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This cheesy deep dish pizza recipe with sweet tomatoes and spicy red pepper flakes will be your new go-to for Pizza Night. It’s made with earthy whole-wheat flour so it’s more than okay to grab more than one slice!
I’m a Chicagoan, and you know how much we love our deep dish pizza! And I know that from now on, you’ll prefer making this melty pizza recipe over buying take-out. I promise.
Why You’ll Love This Deep Dish Pizza Recipe
- Freezer-friendly. Keep one in the freezer at all times for late-night cravings or busy weeks.
- Wholesome. There’s whole-wheat flour, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, and only the freshest ingredients.
- Better than fast-food. Nothing can compete with the cheese-pull of a freshly-baked pizza coming out of the oven.
- Versatile. Use leftover cheese and add more toppings if you want. You’re in charge!
What You’ll Need
Sweet tomato sauce and toppings are what give this Italian-inspired deep dish its personality. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
For the Dough
- Whole-wheat flour – It adds a nice earthy, nutty flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Go for bread flour if you’ve got some on hand.
- Salt – You can use Himalayan salt.
- Water – It needs to be warm so that the yeast can do its thing.
- Active dry yeast – Feel free to use instant dry yeast.
- Sugar – Light brown sugar works too.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Regular olive oil is fine.
For the Pizza
- Extra virgin olive oil – This is also called “EVOO.” 🤌
- Fresh basil – You can use dried basil as well, but reduce the amount by half.
- Dried oregano – Make sure it’s Italian oregano.
- Garlic – Garlic paste works too.
- Black pepper – I prefer freshly-cracked pepper.
- Tomato sauce – Use your favorite, even if it’s seasoned.
- Tomato – Cherry tomatoes or sliced heirlooms are great for this.
- Mozzarella cheese – Shred it yourself or buy it at the store.
- Parmesan cheese – It needs to be freshly-grated parmesan.
- Red pepper flakes – A dash of cayenne pepper works too.
Other Topping Ideas
Make it your own with a unique topping combination!
- Cold cuts – Pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto are my go-tos.
- Sliced bell peppers – Use your favorite.
- Mushrooms – Use cremini, white button, or baby bella varieties.
- Olives – I prefer black over green ones. Make sure they’re pitted.
How to Make Deep Dish Pizza
The herby garlic oil brushed onto the fluffy homemade dough takes this skillet pizza recipe over the top. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more detailed instructions.
Make the Dough
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, cornmeal, and salt in the stand-mixer bowl. Set it aside.
- Activate the yeast. Stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl. Let it sit until foamy.
- Make the dough. With your stand mixer on low, gradually add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Add olive oil and continue mixing until you get a loose dough. Attach the dough hook and knead at medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Shape and rise. Remove it from the bowl and shape the dough into a ball. Transfer it to a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.
Make the Pizza
- Prep the skillet. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Press the pizza dough into a greased 10″ skillet that’s about 2″ deep. Set it aside.
- Mix the oil. In a small bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic, and pepper. Mix well. Brush it over the pizza dough.
- Add the tomatoes. Spread tomato sauce evenly over the dough and arrange the sliced tomatoes on top.
- Bake it. Pop it into the oven for 20 minutes. Don’t add the cheese yet.
- Add cheese. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle with cheese and crushed red pepper. Continue baking it until nice and melty, about 5 minutes.
- Serve. Remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
Tips And Variations
- Use Alfredo sauce. Using Alfredo or béchamel sauce instead of tomato sauce for the base is a rich and creamy variation of this recipe.
- Adjust the dough. If the dough seems dry, add a little water, up to 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and well combined.
- Use All Purpose. If you want, you can just use all-purpose flour for the entire dough-recipe.
- Use leftover cheese. Shred all the leftover bits of melty cheese in your fridge for a unique cheese blend. Feel free to use Gouda, cheddar, Muenster, etc.
- Add more veggies. Thinly sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, baby spinach, and red onions are great ways to add more flavor and texture.
- Warm space. If your kitchen counter is made of stone, it’ll take longer for the dough to rise because the surface is very cold. Allow the dough to rest inside the oven (while it’s off) or in a kitchen cabinet.
- Knead by hand. If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead the dough by pressing it away from you and then rolling it back in. Flip it over and repeat. Do this for 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth.
Serving Suggestions
This deep dish pizza recipe is a great dinner option on its own, but you can also add Italian-inspired side dishes or salads to make the meal heartier. For side dishes, try my Grilled Asparagus with Lemon or Bacon Wrapped Asparagus. A bowl of Broccoli Cheese Soup is a family-favorite as well. Pair it with my La Scala Chopped Salad for some greens.
How to Store Leftovers
Freezing this easy skillet pizza means you can skip fast food even on hectic weeknights.
- Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You need to freeze it raw so it doesn’t overcook later. Assemble the pizza in a disposable foil pan and cover it with foil. Place it in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake or reheat straight from frozen.
- To reheat it: Microwave the pizza in 30-second intervals until warm. If it’s frozen, pop it into the oven at 400˚F for 30-35 minutes.
More Pizza Recipes
- Macedonian Fried Pork Pizza
- Fried Pizza Sandwiches
- Pizza Sticks
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- Flatbread Pizza with Grilled Corn and Mozzarella
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Deep Dish Pizza
This deep dish pizza recipe with homemade herbed crust, tomatoes, and lots of melty cheese will bring Pizza Night to your kitchen each week.
Ingredients
For the Pizza Crust
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1½ cups all-purpose ultragrain flour,, you can also use regular all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Toppings
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic,, minced
- freshly ground black pepper,, to taste
- 1 cup tomato sauce or pizza sauce,, use your favorite
- 1 whole tomato,, sliced into thin rounds (I used vine-ripened tomatoes)
- ¾ cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- crushed red pepper flakes,, to taste
Instructions
- In your stand mixer's bowl, combine the flours and salt; whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar; stir and let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- With your stand mixer on low, gradually add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture.
- Add olive oil and continue to mix until the dough looks shaggy.
- Attach the dough hook to your mixer and continue to mix at medium speed for 5 minutes. At this point, if the dough looks dry, add a little bit of water at a time, up to 1 tablespoon, and continue to mix until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Oil your hands and shape the dough into a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Press the pizza dough into a greased 10-inch skillet that's about 2 inches deep. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, oregano, garlic, and pepper; mix to combine.
- Brush the garlic mixture over the pizza dough.
- Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough.
- Arrange the tomatoes over the sauce.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheeses and crushed pepper.
- Return to oven and bake for an additional 4 to 6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 852mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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All-Purpose Ultragrain Flour. Can you use corn flour in place of AP flour??
Oh my goodness..that oil mixture alone would be too die for!!
Friday night pizza was my favorite part school lunch. Your pizza looks about a million times better and I love that you made it with whole wheat dough!
This pizza looks incredible! I really want to try this recipe! Hooray for pizza night – so glad you can have it now 🙂