Celebrate National Pizza Day with Jeff Mauro’s Authentic Chicago Deep-Dish Recipe

In celebration of National Pizza Day on February 9, esteemed Food Network star Jeff Mauro, hailing from the vibrant city of Chicago, has shared a heartfelt deep-dish pizza recipe with Us Weekly. This dish holds a special place in Mauro’s heart, and as a proud Windy City native, he certainly knows the ins and outs of crafting the perfect version of this iconic pizza.

“I’ve spent months reverse engineering my favorite deep-dish pizza from Chicago’s famed Lou Malnati’s, and I believe this recipe is pretty darn close,” Mauro told Us Weekly. “It’s a blast to make it once, but even more enjoyable to perfect it!”

Mauro emphasizes the importance of dough preparation: “Make sure your dough is ready to be stretched. If it’s fighting back, let it rest for an additional 15 minutes. It needs to be pliable to create that desired thin wall around the edge of the pan.”

For those eager to try their hand at this delicious dish, here’s Jeff Mauro’s perfect deep-dish pizza recipe:

True Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 packet (2 1⁄4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 18 oz all-purpose flour (about 3 1⁄2 cups)
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1⁄8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp corn oil, plus additional for oiling the bowl
• 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter
• 12 oz deli sliced part skim mozzarella
• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
• 8 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
• 1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
• Grated Parmesan, for topping and garnish

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix sugar, yeast, and 11 oz of room temperature water (approximately 80 degrees) and let it bloom for 15 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Once the yeast has bloomed, add it to the dry ingredients along with the corn oil. Use a rubber spatula to gently combine until a rough ball forms.
3. Knead the mixture on low speed with the dough hook for 90 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let it proof until doubled in size, approximately 6 hours. Afterward, punch it down and allow it to rest for an additional 15 minutes.
4. Position an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cake pan or traditional Chicago-style pizza pan with melted butter. Using your hands, spread out about 3/4 of the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan (save the remaining dough for another use).
5. Cover the entire bottom with mozzarella, reaching the edge. On one half, add a thin layer of raw sausage, and on the other half, layer pepperoni. Top with a handful of crushed tomatoes, spreading them to the edge, and finish with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.
6. Bake the pizza, rotating it halfway through, for about 25 minutes or until golden around the edges. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before either gently lifting the pizza out of the pan or cutting a slice directly from the pan like a pie!

As we prepare to indulge in this delightful recipe, don’t forget to catch the season finale of Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check hosted by Jeff Mauro and Tiffany Derry, airing on Food Network on Sunday, February 1, at 8 PM ET.