This deep dish Pizza is going to knock your socks off! It's juicy, it's loaded with flavor and the homemade oregano & olive oil crust is just about the best thing next to homemade butter (which will always take first place...sorry homemade pizza dough), but make no mistake...it's good.
Just look at all that melted fresh mozzarella just infused with these delicious toppings of Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, fresh basil and tomatoes! This is mouth watering stuff right here and your family & friends are going to love you on another level if you make this for them!
I will admit, it does take a hot minute to create...but I promise you this: You will never regret, nor forget this deep dish pizza.
Trust me. Let's cook!
Ingredients:
Serving Size: 6 Slices
Oregano & Olive oil Crust:
2 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to coat bowl
3/4 cup warm water
To make pizza dough:
Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk well. Add garlic powder and oregano. Whisk. Add olive oil and warm water. Mix well with your hands. Gradually add 1 cup flour and as much as 1/3 more to form a cohesive ball. Roll dough into a ball. Dough will be sticky.
In a separate bowl, drizzle some olive oil and coat bowl with a pastry brush. Add dough ball and roll around to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish and roll out the dough with your fingers to line the dish being careful to bring it up along with sides of the casserole dish to form a pie crust. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with additional oregano. Let rise for an additional 2 hours.
Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork to allow it to cook through when baking.
Let's start layering all those delicious toppings of your choice! (The fun part!!)
Suggested toppings:
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
8 Bella mushrooms, thickly sliced
3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided among the layers
1 lb sliced mozzarella fresco
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 lb ground hot Italian Sausage, cooked & crumbled
1/2 lb deli sliced pepperoni
6 slices applewood bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 basil leaves, julienned to garnish
3 tbsp olive oil to garnish
28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/3 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
1 6 oz can tomato paste
To make Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce:
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients together and pulse until smooth. Pour marinara sauce into a sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste. Yum.
Begin your layering by adding in this order:
1/3 marinara sauce
1/2 shredded mozzarella
1/2 Pepperoni
1/2 onions
1/2 mushrooms
1/2 shredded mozzarella
1/2 Italian sausage
Repeat with second layer.
Last layer will be sliced mozzarella fresco, marinara, parmesan, basil and drizzled with olive oil.
Omg. Gimme dat.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees:
Bake uncovered for 25 -30 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
This deep dish pizza is sincerely incredible. Freezes well so make two while you're at it! Serve with a delicious glass of Chianti and a side salad and call it a day!
Enjoy every savory bite!
As always, let me know what you think and please feel free to share your pictures to social media if you liked it! It's always so fun to see what everyone is making!
Have a blessed day!
Michele