Discover the authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza, made with a crunchy flaky crust and garnished with thick layers of cheese and tomato sauce. This deep dish pizza recipe is an attempt at recreating Lou Malnati’s pizza, which in my opinion, is the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. I am very proud of the result as it is very close to the original recipe, while still being a very easy deep dish pizza recipe.
Toppings:4 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded.1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated.Additional toppings, such as pepperoni, crumbled sausage, ham, bacon, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, artichokes, pineapple, spinach, red onions or whatever else you desire.
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4 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded.
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1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated.
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Additional toppings, such as pepperoni, crumbled sausage, ham, bacon, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, artichokes, pineapple, spinach, red onions or whatever else you desire.
To go the extra mile…
- Can you skip the meat in the recipe? Absolutely. For a vegetarian version (called “The Lou” at Lou Malnati’s), skip the sausage and replace with a mix of spinach, mushrooms or artichokes. For this version, I would sauté the veggies beforehand to remove any liquid. Now that I told you everything, it’s your turn to bake your own Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Hope you’ll like it!
- Can you freeze/reheat the deep dish pizza? Yes, the deep dish freezes indeed very well. Just place the slices (or half of the pizza) into a ziploc bag, then place in the refrigerator up to 3 months. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and reheat in a 350°F (180°C) oven until thawed and warm, about 15-20 minutes.
- Can you bake the dough in advance? I wouldn’t recommend it as the dough will loose its crusty texture. However, you can prepare the dough in advance, store it wrapped with cling film in the fridge overnight and then bake the following day.
My favorite Chicago-style pizza!
To celebrate 1 year as a foodie in Chicago, I baked a giant Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza. I have tried countless deep dish pizza recipes them since I moved to Chicago, but it was my very first attempt to bake it myself. Being a huge fan of deep dish pizzas, I was quite exigent with the result I expected both in terms of taste and texture. While reviewing the existing deep dish pizza recipes, I found out that there were many different ones that had nothing to do with each other. It’s easy to get lost! So I simply tried to recreate my very favorite deep dish pizza, the one from Lou Malnati’s. No need to wait longer here to tell you the result. A complete success. I’m so happy I found how to make the perfect (in my own opinion) deep dish pizza.
The Secret Behind Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
FAQ
What does Chicago pizza have on it?
What is the most popular pizza topping in Chicago?
Does Chicago-style pizza have a top crust?
Does Chicago-style pizza have cheese?
What is the best topping for a deep dish pizza?
Rest the pizza: Remove pizza from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving. While the most popular topping for pizza in the U.S. is pepperoni, Chicago’s most popular pizza topping is Italian sausage. Some other great toppings to add to your deep-dish pizza include: Meats: Sausage, bacon, meatballs, or chicken.
How do you make a Chicago-style pizza?
Jeff melts butter over the stove before adding it to the bottom of a true Chicago deep-dish-pizza pan (he assures a cake pan will also suffice). Next, he covers the entire inner interior of the pan with pizza dough, creating a flat, high base for the toppings. Jeff’s Chicago-style pizza starts not with sauce, but with a base of cheese.
What is the best pizza in Chicago?
To understand the best pizza in Chicago, you need to know the styles. Perhaps the most famous of all Chicago style pizzas, the deep dish pizza has solidified the Chicago pizza as a food of legend. The crust supports thick layers of mozzarella cheese and a hefty, chunky-style sauce that has helped make the pizza so well known.
What is a Chicago Pizza?
Perhaps the most famous of all Chicago style pizzas, the deep dish pizza has solidified the Chicago pizza as a food of legend. The crust supports thick layers of mozzarella cheese and a hefty, chunky-style sauce that has helped make the pizza so well known. A form of deep dish pizza, you don’t want to underestimate this bad boy.