Want to enjoy a delicious deep-dish pizza with a crispy, golden crust without leaving the comfort of your own home?
Fortunately, you can make deep-dish pizza at home without needing to buy any special equipment. All you need is a well-seasoned 12” cast iron skillet, a good pizza dough recipe and your favorite toppings.
The following instructions can be easily customized to create any kind of pie you desire. This version combines sweet and spicy barbeque chicken with caramelized onions* to create a nice departure from the more traditional pepperoni and cheese.
Toppings
2 cups shredded rotisserie or left-over chicken breast
1 cup prepared BBQ sauce, plus ½ cup
1½ cups prepared caramelized onions*
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza Dough Ingredients
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoons brown sugar
1½ cups very warm water (110˚F)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
Note: This recipe makes two large pizzas. If you don’t want to use all the dough right away, you can store the remaining portion in your refrigerator for several days or freeze for later use.
Directions
- Add warm water, then yeast and brown sugar to large bowl. Let sit for 10 – 12 minutes until the yeast is no longer active.
- Add salt and oil, then add 2½ cups of flour – ½ cup at a time – while stirring constantly with a fork.
- Coat hands with flour before dropping dough onto a well-floured surface. Knead in more flour until dough is no longer sticky.
- Shape dough into a ball and add to a clean bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cover bowl with a towel and let sit for approximately one hour in a warm place.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400˚.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fist and reshape into a ball.
- After a couple minutes, cut dough in half with large knife and roll out one half on a clean, well-floured surface. When the dough is about 4 inches larger than the bottom of your skillet, gently lift and place into pan.
- Fold top edge of dough back so it touches the crust at the bottom of the skillet. Use your fingers to make sure the dough is the same thickness around the entire perimeter of the pan.
- Combine chicken and one cup barbeque sauce in glass bowl. Toss to combine.
- Add remaining barbeque sauce to the crust and spread evenly. Add chicken and caramelized onions, then top with mozzarella cheese. With a pastry brush, coat remaining exposed
portions of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, if desired. - Place skillet in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese and crust are golden brown.
*See Caramelized Onions recipe.
