Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza
A Chicago-style deep dish with a cornmeal crust, cheese layered under the sauce so it never sogs, sausage crumbles, and 25 minutes at 475°F to a bubbling top.
Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza (10-inch skillet)
Cornmeal-flour dough pressed 1.5 inches up a greased 10-inch skillet, cheese layered under sauce, sausage crumbles, and crushed San Marzano on top
cast-iron Timer
Set for 25 mins @ 475°F (246°C)
Ingredients
Base recipe calibrated for 6 adults.
Get to the Point
Mix and rise cornmeal-flour dough 60 min; brown 1 lb Italian sausage 5 min.
Press dough into greased skillet up the sides; layer 12 oz mozzarella slices.
Add sausage crumbles, then 1 cup crushed tomatoes + herbs on TOP.
Bake 475°F for 25 min until crust is golden and sauce is bubbling.
Step-by-Step Guided Instructions
In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 packet (2.25 tsp) instant yeast, 2 tbsp olive oil, and 3/4 cup warm water (110°F). Knead 5 minutes. Cover and rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes.
Cornmeal in the dough is what gives Chicago deep dish its distinctive crunch and golden color. Skip it and you have thick pizza, not deep dish.
While the dough rises, brown 1 lb bulk hot Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high for 5 minutes, breaking into small chunks. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
The sausage goes IN raw looking browned but not fully cooked — it'll finish in the pizza. Fully cooking now dries it out during the 25-minute bake.
Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil. Punch down the risen dough and press it into the bottom of the skillet, pushing up the sides 1.5 inches to form a bowl shape.
The dough must climb the sides — this is what makes it a deep dish, not a shallow one. If it fights you, let it relax 5 minutes then push again.
Lay 12 oz of sliced low-moisture mozzarella (not shredded — sliced) across the bottom of the dough in a single layer, covering it completely. This is the Chicago deep dish signature.
Cheese under the sauce is the entire technique. The cheese layer waterproofs the crust — sauce on top of dough turns the bottom to gluey mush every time.
Scatter the browned sausage evenly over the cheese. Pour 1 cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes over the top and spread to the edges. Sprinkle 2 tbsp grated parmesan, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, and 3 minced garlic cloves.
Sauce goes on top because the fresh acidic tomato needs the oven's dry heat to reduce and concentrate. Buried under cheese, it just steams and stays watery.
Bake at 475°F for 25 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown around the edges and the sauce on top is bubbling and slightly reduced. Rest 5 minutes before slicing — cheese needs to set or you'll pull a stringy mess.
A pizza cutter fights deep dish. Use a sharp chef's knife for clean wedges. Cut down through crust and sauce in one motion, no sawing.
Sliced mozzarella beats shredded every single time for deep dish. Shredded melts into a stringy web; sliced melts into a clean layer that anchors the whole pizza. Buy a block from the deli counter and slice 1/4-inch thick.
Reserve the cheese section — bake a personal deep dish in a 6-inch skillet with just cheese and no sausage or herbs. Same time and temp scaled to a smaller pan.
- Simple Italian salad with red wine vinaigrette
- Roasted garlic bread
- Cold antipasto (olives, salami, marinated peppers)
Reheat wedges in a 400°F oven for 8 minutes on a wire rack — this re-crisps the bottom crust without steaming it. Skip the microwave, which turns the crust to a soft eraser.