Deep Dish Pizza

Are you a fan of deep dish pizza? Deep dish pizza is very similar to any other pizza with the slight difference that it's made in a deeper dish, usually something along the lines of a pot as opposed to the tray on which a standard pizza is made. You can use these simple tricks with any pizza recipe you like.

Most deep dish pizza recipes ask you to make your pizza in a 13 inch round pan. If you don't have a 13 inch round pan, you can work around this is several ways. You might be able to use a large metal sauce pan as your pizza pan if it can go in the oven. If it can't, you could make several smaller pizzas in standard 9 inch round pie or cake pans instead. Be careful - these may cook faster than you would expect.

If you make your own pizza dough, you can add spices to the dough itself. This can add a little extra zing to the pizza. I personally like adding some basil to the dough, although you can add any combination of spices you like.

As far as the sauce goes, you have some flexibility here as well. If you want, you can get a little creative with the spices, but don't go overboard, especially if you've already added spices in the dough. If you're used to making a smooth sauce, perhaps consider one with diced tomatoes in it instead. This will fill up the deep dish pizza better and also make it a little neater to eat. The tomatoes won't run out of the pizza as easily as a smooth sauce would.

When you assemble the pizza, consider adding a layer of cheese in the bottom of the crust. This will give the pizza a more uniform taste. The melted cheese will also help to hold the pizza together a bit once it begins to cool. Be sure to fill you dish with toppings and sauce. Some people prefer to mix them together while others prefer to layer the sauce and toppings. Either way is delicious. If you want, you might even consider adding an extra layer of crust inside the pizza. This is a good idea if you've got some extra dough you want to use.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the top of the pizza. I have found that it is a good idea to also put some toppings on top of the cheese, especially if you are making more than one kind of pizza. This will help you keep track of which pizza is which flavor. Without this they can be easily confused since all the toppings are baked inside.

It's a good idea to let your pizza cool a little bit before you serve it. This give the cheese time to congeal a little and makes the dish less messy to eat. You deep dish pizzas will retain heat inside so you can give the dish a little time to cool without worrying about it getting cold.

These tips can be used with nearly any pizza recipe you like. With a little time and effort, you too could be eating the best deep dish pizza you've ever tasted!