Chicago-Style Stuffed Pizza
June 8, 2006 by Andrea 
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Filed under Breads, Main Course
I had my first taste of stuffed pizza at Giordano’s as a teenager. Years later while working in Chicago I frequented several of the great pizzerias, but the stuffed pizza at Giordano’s always kept me coming back. I tend to prefer a more traditional single crust hand-tossed style of pizza, but Michael does such a good job on these that I feel like I’m back in Chicago.
This is Michael’s specialty and favorite kind of pizza, and a meal that we enjoy making on the weekends. He worked in a pizza joint for a couple summers in high school and learned a few tricks along the way. When we were dating, I was impressed that he not only made pizza from scratch, dough and all, but that he also had the gear to work the magic—a professional deep dish pizza pan. Clearly this was someone that I should get to know better!
Michael follows Pasquale (Pat) Bruno’s recipe for dough and sauce, although we go with our own fillings depending on what is in season. Pizza is a vegetarian meal for us, so we add spinach, mushrooms, olives, peppers, zucchini, basically whatever sounds good, to the cheese stuffing. Michael used to cook the sauce, but we tried just letting it stand as recommended in the recipe and we found that the flavors were more crisp and fresh. We also use instant yeast instead of packaged active dry, which means that you don’t proof the yeast in warm water. Add the yeast directly to the dry ingredients and then stir in the warm liquid.
This takes some time and you need to plan ahead, but it’s well worth the effort. It makes a fun meal for a dinner party, just have the dough and sauce ready ahead of time and have your guests help chop veggies and assemble the pie.
[Updated November 27, 2007]
CHICAGO-STYLE STUFFED PIZZA
Equipment
2 quart bowl
2 large mixing bowls
1 medium mixing bowl
deep dish pizza pan, 12″ diameter x 2″ deep
large cutting board
rolling pin
Ingredients
DOUGH
3-1/4 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/4 cups warm water, not more than 115° F
4 tablespoons olive oil
SAUCE
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
STUFFING
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) block of frozen spinach, thawed and drained really well
Preparation
1. DOUGH: Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the large mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour and add the warm water and olive oil. Mix and knead thoroughly until the dough clings together and cleans the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft. Dust with additional flour if the dough is sticking to your hands. Spread some olive oil around the other large mixing bowl and lay the dough in the bottom, turning it over so that the entire surface is coated with a light layer of olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Set the bowl in a warm place to rise for about 90 minutes, until doubled.
2. SAUCE: While the dough is rising, combine all of the sauce ingredients in the 2-quart bowl and stir. Set aside.
3. ASSEMBLE: Preheat the oven to 450° F. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a work surface. Knead for about 1 minute. Divide the dough into two pieces, about 1/3 and 2/3 of the dough. Roll out the larger piece in a large circle until it is about 3 inches larger than the pan and 1/8 inch thick. Oil the bottom and sides of the pan. Place the dough into the pan and push it into the bottom and sides. The dough should overlap the pan by about 1 inch. Trim the excess dough with a knife, and set the pan aside. Roll out the second piece until it is about the same size as the pan. Toss the cheese and spinach together in the medium mixing bowl, and then put it into the pizza pan. Sprinkle with mushrooms and olives. Lay the second piece of dough on top, then crimp the two edges of the dough together with your fingers to form a thick border. Press down on the filling with your hand, and cut a 1-inch slit in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the top crust and sprinkle with more grated parmesan cheese.
4. Bake: Place the pizza pan on the lowest rack for 10 minutes, then move it to the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Transfer from the pan to a large wooden cutting board and let it stand for a few minutes before cutting.
Tips
Make sure the spinach has no liquid remaining before adding it to the pizza, otherwise you’ll end up with a soggy bottom crust. We put the thawed spinach in a colander and press on it with our hands, then press with paper towels to soak up every last bit of water.
Make sure you put the pizza on the lower rack first for at least 10 minutes so that the bottom crust cooks, otherwise you’ll end up with a soggy bottom crust.
Variations
Yeast: You can use 2 packages of active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. Proof the yeast by dissolving in the warm water with the sugar. If it blooms, you are ready to go.
Vegetables: Peppers, zucchini, and eggplant all make good fillings for this pizza. Chop them into bite-sized pieces and saute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a couple minutes, just until slightly softened. Combine with the cheese before adding to the pan.
Whole wheat dough: We sometimes substitute 1-1/2 cups of whole wheat flour for part of the bread flour.
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Source: adapted from The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook, by Pasquale Bruno Jr., food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times
That looks to good for words!
Thanks! It’s fun being married to a guy who enjoys cooking and is good at it!
Beautiful pie! I’m usually a thin-crust fan, but I’m definitely tempted.
Thanks Nic! Coming from you, that is quite a compliment!
That looks great! The recipe looks very much like the Chicago Tribune recipe that a friend brought to me 20 years ago. I’m glad to see that people are willing to expend the effort to make a good stuffed pizza.
Where do you get your pans?
Thanks! Michael’s pan is a nonstick perforated 12″ x 2″ model, and he got it about 10 years ago from a Chicago restaurant that closed. It was gently used and well seasoned, and it does a great job. I’ve never found them at the local restaurant supply stores, but I have seen some here and there on eBay.
Pat Bruno’s recipe doesn’t make authentic Chicago deep dish pizza.
Authentic Chicago deep dish depends on a flaky, biscuit-like crust, so you don’t want to use bread flour.
There is not enough oil in Pat’s recipe–the correct ratio is 3 TBS (not tsp) oil: 1 cup flour.
Authentic Chicago deep dish depends on a short knead time after mixing (around 2 minutes)–otherwise the result will be bread.
Thanks Steve! You are correct that an Uno-style deep dish pizza has a biscuit-like, flaky crust. However, this recipe is for a Giordano’s-style stuffed crust pizza, which is slightly different. We’ve played around with different types of flour in the recipe, and we like the chewiness that bread flour lends. Your comment about the oil ratio is interesting and we’ll give it a try. Thanks again!
The same is true for Giordano’s, which has a biscuity, almost pie-like crust. This texture depends on a lot of oil and lower protein flour, like AP. I developed my recipe to mimic Giordano’s, which it does.
Omg, I love the stuffed pizzas from giordano’s. We live in Iowa and everytime we come to ohare. we get a pizza when we come and then another when we leave that is the first place we go.I have gotten on their website and they do make and ship but it was like $30. so what is it , more oil, less oil, bread flour or whatever kind steve uses. I don’t like a thick chewy crust. can this be made in a spring form pan?
Andrea–
The amount of oil and kneading time I gave you is for a Giordano’s-style pizza. Uno’s and Malnati’s (same recipe) use, I believe, even more oil (becuse they are much greasier than Giordano’s). To make an authentic Chicago deep dish pizza, you need a lower protein flour ( Uno’s uses cake flour), like all-purpose to achieve the biscuit-like texture. Giordano’s uses 6-in-1 tomatoes and Stella cheese.
Here is a basic recipe (for a 10-inch pan):
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. yeast
6-8 TBS water (depending on the age of the flour, humidity, etc.)
4-4.5 TBS (not tsp.) canola oil Giordano’s use a 95% canola/5% olive oil combination–if you don’t want to use that much oil, you can get away with 3 TBS)
.75 tsp Kosher salt
.75 tsp sugar
Proof the yeast, then add to the dry ingredients. Mix and knead for 2 minutes. Coat the dough ball with oil. Let rise for 4-8 hours.
After the rise, punch down the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then roll it out with a rolling pin and press into a 9.5-10-inch deep dish pan (or you can just press it in with your fingers–Giordano’s uses a sheeter to flatten the dough). Giordano’s also greases their pans with butter.
Layer in the cheese, then toppings, then sauce (sauce recipe follows). Bake on 450 for around 35-40 minutes (depending on your oven–yours may take more or less time).
Sauce recipe:
1 28-oz. can 6-in-1 tomatoes
.50 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
I clove garlic, mashed or minced (optional)
Italian spices to your taste
Pepper
A few dashes of red pepper flakes (Giordano’s sauce has some heat to it)
Enjoy!
A couple of more thoughts!
The 1.5 cups of flour works well for my pan, but it may be a bit short for yours (and I omit the top layer–Giordano’s deep dish is “stuffed”, meaning that there is a thin layer of dough placed over the cheese and toppings, covered by the sauce), so it would probably be best to scale the recipe up to 2 cups flour (multiply the ingredients by a third) and trim off the excess.
I’m assuming that you will use a mixer to mix and knead. I use the bread machine–I proof the yeast, then put all the ingredients in the bread pan, turn it on the dough cycle, let it mix for 1 minute–then remove the pan, let the machine go into the knead cycle–replace the pan while it’s running and let it knead for 2 minutes.
I find that the 8 TBS (.50 cup) water works best for me in the above recipe.
Also, do not cook the sauce prior to baking, if you want to copy Giordano’s recipe.
Another note–I gave the recipe to a friend new to pizza making and he put the entire 28 ounces of sauce on a 10″ inch pie. You only need about half that much–freeeze the rest or make another pizza!
Thanks for the recipe. I lived in Chicago (Hyde Park) 20 years ago and Giordano’s stuffed pizza (spinach) always lives on in my mind. I’m going to give this recipe a try.
Jon in Idaho
My husband and I went to college in Chicago, where we developed an addiction to deep-dish pies. Back in New York, we have our own style of pizza, of course, and it’s darn good, but it’s just different from those wonderful stuffed pies. I have a deep-dish pan, so I can’t wait to give your version a try!! Thanks much!
I love Chicago Pizza from Pizzapapalis in Detroit..Yummy seafood treat you have any ideas how I can get one of those @ the house I mean cook it you know?
Oh and Steve dude you need a hug or something?
C
Hi, I am from Germany and we spent 10 wonderfol days in Chicago around New Years. The most remarkable experience for us was Giordano’s stuffed pizza – I loved it so much I was able to bring back home two pieces on the plane. Now I am looking for a recipe to make it here at home. Do you think I can try yours??????
I forgot something: I HAVE to be able to make a perfect Chicago style stuffed pizza until my daughter comes back home in June – she is studying at OU/Oklahoma and was with me in Chicago and we really ADORED the pizza………..
C, I’ve never been to Pizzapapalis or tried their pizza, so I’m not sure exactly what it is.
Inge, of course you can try it. Do you have a deep 12-inch/30 cm or similar pan?
no, unfortunately I did not bring one…… I bought lots of stuff in Chicago, including a normal frying pan (don’t laugh but it was on sale at Target and I could not resist), but I have to look for one around here
OMG! WOW…this is a great recipe! I’ve been to Giordano’s and they DO have a great stuffed pizza but I made this recipe last night and may I say, this is the best homemade pizza I ever made! The crust was chewy, crusty and NOT soggy! I put the spinach and cheese in it along with onions, olives, beech and button mushrooms and a bit of the sauce inside…it was GREAT!!! Thank You
BTW- I used two inch deep cast iron skillets to make this in and it worked out fine!
Make that a 2″ deep by 12″ skillet not two 1 inch deep cast iron skillets.
Hi Sharlene. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorite meals. Thanks also for sharing your tip about using cast iron skillets.
This is an excellent recipe!! I worked at giordano’s for 2 years and I have to tell you that this tastes just about the same if not better! I’ve made this several times for friends and they are thoroughly impressed. Thank you!
You can get a wide variety of deep dish pizza pans online, by searching for ‘deep dish pizza’ on Ebay or Amazon. I personally got the Chicago Metallic Pro via Amazon; its a 14″ pan which is enormous…a perfect size
Ebay seemed to have preseasoned (used) pizza pans, at a wide range of sizes.
Personal fave: Spinach, Italian Sausage with Extra Garlic!
Thank you SO much for posting this recipe. I grew up in Chicago (Hyde Park) and now that I live on the East Coast I had no access to stuffed pizza until I learned how to make it myself. This recipe is great! I have delighted both friends and family with it on a number of occasions. Thanks!
Hi Andrea! Just wanted to say say a big THANKS for this recipe! We lived in Chicago for 10 years and are now in Eastern Europe….and missing Giordano’s. My husband scoured the internet looking for a recipe and yesterday we made this together. It was FANTASTIC! I can’t believe how authentic it tasted…mmmm… Thanks!!