Detroit-style pizza vs Chicago deep-dish pizza
The fuller page on this is Compare any two styles.
| Field | Detroit-style pizza | Chicago deep-dish pizza |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | United States, Detroit | United States, Chicago |
| Form | rectangular, pan | round, deep, pan |
| Thickness | thick | deep |
| Rim / edge | No raised dough rim; the defining edge is the caramelised cheese border against the pan | Tall, thick, almost pastry-like edge climbing the sides of the pan |
| Base texture | Crisp, fried bottom from the oiled steel pan | Thick, almost biscuit-like or pastry-like base, crisp from the oiled pan |
| Crumb | Thick, airy, open crumb | Dense, close crumb, more bread-like at the base and flakier at the tall sides |
| Hydration | 70–80% (typically 75%) | 45–55% (typically 50%) |
| Fermentation | room temperature long fermentation | room temperature long fermentation |
| Shaping | Pressed by hand directly into a generously oiled rectangular steel pan, dimpled to fill the corners | Pressed by hand up the sides of a deep, well-oiled round pan |
| Flour | High-gluten flour (strongly suited) | All-purpose flour (traditional) |
| Preferment | No documented preferment tradition (direct dough) | No documented preferment tradition (direct dough) |
| Topping load | generous | heavy |
| Bake temperature | 250–270 °C (typically 260 °C) | 220–230 °C (typically 225 °C) |
| Bake time | 12–16 min (typically 14 min) | 30–45 min (typically 35 min) |
| Oven | Domestic fan (convection) oven, Commercial deck oven | Domestic fan (convection) oven |
| Flavour | savoury, rich, umami forward | rich, savoury, umami forward |
| Texture | airy, crisp, caramelised | dense, caramelised, crisp |
| Difficulty | intermediate | intermediate |
| Domestic suitability | excellent | excellent |
| Serving | Cut into rectangular pieces and served from the pan | Cut into wedges and served with a knife and fork; usually requires a longer wait than most pizza styles given its bake time |
Key similarities
- Fermentation
- Preferment
- Difficulty
- Domestic suitability
Key differences
- Origin
- Form
- Thickness
- Rim / edge
- Base texture
- Crumb
- Hydration
- Shaping
- Flour
- Topping load
- Bake temperature
- Bake time
- Oven
- Flavour
- Texture
- Serving