Chicago Deep Dish Style Pizza Dough Recipe

If you want to make Chicago deep-dish pizza, you’ll need a recipe different from the usual pizza dough, so in this post, I will share a Chicago Deep Dish Style Pizza Dough recipe that works for me!

I’m excited to share my Chicago deep-dish pizza dough recipe with you, which is much quicker and easier than the cold-fermented dough recipes I’ve shared. Despite its simplicity, it delivers the most amazing Chicago-style pizzas!

I’ll be honest—I used to find the idea of making Chicago deep-dish pizza pretty scary just because of how complex this recipe looks.

Recently, I decided to give it another shot with a new dough recipe, and it turned out perfect! I couldn’t believe how well it came together, and that is when I realized I had upped my pizza-making skills.

This recipe is easy to follow and yields one 8-inch Chicago deep-dish pizza.

The measurements are specifically for this size, and you might even have a bit of dough left over. Don’t worry—you can use the extra dough to make bread bites or something equally delicious.

This Chicago deep-dish pizza is perfect for celebrations like Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, or any event where you want to serve something special.

It’s also a great way to enjoy the flavors of Chicago pizza at home, and I highly recommend trying this recipe—you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour

I used 200 grams of regular all-purpose flour as the base for this recipe

Semolina

I added 30 grams of semolina, which gives the dough added strength which is essential for Chicago deep-dish pizzas that need to hold a lot of toppings, cheese, and sauce. If you prefer, you can substitute semolina with cornmeal. Cornmeal gives the dough a slight yellow tint and helps achieve a quicker browning effect when baked compared to semolina. But both give structure so you can use one over the other, I have used semolina in my recipe.

Salt

I used about ¾ to 1 tablespoon of salt in this recipe. If you prefer less salt, feel free to reduce the amount, but I find that a generous quantity of salt makes the dough taste nice.

Sugar

I added 1 tablespoon of sugar. This helps activate the yeast, speeds up the proofing process, and gives the crust a beautiful browning effect, which is the signature of Chicago deep-dish pizzas.

Olive Oil

I incorporated 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the dough while kneading. Olive oil is important in improving the texture/flavor of the dough and helps in browning the crust, especially if you’re baking in a home oven. It gives the crust a crispier finish, so I highly recommend using it.

Instant Yeast

Instant yeast is a must for this recipe—you can’t skip it! If you’re using active yeast instead, you’ll need to proof it in warm water with a bit of sugar before adding it to the dough. With instant yeast, you can simply mix it directly into the dry ingredients, making the process much easier and quicker.

This version simplifies the instructions while maintaining clarity and a conversational tone. Let me know if you’d like me to adjust anything further!

Tips to Have the Perfect Pizza Dough

1. Use the Right Yeast

I learned this the hard way back when I started making pizza dough, I wasn’t using the right kind of yeast, and it was just so frustrating because the dough wouldn’t rise. Trust me, it’s disappointing!

I started using instant yeast to avoid this uncertainty, and the results were perfect. I highly recommend going with instant yeast because it’s much easier to work with than active yeast. Active yeast sometimes dies on its own if it’s been sitting in the fridge too long, which messes everything up.

Also, always store your instant yeast in the refrigerator. It’ll lose its strength if you leave it out, especially in hot or humid weather. I always keep a box of instant yeast in the fridge, and it works perfectly every time!

2. Let the Dough Rest

Make sure you let the dough rest for at least 3 to 4 hours or until it doubles in size. When I made this dough, it was a hot day—around 28°C—and it took about 4 hours to rise. But if it’s colder where you are, you might need to leave it a little longer.

3. Storing Leftover Dough

If you have leftover dough or plan to use it another day, store it properly in the fridge. Use an airtight container, or you’ll end up with this weird dry layer on top of the dough. I’ve had this happen before, and it’s such a pain to fix—it makes the dough crusty, and that dry layer won’t mix back in. If you need to store it for over a few days, freeze it. Dough freezes well; you can keep it in the freezer for weeks.

4. Prevent Dryness While Proofing

While the dough is rising, make sure it doesn’t dry out. I like to drizzle a little olive oil on top of the dough and spread it around so that no dry dough layer forms. If you don’t want oil, just cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Either method works, but don’t skip this step, or working with dry, crusty dough becomes difficult.

5. Pay Attention to the Weather

The weather also matters when you are making pizza. If you live in hot and humid environments, your pizza dough rises faster than cooler temperatures, so keep this in mind when proving your pizza dough.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Dough Recipe

Shrey
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 3 people

Equipment

  • 1 Convection oven
  • 1 Cake Tin (Circle)

Ingredients
  

  • 200 grams All Purpose Flour
  • 30 grams Semolina
  • 80-100 ml Water
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 3/4 tbsp Yeast
Keyword Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Dough

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