There is nothing better to satisfy your pizza cravings than this hearty gluten-free Chicago-style deep dish pizza! This truly authentic recipe features a rich and buttery crust, filled to the brim with a generous amount of gooey cheese and a chunky tomato sauce.
Deep dish gluten free pizza in cast iron pan showing side of a slice with layers of cheese and sauce.
What defines Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza?
History of Chicago Deep Dish
Traditional Deep Dish Toppings
Gluten-Free Pizza Dough Ingredients
Deep Dish Sauce and Filling Ingredients
Equipment Needed
How to Make the Dough
How to Make the Sauce
Assembling a Deep Dish Pizza
How to Tell When Deep Dish Pizza is Done
How to Serve Deep Dish Pizza
Storage
What to Serve with Deep Dish Pizza
Comments and Ratings
Pizza is still one of those things I miss with this gluten-free life. And while I’ve made an excellent gluten-free pizza crust before, there are so many variations on pizza, I would love to replicate them all!
This gluten-free deep dish pizza recipe definitely hits the mark, especially if you’re craving truly authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza, which if you know, is quite different than pan pizza and should not be confused with Detroit-style pizza either!
Growing up right here in the heart of Illinois, I’ve been spoiled with good pizza pretty much my entire life. (That is until I was diagnosed with celiac disease.) The fact that we have the best pizza isn’t just a myth either, when locals move away, you’re sure to hear them lament that they miss good pizza!
Maybe what makes it so great is the variety. While Chicago may be known for deep dish style pizza, there are actually quite a few legendary styles of pizza here, like square cut tavern-style pizza, stuffed pizza, quad-city style thin crust, or the pizza pot pie just to name a few!
All this good pizza makes me somewhat of a pizza snob, so you can trust me when I say, this gluten-free recipe is not only a darn good take on the Chicago deep dish, it may just be the best deep dish pizza on the internet
Ingredients :
the Dough:
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ¼ cups water, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon + 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup grated onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
the Toppings:
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
- (Pepperoni)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions :
Make the Dough: Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.
Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed, using a dough hook, until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally.
Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can easily make this by hand, mixing in the water and butter with a spatula and then kneading by hand.)
Coat a large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Using a greased spatula, transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat the dough in oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.
Make the Sauce: While dough rises, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2½ cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Laminate the Dough: Turn the dough out onto dry work surface and roll into a 15×12-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along the edges. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten the cylinder into an 18×4-inch rectangle.
Cut the rectangle in half crosswise. Working with one half, fold into thirds like a business letter; pinch seams together to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining half.
Return balls to the oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Bake the Pizzas: Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons of olive oil each.
Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch circle. Transfer dough to the pan by rolling the dough loosely around a rolling pin and unrolling into the pan.
Lightly press dough into the pan, working into corners and 1-inch upsides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.
For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over the surface of the dough. (If you’re using any meat or veggie toppings, add them now, on top of the cheese.)
Spread 1¼ cups tomato sauce over the cheese (or toppings) and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
