Chicago-style deep dish pizza is more than a mere meal; it’s an event, a culinary embodiment of the Windy City’s hearty approach to food. With its towering edges and generous fillings, it turns the traditional pizza experience upside down. The thick, buttery crust, richly laden with cheese and toppings, is then topped with a robust, chunky tomato sauce. The result is a pizza that’s almost a pie, requiring a fork and knife to delve into its layers. It’s a beloved dish that speaks to Chicago’s love for bold flavors and generous portions, a pizza that doesn’t just feed the body but also the soul.
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water; let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in yeast mixture; form into a dough.
- Knead dough on a floured surface for 6 minutes.
- Let dough rise in an oiled bowl for 1 hour.
- Press dough into a deep-dish pizza pan.
- Layer with mozzarella, sausage, and tomato sauce.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan; drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake at 475°F (245°C) for 45 minutes.
This pizza is a testament to Chicago’s culinary inventiveness, where each slice is a deep dive into flavor and texture. It’s a dish best enjoyed in boisterous company, amidst laughter and conversation, a true celebration of food’s ability to bring people together.
The deep dish pizza was born in Chicago in the early 1940s, an innovation to rival New York’s thin-crust version. Two entrepreneurs, Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo, challenged the status quo by creating a pizza that was a meal in itself, with a thick crust and ample toppings. It quickly became a sensation, with the city’s Pizzeria Uno being the birthplace of this now-iconic dish.