Best Ever Homemade Deep Dish Pizza!

Pizza is one of those comfort foods that just makes a person happy- which is why we enjoy it for dinner so often! In New York City- people seem to love a thin-crust pizza that can be folded in half to eat. But for me- I'm all about the deep dish style pizza! Here's my favorite homemade deep dish pizza recipe!

The Inspiration for this Homemade Deep Dish Pizza!

Oh so many years ago, when I attended college at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!), my very favorite pizza place was called Garcia's- and it was known as the Home of the Flying Tomato.

Garcia's pizza was of the deep-dish pan variety- with a delicious crust that was just a bit gooey on the inside and a hearty chunky tomato sauce with a thick layer of cheese and toppings. Oh, how I loved this pizza!

So a few months ago, I was telling my kids about it, and it got me to thinking- is Garcia's still around in Bloomington?

And after some Google research, I learned that sadly, it is not.

But there are a whole bunch of people hanging out in a forum on www.pizzamaking.com who share the same fond memories of Garcia's- and one poster “Danivel” offered up a good approximation of what he remembers as the original taste of their deep-dish pie.

I've tweaked his recipe just a bit to make it my own- but it still makes me think of Garcia's every time I make it!

How to Make the Best EVER Homemade Deep Dish Pizza!

Warm your mixing bowl by filling it with very warm water and then emptying it. Dissolve the yeast into the warm water and wait for a few minutes to allow the yeast to become active. (look for bubbles in the middle- that's how you'll know it's working!)

Add the oils, cornmeal, and 3 cups of the flour, and beat it with the paddle attachment of your mixer for 10 minutes.

The dough will be silky and sticky.

Add the remaining flour and switch to the dough hook attachment for your mixer. Knead for several minutes until all of the flour is incorporated.

Remove your dough from the bowl, and then add a bit of vegetable oil to the mixing bowl. Using a paper towel, coat the sides of mixing bowl with the vegetable oil and then return the dough to the bowl to rise.

Cover with a towel and put in a warm, draft-free location to rise for about 60-90 minutes.

Using your fingers, poke at the center of the dough to cause it to fall, and then re-cover and allow it to rise again for another 60-90 minutes.

This recipe will make 2 9×13 pizzas. First I add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to each pan. This is what helps to crisp the crust when it bakes.

I then divide the dough in half and pat it into place in my two metal baking pans.

At this point, you can add your favorite pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and toppings.

If you were making a true “Garcia's Flying Tomato” pizza, you would take canned plum tomatoes and squish them up in your hands, adding basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and a dash of sugar to make your thick and chunky sauce. But since my kids are highly against chunky pizza sauce, I just go with canned pizza sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until the toppings are golden brown and bubbly!

You would almost rather under bake this pizza a bit than over bake it. The inside of the crust (where it meets the sauce) should be a bit gooey. That's one of the things that makes it oh-so-delicious!