Deep-Dish Pizza
A rich deep-pan dough with cornmeal, lard, and butter.
Deep-dish pizza was first served in 1943, at the Chicago pizzeria that became Pizzeria Uno. Who created it is still disputed: Ric Riccardo, Ike Sewell and Rudy Malnati have all been credited. The pizza is built in reverse, with the tomato on top of the cheese.
The formula in numbers
- Hydration
- 59.2%
- Salt
- 2.1%
- Olive Oil
- none
- Portion
- 3 × 230 g, about 14 × 14 cm
- Fermentation source
- Instant Yeast
- Bulk at room temperature
- 20 min
- Final proof
- 1 h 30 min
- Flour strength
- W 140–200
- Flour protein
- 8–10.5%
How to prepare it
- Flour379 g
- Water224 g
- Salt8 g
- Instant Yeast2.52 g
- Fine-ground cornmeal40 g
- Lard18 g
- Butter18 g
The yeast is dosed for the fermentation times of this formula. The calculator adjusts it to your flour, your kitchen and your schedule.
- 1 h 50 min
The dough
Flour, water, salt and yeast, enriched with cornmeal, lard and butter. From mixing to the oven, the plan takes 1 h 50 min.
The cornmeal comes in addition to the flour. It does not replace any of it.
- 59.2% water
Mixing
Mix everything until the dough is smooth and holds together. At 59.2% hydration it is firm and easy to handle.
The butter brings some water of its own, so the dough is a little softer than the number suggests.
- 20 min
Fermentation
Rest the dough, covered, for 20 min. This is a same-day dough: there is no fridge in the plan.
The formula also works with a day in the fridge. Add hours in the fridge in the calculator and the yeast dose follows.
- 1 h 30 min
Into the pan
Oil a deep pan well. Press 230 g of dough across the base and up the wall. If it pulls back, rest it for a while and press again. Then let it proof in the pan for 1 h 30 min.
One piece of dough makes one pizza. Set the weight for your own pan in the calculator.
- 28 min
Shaping and baking
Fill it in reverse: cheese on the dough first, then the fillings, then the tomato on top. Bake at around 250°C (482°F) for about 28 min.
Let the pizza rest for a while before you cut it. The filling runs less.
The most common mistakes
Wrong:Spreading the tomato on the dough, under the cheese
Right:Cheese goes first. It shields the dough from the wet sauce.
Wrong:Leaving the dough flat on the base of the pan
Right:Press it up the wall, so it can hold the filling.
Wrong:A pan that is barely oiled
Right:Oil it well, so the pizza comes out of the pan in one piece.
Wrong:Cutting it straight from the oven
Right:Give it a rest first, so the slices hold together.
Recommended flours
Flour for this formula: W 140–200, 8–10.5% protein. Ranked by fit, then by availability in your country, then by popularity.
