Chicago Deep Dish

Origin: Chicago, Illinois, USA · Category: Pan / Deep Dish

Deep-dish pan pizza with biscuit-like crust, often laminated with butter for flakiness. Cheese on bottom, fillings middle, sauce on top. Slower bake at lower temp. Lower hydration + high oil yields tender layered crust.

Baker's percentages

Hydration
55%
(52–58%)
Salt
1.5%
Oil
10%
Sugar
1%
Yeast type
instant dry
Yeast %
0.5%
Flour
all purpose
Protein target
11%

Example: 1000g flour scaled out

  • Flour: 1000g (all purpose)
  • Water: 550g
  • Salt: 15g
  • Olive oil: 100g
  • Sugar: 10g
  • instant dry yeast: 5.00g
  • Total dough: 1680g

Fermentation + bake

Bulk (room temp)
1h
Cold ferment
24h
Ball rest
1h
Bake temp
425°F
Bake time
30–40 min
Vessel
2-3 inch deep round pan (cast iron or anodized aluminum)

Technique

Roll out dough, optional butter-lamination (turn 3x like puff pastry) for flaky layers. Press into well-oiled deep pan. Cheese first (against dough to seal), fillings, sauce on top. Bake 30-40 min at 425°F.

Source

King Arthur Baking — Chicago Style Deep Dish

For full step-by-step recipe with photos and shaping technique, follow the source link above. This page provides the formula for use with the hydration calculator.

Related references on this site

The gear that makes the math work

A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.

  • Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)

    Baker's percentage is by weight, not volume — a 0.1 g scale is what makes the math on this page accurate.

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  • Dutch oven / combo cooker

    Traps steam for the first bake phase — the single biggest factor in oven spring and a blistered, glossy crust.

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  • Banneton proofing basket

    Wicks moisture and holds shape during the final proof, so high-hydration dough doesn't spread flat.

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  • Bread lame + bench scraper

    A sharp lame scores clean ears; a steel bench scraper handles wet, sticky dough without tearing the gluten.

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  • High-protein bread flour

    The math assumes ~12–14% protein. Real bread flour absorbs the hydration you calculate — all-purpose won't.

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  • Danish dough whisk

    Mixes shaggy, high-hydration dough in seconds without the gluey mess of a spoon or your hands.

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🎧 Or learn the craft by ear

The numbers here are the what; a good baking book is the why. An Audible trial gets you any title free — Michael Pollan’s Cooked(the “Air” chapter is the best story ever told about why bread rises) is a perfect first listen.

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Gear guides — what actually matters