most popular topping for NY-style pizza, and other flat crust styles is usually pepperoni. However, for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, the most popular topping is Italian sausage. We’re going with that, plus bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. In this recipe we have a 1 hour and 45 minutes rising and cold fermenting time. If you plan ahead, I recommend letting the dough ferment in the refrigerator for 24 hours for a tastier result.
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza with Sausage, Pepper, Onion, and Mushrooms
Equipment
- 1 14" diameter x 2" high pizza pan I used the Chicago Metallic brand pizza pan for deep dish.
- 1 stand mixer I used the KitchenAid Artisan Mini 3.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer.
- 1 Mandoline Slicer optional
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 3¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast If you have packets, it's one packet.
- 2 tsp granulated white sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups water 90-110 °F
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Filling
- 16 slices mozzarella cheese sliced about ⅛" thick
- 1 lb bulk Italian sausage hot or sweet to your preference
- ½ white onion sliced thin
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms of your choice I used shiitake
- ½ green bell pepper sliced thin
Sauce
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ white onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes more or less to your liking
- 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Mix the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed, mix the flour, corn meal, salt, yeast and sugar until blended. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons room temperature water and mix until combined. If the dough seems dry, add an additional tablespoon or two of water. The dough should feel soft and very slightly sticky, not stiff or dry.
Knead the dough
- Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil in a clean bowl. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, turning to coat all over with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
Laminate the dough
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Spread 2 tablespoons of butter over the surface of the dough. Starting at the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder.Place the cylinder with the seam side up, press it flat, and fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. Shape into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes. (Optionally, cold ferment the dough for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.)
Slice Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms
- I used a mandoline slicer to get consistent super thing slices of peppers and onions. I bought mushrooms already sliced.
Cook the sausage
- In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the sausage until no longer pink, breaking it up with a fork or rubber spatula to crumble it. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Make the sauce
- In the same skillet you used to cook the sausage, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions soften. Add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar to the pan, and continue to cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the flavors blend together and the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven
- Set the oven at 425°F. Generously spray the deep dish pan with vegetable oil.
Assemble the pizza
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16-inch circle. Fit it into the cake pan, pressing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Let rest for 10 minutes.Once the dough has relaxed, press it again into the sides of the pan to keep it from shrinking when it is baked.
- Layer the cheese slices on the bottom.
- Top with the cooked and crumbled sausage.
- Add the sliced onion.
- Add the sliced peppers.
- Spread the sauce over the top of the pie.
Bake the pizza
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust browns and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve from the pan.
