American
Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza
Buttery cornmeal crust, layers of sausage and cheese, tomato on top — more magnificent casserole than pizza.
Recipe by Cyman Huang
Cooked, styled and photographed in his kitchen.
Chicago deep-dish is one of the most misunderstood dishes in American cuisine. It is frequently dismissed by New York loyalists as not real pizza, and they are not entirely wrong — it is something different, and magnificent in its own right.
The crust is rich and buttery, pressed up the sides like a pie shell. The cheese goes in first to protect it during the long bake, the sausage layer is dense and savory, and the barely cooked tomato goes on top. It is, in the most flattering sense, an edible event.
Watch it come together
Ingredients
For the deep-dish crust
- 2¼ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (35g) yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup (170ml) warm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp (55g) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into small cubes
For the filling
- 1 lb Italian pork sausage, casings removed
- 12 oz low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, sliced
- 4 oz provolone, sliced
- 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
For the tomato top
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, hand-crushed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup Parmesan, grated (for topping)
Method
- 1
MAKE DOUGH: Combine flour, cornmeal, yeast, salt and sugar. Add water and olive oil and mix to a dough. Knead 5 minutes. Press flat, scatter the cold butter cubes over the surface, fold the dough over and knead briefly so the butter stays in flakes. Rest in an oiled, covered bowl 1 hour at room temperature.
- 2
MAKE SAUCE: Heat olive oil, cook garlic 1 minute, then add crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer 15 minutes; the sauce should stay chunky and slightly loose.
- 3
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Generously butter a 12-inch deep-dish pan or cast iron skillet.
- 4
PRESS THE CRUST: Press and stretch the dough into the pan, pushing it 1½–2 inches up the sides, about ¼-inch thick throughout.
- 5
BUILD IN LAYERS: Lay sliced mozzarella and provolone across the bottom, press the raw sausage in an even layer on top, then add bell pepper, mushrooms and onion.
- 6
TOP WITH SAUCE: Spoon the sauce evenly over the top, sprinkle with Parmesan and drizzle with olive oil.
- 7
BAKE 35–45 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the sauce is bubbling; the sausage should reach 160°F. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Substitutions
- Chef's Tip: The resting time is genuinely non-negotiable. The layers need 10 minutes to settle and firm — cutting too early produces a molten, sliding mess.
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