Italian Sausage Deep Dish Pizza
This pizza is made as a deep dish, similar to the kind that you can find all over Chicago. We especially like the taste of the dough which has cornmeal in it. We love Italian sausage in our house, so this is one of our favorite ways to make it. I usually serve it with a fresh salad on the side.
This pizza is made as a deep dish, similar to the kind that you can find all over Chicago. We especially like the taste of the dough which has cornmeal in it. We love Italian sausage in our house, so this is one of our favorite ways to make it. I usually serve it with a fresh salad on the side.
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tsp saf yeast
- 1 pound mild italian sausage
- 0.75 cup romano cheese
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 fresh basil chopped
- 3 plum tomatoes chopped
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- Carbohydrate 126.108188333334 g
- Cholesterol 134.017333333333 mg
- Fat 54.6468955555556 g
- Fiber 7.08719457225668 g
- Protein 55.1468388888889 g
- Saturated Fat 22.4794611111111 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (498g)
- Sodium 1557.57944444444 mg
- Sugar 119.020993761077 g
- Trans Fat 3.13733427777778 g
- Calories 1226 calories
Step-by-step
- Add 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons of SAF yeast to bread machine and set it to the pizza dough cycle and hit start.
- When dough is done in the machine, remove immediately and lay out onto a floured surface.
- Roll and knead for a few minutes.
- If dough is too sticky, add more flour on top as needed.
- After kneading for a few minutes and dough is silky, but smooth, place a damp towel over the ball of dough and let rest for 30 minutes or until dough has increased in size by about 25%.
- Roll out your dough immediately to the size you need or you may place in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- If you refrigerate, let sit out for 20 minutes prior to rolling out for your pizza.
- Saute the italian sausage, onion and garlic in a saute pan until meat has browned.
- Drain fat off and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the romano and mozzarella cheeses, dried oregano and fresh basil.
- Stir together until mixed.
- Prior to using your pizza pan, preheat it in the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes to warm up the pan, then remove it and let it come down a little in temperature before you roll out your dough into the pan.
- Once pan has been pre-heated, but has cooled off enough to work with, brush olive oil on inside of the pizza stone or springform pan.
- Roll out pizza dough to fit into either a deep dish pizza stone or a springform pan.
- Your dough should cover the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Let the dough rest in the pan for 10 minutes before layering in the ingredients.
- Add 2/3 of your cheese mixture into the pizza pan.
- Follow with all of the tomato sauce, then all of the sausage mixture and then the chopped tomatoes.
- Finally top your tomatoes with the remaining cheese.
- Bake your pizza at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then another 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
- When finsihed your crust should look golden brown.
- Let pizza rest for 10 minutes before slicing into it.
Yellow cornmeal does the structural heavy lifting in this dough, adding both a distinct sandy crunch and structural rigidity that prevents the thick crust from turning soggy under a heavy cheese and sauce filling. Unbleached all-purpose flour provides the necessary gluten network, but the inclusion of cornmeal demands careful hydration management. When scaling or adjusting the water content, keep in mind that cornmeal absorbs moisture differently than refined wheat flour.
Vessel Requirements and Thermal Prep
Deep dish baking requires specific hardware. A standard rimmed baking sheet will not suffice; instead, utilize a dedicated deep dish pizza stone or a metal springform pan measuring at least two inches deep. Metal pans conduct heat aggressively, which browns the bottom crust rapidly, while ceramic or stone options provide a more moderate thermal transfer. Preheating the pan briefly before pressing the dough inside prevents immediate sticking and kick-starts the bottom crust's bake, avoiding a raw gummy layer at the base.
Assembly Order and Doneness Cues
Layering matters immensely in deep dish construction. Placing the majority of the cheese directly against the raw dough acts as a moisture barrier, shielding the flour from the liquids released by the tomatoes and sausage during baking. Sauces and meats sit on top of this cheese layer, insulating the dairy from direct oven heat. Determining doneness relies entirely on visual and textural cues rather than internal temperature probes. The outer crust edge should achieve a deep golden brown hue, and the internal cheese must bubble vigorously throughout the center. Allow the assembled pie to rest for exactly ten minutes post-bake to let the melted dairy cool and set, which ensures clean slices rather than a collapsed wedge.
