This simple recipe for the perfect Deep Dish Pizza is going to be such a hit for the pan crust pizza pans in your life! Cooked in a well-oiled cast iron, this crust is a Pizza Hut copycat and makes a crispy, fluffy, tender crust that is miles high and can support all the toppings you want to throw at it.

Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza

Oh yes. I finally did it. I finally perfected my pizza crust recipe, AND made an awesome deep dish with it. This cast iron deep dish pizza crust recipe will please even the pickiest pizza lover! It is crispy on the bottom, soft and chewy on the inside. Flavorful, and will hold a TON of toppings.

We are generally a regular hand-tossed or thin crust pizza house. Very rarely do I break out the big guns and attempt a thick crust. It just ends up too bready, the crust not crispy enough, and we just can’t have that. You can find my regular pizza dough recipe here.

By using a cast iron pan you are going to get closer to those pan pizzas of your memories.

Try our Traeger Pizza!

Deep Dish Pizza shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Sugar
• Water
• Yeast
• Milk
• Olive oil
• Bread flour
• Salt
• Toppings
• Cheese

Try our Homemade Pizza Sauce!

How To Make Deep Dish Pizza

Here’s a summary to let you know what you’re getting into here! Click on the toggle to expand, and make sure that when you’re cooking this recipe, you use the recipe card with the complete instructions at the bottom of the page.

Make and Proof Dough

Start by proofing your yeast in your mixer. Add 1 cup of hot water, 1 heaping teaspoon sugar, and 1 TBSP yeast. Pulse a couple of times to mix, and then let this mixture sit for 15 minutes. When you come back, it should look a bit foamy and smell yeasty and delicious. This is telling you that your yeast is alive and ready to rock.

Add Flour and Mix

Next, add in 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and 3 cups of bread flour. Mix this up until it is fully combined.

Rest

Then walk away and let it rest for 30 minutes. This is called the autolyse, if you wanted to get fancy. I don’t.

Basically the purpose for this is to let the flour fully absorb the liquid and start developing gluten. It is supposed to help you develop a more open crumb, and a deeper flavor. It also makes the dough easier to work with.

Finish Dough

Come back after that 30 minute rest and turn your mixer back on medium. Add 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 – 3/4 cup flour. The amount will depend on a whole host of things. You want your dough to just form into a nice ball, and start pulling from the sides. Knead with your mixer on medium for 5 minutes. Turn out into a well oiled bowl. Your dough should be smooth, and stretch nicely.

Let Rise

Cover your bowl and let the dough rise until doubled in size. Mine took about 1.5 hours.

Check Dough

One way to check this is by poking a finger into the dough. If the indentation stays, it is almost ready.

Punch Down and Preheat

Punch down the dough (deflate it by pushing on it, basically, no need to go all UFC on it or anything.) and cover it again for another 30 minutes. Turn on your oven to preheat now to 450℉. When you come back, it will have risen some more and be beautiful and ready to shape.

Oil and Put Dough in Pan

Oil your cast iron skillet WELL, and press half of your dough into it. Press down gently in the pan, and then poke some holes in the dough with a fork.

Cook on the Stove

Next turn on your stove to high, and place the cast iron pan on there. Heat until the pan is hot and the oil under the crust starts bubbling. You will hear it and see the sides start to move.

Bake

When this happens place the crust in your oven on the lowest rack for 10 minutes to pre-bake it a bit. Remove, top with your favorite toppings, and finish baking. Pro tip, this easy homemade pizza sauce is my favorite! Make it while your dough is rising! It will take approximately 30 minutes. Keep a close eye on it as this will depend on your oven, your toppings, and your pan.

Try our Biscuit Pizza Poppers!

Deep Dish Pizza FAQ

Can this recipe be made in advance?

Yes! This crust keeps pretty well, so if you want to prep the dough and pre-bake the crust a day in advance, go for it! I wouldn’t bake the whole thing with toppings in advance if you can help it, but if you need to, it’ll still be awesome.

What’s the best way to store and reheat the leftovers?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container. If it is just the crust it can stay on the counter. If you’ve topped the pizza already it need to go in the fridge.

The best way to reheat is in the air fryer or oven.

Traeger Pizza Pasta Hotdish

Reader Reviews

Big HUGE gigantic shout out to reader Jeff Shurts! He recently made my deep dish pizza featured in this post, and send me a picture and had this to say.

“I made your cast iron deep dish pizza last night. Wow. This is the crust I’ve been wanting to make. In the center, soft and pillowy like the Garcia’s I grew up with in central Illinois. Near the edge, almost like Gino’s East, one of the best in Chicago. I added a little fine-ground corn meal to the dough for deeper color and a little sweetness. And, in a nod to my favorite Pequod’s pizza, I pressed mozzarella around the edge of the crust (touching the pan) as I fried and then prebaked the crust, giving it a nice “caramelized” ring of crunchy cheesy goodness around the outside.” – Jeff Shurts

Wow! Thanks so much for reading, and for taking the time to let me know how it turned out. That is so exciting for me to see that people out there are getting some enjoyment out of my little corner of the internet.

 Send in your reader photos to be featured on the blog, and to make my day. <3