What Actually Makes Deep Dish Pizza Unique? The Answer Isn't So Straight-Forward

If you want to know exactly how to make a perfect deep dish pizza, the first step is realizing that there is not just one style. Sometimes used interchangeably with "pan pizza," deep dish is most associated with Chicago in the U.S., but it can technically describe any thick pizza cooked in a higher-sided pan, including traditional Sicilian and Detroit-style. While the recipes for these styles are not all the same, they do share other characteristics that make them distinct from thinner types of pizza. To help us sort through all this dough, we reached out to Noel Brohner, a pizza consultant, instructor, and the founder of Slow Rise Pizza Co., to ask about the ingredients and techniques that make deep dish pizza distinct.

This first place Brohner started was with fats. "Deep dish dough typically has a much higher fat percentage," he says. "Sometimes as high as 10% or more of the flour weight—which contributes to its biscuit-like tenderness and helps with texture and browning as well." Brohner explains that the type of fat used can vary by style, with butter, oil, and lard all showing up in different recipes. But what's important to the larger category of deep dish is that, as Brohner notes, "fats like oil and butter give the crust a softer, less bread-like characteristic and help to achieve a soft crumb texture and crunchy, caramelized crust."

Fat is probably the most important ingredient giving deep dish pizza its distinct texture, but it's only one part of the equation. For flour, Brohner adds that, "In traditional American deep dish recipes like Chicago or Detroit, you'll often see all-purpose or even lower-protein bread flour used, rather than the higher-protein bread flour common in other styles."

By contrast, thinner crust pizzas often use bread flour or 00 pizza flour, which is another high-protein style. This gives them a crisper texture, while Brohner explains that AP flour helps soften the crust. However, there are exceptions here. "For more modern styles," he explains, "you'll often see more bread flour incorporated to make the pizza lighter and airier, such as with more modern Detroit styles of pizza, modern American focaccia, and Roman pizza al taglio."

This goal of a softer versus an airier crust also extends to mixing and rising. Brohner tells us that, "For more traditional deep dish styles, the dough is often mixed less intensively than other styles—sometimes just until it comes together—and then rested (aka bulk fermented) rather than kneaded extensively." This lessens the protein development, giving it a softer, richer texture, but less strength. The pizza expert emphasizes that "a slow, warm proof in the pan can often improve the texture as well." Like the flour, however, Brohner does note some modern deep dish pizzas use a long, cold ferment for a lighter, open structure.

Brohner says that for a deep dish pizza, a basic recipe using the outline he gave us will work. But he adds, "If you want to make a specific style of 'deep dish' or 'thick crust' pan pizza, then it's better to begin with the traditional recipe, process, flour, and even regional topping ingredients for each style." If that's something you're interested in, there are quite a few types of deep dish and pan pizza to explore.

The grandfather of deep dish and pan pizza is Sicilian-style sfincione pizza, which has a thick, rich crust that crisps up on the bottom but stays fluffy inside. It's the same crust style you see on Sicilian-style pizza in New York pizza joints and uses plenty of olive oil to achieve a focaccia-like texture. Similar to Sicilian, Detroit-style pizza often uses bread flour (and less olive oil) for a crust that is lighter, crispier, and less rich. Roman pizza al taglio isn't as thick as Sicilian or Detroit pan pies. It uses a higher-hydration dough to give it a more bubbly, airy crust, and it's baked in a sheet pan rather than a higher-edged pan.

And finally, there is the classic Chicago deep dish. The crust isn't actually as thick as other pan pizzas. Instead it's formed into almost a pie crust, and most of the depth comes from the thick toppings. It also traditionally uses corn oil as the fat instead of olive oil.

While the dough is usually the way different styles of pizza are differentiated from each other, the unique structure of deep dish often alters the way toppings are added as well. The most obvious is Chicago-style deep dish, which Brohner notes "is well-known for its sausage pizza as well as sausage and peppers and a 'reverse' layering of cheese-meat-sauce." Additionally, the pickled vegetable topping, giardiniera, is also regionally popular.

Moving to another Midwest pizza hub, Brohner tells us that "Detroit pizza has brought 'cup & char' pepperoni into the limelight of late, which has become the go-to pepperoni for many styles of pizza." He also praises this style's "sauce after the bake" technique as "iconic." Back in Italy, people opt for less loaded toppings, even with deep dish pies. "Traditional Italian styles like focaccia and Roman pan pizzas often rely on the 'less is more' strategy, with one, two, or three well-sourced or seasonal toppings adorning a pizza," the expert reveals. These can include onions, olives, anchovies, or even simple things like rosemary and olive oil.

Additionally, Brohner recommends this clip featuring Roman pizza chef Gabriele Bonci and Anthony Bourdain, where the former explains how to compose toppings in the Italian style. Finally, there is the traditional Sicilian sfincione, which "is known for its simple but rustic toppings, including tomato sauce, anchovies, and bread crumbs." These styles show that, when it comes to making deep dish pizza at home, there is no one "correct" way to do it.