Pizza Uno's Deep Pan Chicago Style Pizza
Submitted by jrobi1014
Pizza Uno’s deep-dish Chicago-style pizza copycat: buttery cornmeal crust pressed up the sides of a 15-inch pan, loaded with mozzarella, Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, and parmesan. The real-deal windy city experience at home.
YIELD
1 pizzaPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsChicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza, Pizza Uno Style
This is the copycat recipe for Pizza Uno’s legendary deep pan Chicago-style pizza, the original that started the whole deep-dish craze back in 1943. What separates this from a New York slice isn’t just the thickness. It’s the cornmeal-enriched crust that bakes up buttery and almost biscuit-like, the reverse layering with cheese on the bottom and tomatoes on top, and a crust tall enough to hold a pound of cheese without tipping over.
Cornmeal in the dough is the signature. It adds a subtle sweetness and that characteristic slight grit on the underside of the crust. Without it, you’re making tall Neapolitan, not Chicago.
The reverse layering exists for a reason: mozzarella directly on the dough protects it from soggy tomatoes, while the tomatoes on top get blistered and concentrated under the oven’s high heat.
Letting the dough rise twice, once in a bowl, once in the pan, is key for that lofty, tender crust. Skip the second rise and you’ll end up with a dense, crackery base.
Pro Tips
- Use bulk Italian sausage and brown it hard until crusty; pale, steamed sausage never develops the deep flavor this pizza needs.
- Drain the crushed tomatoes very well or a whole cup of water will weep into the crust during baking.
- Oil the deep dish pan generously, almost as if you’re frying the crust. That’s how Uno’s gets that shattering crisp bottom and edge.
- Let the pizza rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing; cut too hot and the cheese layer slides right off.
Variations
- Swap sausage for pepperoni or a mix of mushrooms, onions, and green peppers for a classic supreme.
- Add a layer of thinly sliced pepperoni on top of the cheese for a spicy version.
- Brush the baked crust with garlic butter the moment it comes out of the oven for a buttery finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl and dissolve the yeast with a fork.
Add 1 cup of flour, all of the cornmeal, salt, and, and vegetable oil.
Mix well with a spoon. Continue stirring in the rest of the flour ½ cup at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Flour your hands and the work surface and kneed the ball of dough until it is no longer sticky.
Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl, sealed with plastic wrap, for 45 to 60 minutes in a warm place, until it is doubled in bulk.
Punch it down and kneed it briefly.
Press it into an oiled 15-inch deep dish pizza pan, until it comes 2 inches up the sides and is even on the bottom of the pan.
Let the dough rise 15 to 20 minutes before filling.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.
Cook the crumbled sausage until it is no longer pink, drain it of its excess fat.
Drain and chop the tomatoes.
When the dough has finished its second rising, lay the cheese over the dough shell.
Then distribute the sausage and garlic over the cheese.
Top with the tomatoes.
Sprinkle on the seasonings and parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees.
Then lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 25 to 35 minutes longer.
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