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 If you love take out Deep Dish Pizza, you need to try this homemade version. It’s easy so easy to make your own at home and the kids can personalize them with their favorite toppings.
Check out some of my other favorite pizza recipes Favorite Pizza Sauce Recipe, Hawaiian Pizza, Arugula Salad Pizza and this
My family had our first taste of deep dish pizza years ago when we went on a trip to Disney World. We got into town late and we were all starving. The only restaurant near our hotel that was open was a Pizza Hut.
We ordered a pan pizza, their yummy deep dish pizza, and I remember it being the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. Now it could have been that I was ABSOLUTELY STARVING and anything would have tasted good, but ever since then I have had an affection for deep dish pizza.
Pizza Hut Deep Dish Pizza Copycat Recipe
After we got home, I found a recipe for Pizza Hut Deep Dish Pizza online and I knew we had to try it. With a few modifications to the pizza recipe, it was a huge hit! The entire family loved it and the three pizzas feed us all with some left over.
How to Make Deep Dish Pizza
The recipe makes three 8 inch pizzas. I use cake pans but you could always use cast iron pans.
Deep Dish Pizza Crust
- Combine water, yeast, sugar and dry milk, stir and allow to proof for 10 minutes until foamy and bubbly.
- Add in oil, flour and salt. Use a mixer or your hands to form a soft and smooth dough.
- Coat your pans heavily with olive oil, about 2 Tbsp per pan. One of the things that makes the crust so yummy is olive oil. Don’t skimp on the olive oil. It makes the crust super yummy.
- Divide dough into three pieces and press into bottom of each pan.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Add pizza sauce to risen dough. You can buy store bought pizza sauce but it is so easy to make your own. Use this homemade pizza sauce recipe. Leave about an inch of crust uncovered around the edges.
- Add desired toppings and sprinkle generously with cheese.
- Bake at 450 degrees F them for about 12-15 minutes until crust is golden brown.
- Brush crust edges with garlic butter for additional flavor.
Garlic Butter
Combine 4 Tbsp melted butter and 1 Tbsp minced garlic or 1 tsp dried garlic powder.
We all love olives on our pepperoni pizza too? What’s your favorite pizza topping? Are you a thin crust or a pan crust fan?
Favorite Deep Dish Pizza Toppings
- Pepperoni
- Canadian Bacon
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Pineapple
- Black Olives
- Vegetables – mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes
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Deep Dish Pizza Recipe
Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 1/3 cups Warm water 105F
- 1/4 cup Non-fat dry milk
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 4 cups Flour
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 pk Dry yeast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil for dough
- 6 Tbsp Vegetable oil or olive oil 2 Tbsp per pan
- premade pizza sauce or use my favorite Pizza Sauce Recipe
- 12 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
- favorite toppings, sausage, pepperoni, black olives etc.
Garlic Butter
- 4 Tbsp butter melted
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced can also use 1 tsp garlic powder.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Put yeast, sugar, salt, and dry milk into water, stir and allow to proof for 5 minutes until foamy and bubbly.
- In a bowl combine oil, flour and salt.
- Pour in yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Turn out on to a flat surface and knead for about 10 minutes or use stand mixer
- Divide dough into three balls. In three 8″ cake pans ( or can use 1 – 8 inch pie plate and 1 – 9 x 13 dish) , put 2 Tbsp of oil in each making sure it is spread evenly
- Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about a 8" circle
- Add 2 Tbsp to each cake pan and place dough into pan.
- Cover with a plate or towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1- 1 1/2 hours
- Spoon 1/3 cup sauce on each pizza and spread to within 1 inch of edge
- Distribute 3 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese on each pizza
- Add favorite toppings (sausage, pepperoni, etc.)
- Top with 1 oz. mozzarella cheese
- Cook until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown – about 15 minutes
- I then brush outer edge of crust with garlic butter
Garlic Butter
- Combine butter and garlic and allow to sit for 20 minutes so that garlic flavor infuses butter.
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Nutrition Facts:
Peter says
I work at pizza hut and with having to go gluten free I miss the pan base and stuffed crust pizza’s can I opt out the milk powder for real milk ?
Leigh Anne says
You would need to reduce the other liquid then.
Diane Leveille says
Where could i find Vegetable oil for dough i just find regular vegetable thank you
Leigh Anne says
I just use regular vegetable oil
Laurel says
Do you use a pre-made sauce?
Leigh Anne says
Sometimes I do or I just added a link to my favorite homemade pizza sauce in the recipe.
https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/national-pizza-week/
Kelsey says
I stumbled upon this same revelation about homemade deep dish pizza on accident one time when I was making homemade focaccia bread. I was eating the bread and thought, “This tastes a lot like Pizza Hut crust!” One tip to make sure the crust gets nice and crisp on the bottom is to heat up a pizza stone in your oven while it is preheating, and then bake the pizzas in the cake pans on top of the preheated stone. (You may not want to do this if you’re using a glass pan.) This way the crust gets nice and crispy (even in the middle) without the toppings burning. Or what I also do when making pizza (although not necessarily the deep dish, I don’t think I’ve tried that particular crust this way), but I bake the pizzas on the bottom rack of the oven to help the crust get crispy before the toppings burn.
Sandy May says
This turned out perfect! I used half milk half water for the pizza dough and warmed them because I didn’t have powdered milk powder. The technique was all I had been missing. We love home made pizza and this tasted delivered!! I will truly never need to order pizza again