Homemade Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza in a Cast Iron Skillet | Better Than Takeout!

Craving a real Chicago-style deep dish pizza? In this video, I'll show you how to make an incredible homemade deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet with a buttery crust, layers of gooey mozzarella cheese, delicious toppings, and rich tomato sauce. It's crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and packed with flavor!

Whether you've never made pizza from scratch or you're looking to perfect your deep dish recipe, this step-by-step guide will help you make restaurant-quality pizza right in your own kitchen.

In this video you'll learn:

How to make homemade deep dish pizza dough
Why a cast iron skillet makes the perfect crust
The proper order for layering Chicago-style pizza
Baking tips for a crispy, golden crust
How to customize your favorite toppings

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Ingredients:
For Deep Dish Pizza Dough:
1. ¾ Cup lukewarm water (95-100 degrees)
2. 1 Tablespoon instant or active yeast
3. ¼ Cup cornmeal (See Note 1 below)
4. 1 ½ - 2 cups all purpose flour
5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
6. 1 tablespoon honey or white sugar
For Pizza Sauce:
1. 28 ounce canned whole tomatoes
2. 2 teaspoons olive oil
3. 1.4 cup onion – finely diced (or minced onion)
4. Pinch red pepper flakes
5. 1-2 garlic cloves – minced
6. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
7. ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
8. ¼ teaspoon fine salt
9. Pinch sugar
10. Pinch freshly ground black pepper
For Deep Dish Pizza:
1. 10 ounces mozzarella cheese (cut from a block of cheese in ½” thick slices)
2. 1 pound Italian Sausage
3. ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Pizza Dough:
1. Stir together the instant or active yeast and lukewarm water in small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes
2. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook, add 1 cup of the flour and the corn meal. Add the yeast mixture, the olive oil and the honey (or white sugar). Stir the mixture until moistened. Begin adding the remaining flour in small increments until you achieve a soft dough that comes together in a ball that is neither too sticky nor too stiff. You may not need to use all of the last cup of flour if your dough reaches this point before using all of the flour is added. (if you have added all of the flour and the dough is still sticky, remove to a floured work surface and proceed as detailed in the next step.)
3. Remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead briefly, adding a bit more flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a large, well-oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp for 1 hour.
4. While the dough is rising, cook your sausage and make the pizza sauce.
5. Cook the sausage in a skillet, breaking up into small pieces with a spoon, until cooked and browned. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed.
For the Pizza Sauce: (or substitute 1 cups store bought pizza sauce)
1. Drain the 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes. Hand crushed the whole tomatoes and set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and pinch red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the onions are softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another 30-45 seconds. Add the tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil leaves, fine salt, and black pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer to thicken and reduce for about 15 minutes. Let stand at room temp to use right away.
To Assemble and bake the pizza:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush the bottom and sides of a 10” or 12” Cast Iron Skillet with olive oil and lightly dust with cornmeal.
2. Scrape the risen dough onto a well floured surface (flour on the working surface will get rid of the stickiness on the dough). With a rolling pin, roll dough into a circle a little bigger than the bottom diameter of the skillet. Dust with more flour as needed.
3. Transfer the rolled dough round to the prepared cast iron skillet and press the dough into the bottom and up the sides (about 2/3 the way up). Cover the bottom of the pizza completely with a generous layer of slice mozzarella cheese. Top with the cooked sausage – and whatever other toppings you want to put on the pizza. Then pour the sauce over the entire pizza making sure that it covers the entire top. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese. If the dough extends higher than the toppings, press it down or trim it so the crust doesn’t burn)
4. Bake the pizza in the 425 degree preheated over for 20 minutes, then loosely cover with foil and cook for another 15 minutes (35 minutes total). Remove pizza from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before eating.