How to Make Authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in Two Hours or Less

Carolina Q

I have noticed quite a few Chicago Deep Dish posts lately so, since it seems to be a popular item, I wanted to post something on how to do it the authentic Chicago way. I found this Chicago Deep Dish recipe/method a while back and have mentioned it before. However, I thought it deserved it's own thread as a reference for anyone interested. It really does make a wonderful pie, Jon Stewart notwithstanding!.

I am told by pizza aficionados who live in Chicago that this closely resembles a Lou Malnatti's pie. It will make one of the most authentic and tastiest Chicago Deep Dish pizzas you will find without visiting Chicago. All I know is, IT"S DELICIOUS!! Please note, there is no cornmeal in an authentic Chicago Deep Dish crust. Corn OIL is involved, but no cornmeal.

Aside from the taste, the nicest thing about this pie is, you can go from a bag of flour to eating pizza in under two hours! No overnights in the fridge. No mixer or food processor needed either. Mix by hand in about 4 minutes. I use a 9" steel cake pan, but I guess you could use a ceramic BGE pan or a CI skillet if you have either of those. The cake pan works great though and my Chicago Metallic pan cost only about $10. Assuming you don't already have one.

The dough recipe (and more Chicago Deep Dish info than you thought existed) can be found HERE. Highly recommended reading if you're interested in Chicago Deep Dish. The recipe gives ingredient amounts for 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14" pans. Pick a size and have at it. Direct link to the recipe PDF HERE.

After you gather the ingredients, watch his dough video. It demonstrates how easy and quick it is to mix the dough by hand. Literally 4 minutes! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOhOVMfiqOM  

Mix, cover for an hour, oil the pan with corn oil and add the dough in the pan. Using your finger tips, push and prod the dough over the bottom of the corn-oiled pan and then pinch it up the sides. Not at all like a NY style dough. Like this...

Should look like this...

Time for the toppings.

First, sliced mozzarella (NOT a bag of the shredded stuff) needs to completely cover the dough. You don't want the balls of soft, fresh mozz either. Rather, a block of low moisture mozz (sold in vac sealed 1 lb blocks - Polly-O, Sargento, etc.). 

Next, a solid slab of uncooked Italian sausage (traditional with Chicago Deep Dish). Looks like a huge raw hamburger. Now, any other toppings you choose; pepperoni, onions, whatever... though a sausage, cheese, tomato pie is traditional. 

Sauce... On this style of pie, the sauce is added last, the reverse of a NY pizza. It protects the other ingredients from burning during the relatively long bake time. Now, here's something that is NOT traditional. I really like this NEW YORK style sauce on my Chicago pie! LOL. The "RealDeepDish" recipe I linked above calls for simple canned crushed tomatoes with or without basil. San Marzanos, Muir Glen or 6 in 1 brands. I haven't tried that yet - not on a Chicago pie anyway. Sure is good on a napoletana pizza though! Your choice. But PLEASE don't buy a jar of Ragu or Prego or something!!! Blech!!!

Now, you're done! Bake at 450° for about 35-40 minutes...

Setup similar to this (about 4" spacing between platesetter and pizza stone). Or center rack of your oven, with pizza stone.

...and it should look like this (one of my pies)...

This pizza is truly quick, easy and delicious. Hope you give it a try. Enjoy!!

And don't forget... there is no cornmeal in Chicago Deep Dish pizza. Or did I mention that?  

Here's a Malnati pie for comparison...

Oh yeah... Stewart's rant on Chicago Deep Dish is HERE.

saluki2007

Love Stewart's rant, but not as much as I love Chicago deep dish.  Have never attempted to make one.  But with all this great info, there is no reason not to give it a go.  The Lou is my 2nd favorite Chicago pizza behind The Special at Giordano's .

DMW

That's it, I haven't tried Deep Dish, this will happen soon.

Carolina Q

Be sure to watch to dough video. You won't believe how easy it is! Looks, feels, mixes and shapes nothing like New York dough. And the only mixing tools you need are a spoon and a bowl!

NPHuskerFL

Two hours or less. Ears perk

NPHuskerFL

@Carolina Q‌ I'll watch the video later but, this miracle 2 hrs does that include making the dough and letting it prove. I've always let my dough sit in the refrigerator 2-3 days which seems to help it. No need for this with this method?

Carolina Q

NPHuskerFL said:

Two hours or less. Ears perk

Yep. 4 minutes to make the dough, plus maybe a couple to measure ingredients, 1 hour for rise, maybe 10 minutes to put the dough in the pan and add toppings. Mine take 37 minutes to bake. <2 hrs

Even if you choose to make sauce, you can do that and prep other ingredients while the dough is rising. 

GalanteNate_OneEa

I just got a deep dish eggcesory for my b-day and now it looks like I have NO excuse. Awesome post, can't wait to try it out!

Carolina Q

One thing... I don't have a BGE ceramic pie pan. I do have a CI skillet, but have never used it for Chicago Deep Dish. While I see no reason you couldn't use this recipe with those pans, bake time may be different. My pies take about 37 minutes, but my pan is (relatively) thin steel. 

Just be aware, that's all.

GalanteNate_OneEa

What am I looking for as per doneness? Any "bend test" for a deep dish? Lol

Carolina Q

GalanteNate_OneEa said:

What am I looking for as per doneness? Any "bend test" for a deep dish? Lol

When mine looks good on top, I just pry it up a bit with a spatula to take a look underneath, Or, if you take it out of the pan and don't like what you see, just put it back in the pan and bake a bit longer.

No idea if there's a sticking issue with a ceramic pan. They sell 'em for pizza though, no? 

GalanteNate_OneEa

Pretty sure it's for pizza, that was the intent of the gift giver so I hope it works, lol!

yellowdogbbq

Thanks for taking the time to post, I will be giving it a try.

Carolina Q

yellowdogbbq said:

Thanks for taking the time to post, I will be giving it a try.

You're quite welcome. That's the nice thing about these forums. Someone is always willing to help and show others what has worked for them. Hope you enjoy the pie!

Eggcelsior

Man, if you have purple hands, you should really see a doctor! 

This isn't bad for a weeknight meal if I can get home early enough. Thanks!

Carolina Q

Actually, I do have some purple nitrile gloves. 

You can make the dough a day ahead, though I've never tried it. Recipe PDF says...

7) After the rise, you can use it immediately

OR punch down the dough and repeat step 6) until you’re ready to use the dough

OR place it into a plastic zip-top bag and into the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.

You might still have to wait a while for the dough to warm up, but since it's such a completely different dough, maybe not.

PS, you see my post about Ralph's BBQ for your trip to Myrtle?

Eggcelsior

Yeah, thanks. It might have to be on the return trip. We are rolling out around 0200 on Wednesday.

bbqlearner

Thank you for the post. Bookmarked for future cook.

Botch

Ditto; thank you!  

Ladeback69

Deep dish is one of my favorites and to me this more resembles a pie then New York style.

GalanteNate_OneEa

I thought only people from up here, nj/ny call them pies, lol, when I was stationed at Ft Campbell I called and ordered a large pepperoni pie and they said they didn't sell those, then laughed
when I told them it's what we call pizza

GalanteNate_OneEa

I was also upset to find out that none of you knew what Taylor Ham and hard rolls were, devastated! War was the least of my problems lol!

Carolina Q

Ladeback69 said: Deep dish is one of my favorites and to me this more resembles a pie then New York style.

Stay far, far away from Jon Stewart! It's a CASSEROLE!!!   ) 

NY or Napoletana styles are what I think of when I think of "pizza". That said, I love a good Chicago Deep Dish too. And, they are easier/quicker to make!

Ladeback69

Carolina Q said:

Ladeback69 said:

Deep dish is one of my favorites and to me this more resembles a pie then New York style.

Stay far, far away from Jon Stewart! It's a CASSEROLE!!!   ) 

NY or Napoletana styles are what I think of when I think of "pizza". That said, I love a good Chicago Deep Dish too. And, they are easier/quicker to make!

If you think about it, a casserole is a rectangle pie, but it doesn't have a crust like a pie. The Chicago deep dish is made like a pie. John Stewart can kiss my A$$, and don't really like him or watch him. I like all types of pizza, because I love food and trying different ones. This has been a good thread.

Carolina Q

NPHuskerFL said: @Carolina Q‌ I'll watch the video later but, this miracle 2 hrs does that include making the dough and letting it prove. I've always let my dough sit in the refrigerator 2-3 days which seems to help it. No need for this with this method?

Blake, this dough is NOTHING like any other dough I have used. Looks, feels, behaves differently. I leave my NY dough in the fridge for a few days too. This stuff doesn't even go in the fridge. Seriously, 2 hrs from flour bag to dinner plate. A bit less actually.

Carolina Q

Ladeback69 said:

Carolina Q said:

Ladeback69 said:

Deep dish is one of my favorites and to me this more resembles a pie then New York style.

Stay far, far away from Jon Stewart! It's a CASSEROLE!!!   ) 

NY or Napoletana styles are what I think of when I think of "pizza". That said, I love a good Chicago Deep Dish too. And, they are easier/quicker to make!

Ladeback69 said:

If you think about it, a casserole is a rectangle pie, but it doesn't have a crust like a pie. The Chicago deep dish is made like a pie. John Stewart can kiss my A$$, and don't really like him or watch him. I like all types of pizza, because I love food and trying different ones. This has been a good thread.

I like 'em all and don't get into the NY vs Chicago (or vs New Haven or anywhere else for that matter) thing. I don't watch Stewart either. The rant was posted in SeriousEats a while back.(and other places, I'm sure). Pizza is like sex. There's good sex and there's maybe not so good sex. But hey, it's still PIZZA!!!

Eggcelsior

All my casserole dishes are round or oval. The horror!

Carolina Q

Eggcelsior said: This isn't bad for a weeknight meal if I can get home early enough. Thanks!

Finally found contact info for the realdeepdish guy so I just sent him a note asking whether or not the dough has to come up to room temp before using. If not, you could make the dough the night before, refrigerate and then make a pizza in little more than the 35-ish minutes it takes to bake it!!!

Assuming he replies, I'll post it here.

nolaegghead

Eggcelsior said:

All my casserole dishes are round or oval. The horror!

What, are you some kinda fancy gourmet subversive pinko commie socialist?!  Make a proper red white n blue god-fearin' American casserole - square or rectangular.  Sheesh.

GalanteNate_OneEa

Ok, forgot to ask a real question, you put the sausage in cooked or raw? You said raw slab but I wanna make sure I don't f this up cause that could be a greasy mess and I'm obviously a pillar of health and diet and I'd hate to ruin my awesome physique...



I really just don't wanna ruin my dinner...




I'm a fat slob.

Botch

All my Mom's tuna casseroles were round, my Gramma's Green Bean casserole was oval, I love NY pizza, and Chicago casserole, AND Jon Stewart!!  Death to you non-Umericuns!!!   X(

 

 

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