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A deep-dish pizza with a tall crust, sausage, and chunky tomato on top.
Yeast Dough and Knots

Cast-iron deep-dish pizza

Prep 30 min Cook 40 min Total 2 hr 15 min Servings 6

By Lukasz Jagiello

Published Oct 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 12, 2026

Photo: Prayitno, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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About this recipe

I only post recipes that I have tried and verified and are good to my taste — all taste may vary.

The cheese goes down first and the reduced tomato goes on top, so the crust fries in oil instead of steaming under a wet sauce. Resting the pie for 10 minutes lets the slices hold.

Ingredients

  • Dough
  • Tomato and filling

Method

  1. 01

    Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and wait about 5 minutes, until it foams. Mix the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, then the yeast water and 1/4 cup olive oil. Knead about 5 minutes, until smooth. Oil a bowl, cover the dough, and let it rise 1 hour.

  2. 02

    Simmer the crushed tomatoes with the garlic, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 15 minutes, until the tomato is thick. Let it cool a little.

  3. 03

    If you are using sausage, brown it in a skillet and drain the fat.

  4. 04

    Heat the oven to 425°F. Oil a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Press the dough across the bottom and up the sides.

  5. 05

    Cover the dough with the mozzarella. Scatter on the sausage. Ladle the tomato over the cheese so the cheese is covered, then sprinkle the Parmesan.

  6. 06

    Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is deep gold and the tomato is bubbling. Rest 10 minutes before you cut it. The skillet is the pan you carry.

Notes & swaps

  • Cheese under the tomato. That order is what makes it deep dish.
  • Skip the sausage for a plain tomato pie. Do not add a second layer of cheese on top of the tomato.
  • The total time includes the rise.

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