Chicago deep-dish pizza vs Chicago stuffed pizza
The fuller page on this is Compare any two styles.
| Field | Chicago deep-dish pizza | Chicago stuffed pizza |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | United States, Chicago | United States, Chicago |
| Form | round, deep, pan | round, deep, stuffed, pan |
| Thickness | deep | deep |
| Rim / edge | Tall, thick, almost pastry-like edge climbing the sides of the pan | Very tall edge, sealed between two dough layers |
| Base texture | Thick, almost biscuit-like or pastry-like base, crisp from the oiled pan | Thick, pastry-like base similar to deep-dish, plus a thin top dough layer |
| Crumb | Dense, close crumb, more bread-like at the base and flakier at the tall sides | Dense at the base, thinner and more delicate in the sealing top layer |
| Hydration | 45–55% (typically 50%) | 45–55% (typically 50%) |
| Fermentation | room temperature long fermentation | room temperature long fermentation |
| Shaping | Pressed by hand up the sides of a deep, well-oiled round pan | Base pressed up the sides of the pan as with deep-dish, plus a second thin sheet rolled out to cover the filling |
| Flour | All-purpose flour (traditional) | All-purpose flour (traditional) |
| Preferment | No documented preferment tradition (direct dough) | No documented preferment tradition (direct dough) |
| Topping load | heavy | heavy |
| Bake temperature | 220–230 °C (typically 225 °C) | 220–230 °C (typically 225 °C) |
| Bake time | 30–45 min (typically 35 min) | 40–50 min (typically 45 min) |
| Oven | Domestic fan (convection) oven | Domestic fan (convection) oven |
| Flavour | rich, savoury, umami forward | rich, savoury, umami forward |
| Texture | dense, caramelised, crisp | dense, bread like |
| Difficulty | intermediate | intermediate |
| Domestic suitability | excellent | excellent |
| Serving | Cut into wedges and served with a knife and fork; usually requires a longer wait than most pizza styles given its bake time | Cut into wedges and served with a knife and fork |
Key similarities
- Origin
- Thickness
- Hydration
- Fermentation
- Flour
- Preferment
- Topping load
- Bake temperature
- Oven
- Flavour
- Difficulty
- Domestic suitability
Key differences
- Form
- Rim / edge
- Base texture
- Crumb
- Shaping
- Bake time
- Texture
- Serving
Editorial notes
Chicago stuffed pizza is a further development of deep-dish, adding a second sealing dough layer over the filling.