Chicago deep dish dough calculator
Biscuit-tender deep dish crust: ~50% hydration, ~20% fat, minimal kneading — calculated per deep pan.
1 × 900 g · 51% hydration
Type how much flour you have — the portion weight recalculates.
Chicago deep dish is closer to a savory pie than to any other pizza: a low-hydration, high-fat crust pressed into a deep pan, filled in reverse order and baked for half an hour. The biscuit-like tenderness comes from ~50% water, ~20% fat and deliberately minimal kneading.
How it works
A crust that must not be kneaded
The King Arthur formula: 49% water, 2.1% salt, 10% oil plus 11% butter, 1.6% instant yeast, with 7% of the flour base as cornmeal. Mix just two or three minutes — gluten development is the enemy; you are after tender, not chewy.
Reverse assembly
Press the dough into a heavily oiled deep pan (900 g for a 36 cm pan, walls included). Then build upside-down: sliced mozzarella straight onto the dough, toppings next, chunky crushed tomato on top. The cheese blanket keeps the long bake from drying the crust.
Low and slow (for pizza)
Bake at 220–230 °C for 25–35 minutes. King Arthur par-bakes the empty crust for 10 minutes first; Chicago purists skip it. Let it rest a few minutes before cutting — it is structurally a pie.
FAQ
Does real deep dish contain cornmeal?
Contested. King Arthur adds ~7% cornmeal for color and bite; Chicago purists — including ex-employees of the famous pizzerias — insist the originals use none, getting their yellow tint from corn oil (around 19% of flour). Both camps agree on ~50% water and heavy fat.
Can I use only butter, or only oil?
Yes. The fat blend varies by loyalty: Lou Malnati’s style leans butter, Gino’s East reportedly corn oil. Keep total fat in the 15–20% band — published sources warn against going below 10%.
Why is my crust tough?
Almost always over-kneading or too little fat. This dough should be mixed until it barely comes together, and the fat percentages are not a typo.