Deep Dish Pizza Dough
Prep
20 min
Bake
40 min
Total time
1 hr
Hydration
60%
Chicago deep dish dough runs at a stiff 60% hydration with 60g of cornmeal, because the crust has to stand an inch up the side of the pan and carry a heavy load without slumping. Layer it in reverse, sliced mozzarella straight onto the dough, then meat or vegetables, then crushed tomatoes on top, which is what keeps the base from going soggy. Bake at 425F for 35 to 45 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Hydration: 60% — a stiffer dough holds the deep walls of a Chicago-style pie.
- Storage: Best fresh. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes.
- Substitutions: All olive oil works in place of the butter; flavor will be more savory than buttery.
About this recipe
Baking with freshly milled hard white wheat flour transforms an everyday recipe into something extraordinary. Within minutes of milling, whole-grain flour is bursting with natural oils and a sweet wheaty aroma — the part that fades first once flour sits — and it still carries the whole berry: bran, germ, and endosperm. Commercial white flour has the bran and germ removed and is stabilized for months of shelf life — fresh milling skips all of that, so you bake with the whole grain and with the aroma still in it. Chicago-style deep dish demands a dough that's almost like a savory pastry — flaky, buttery, and sturdy enough to support a thick layer of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Fresh-milled hard white wheat brings natural sweetness and tenderness that store-bought flour can't quite match, and a generous amount of olive oil and butter gives the crust its signature golden, slightly crisp edge. Plan to bake in a cast iron skillet or dedicated deep dish pan. The pan goes into a screaming-hot oven and the high sides slow-bake the toppings without burning the crust. Layer cheese first, sausage or veggies next, and chunky tomato sauce on top — counter-intuitive but it prevents a soggy bottom.
Ingredients
- Fresh-milled hard white wheat flour500 g
- Warm water270 g
- Cornmeal60 g
- Olive oil50 g
- Melted butter55 g
- Sugar10 g
- Instant yeast8 g
- Fine sea salt10 g
Instructions
- 1
Mill the wheat berries and let cool. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer.
- 2
Add water and mix on low until shaggy.
- 3
Add salt, olive oil, and melted butter. Knead 6 minutes on medium until smooth and slightly stiff.
- 4
Cover and bulk ferment 90 minutes until nearly doubled.
- 5
Punch down, divide into two 425 g pieces, and press each into a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- 6
Press the dough up the sides about 1 inch to form a wall.
- 7
Cover and rest 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- 8
Layer 8 oz sliced mozzarella directly on the dough.
- 9
Add cooked sausage, peppers, mushrooms, or veggies of your choice.
- 10
Top with 1½ cups chunky crushed tomatoes seasoned with oregano, garlic, and a pinch of sugar.
- 11
Bake 35–45 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the toppings are bubbling.
fresh milled baking basics — hydration, gluten development, and grain choice tips that make this recipe work.
Learn about this grain: Hard White Wheat guide — flavor, milling notes, baking tips, and four in-depth guides on hydration, storage, and common mistakes. Or browse more Hard White Wheat recipes.
Related recipes
Browse all recipes →
Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Baking with freshly milled hard white wheat flour transforms an everyday recipe into something extraordinary. Within minutes of milling, whole-grain flour is bursting with natural oils and a sweet wheaty aroma — the part that fades first once flour sits — and it still carries the whole berry: bran, germ, and endosperm. Commercial white flour has the bran and germ removed and is stabilized for months of shelf life — fresh milling skips all of that, so you bake with the whole grain and with the aroma still in it. Crisp on the bottom, chewy at the edges, and powerful enough to support generous toppings without becoming soggy — that's the goal of a great thin-crust pizza dough. Fresh-milled hard white wheat gives this dough a subtle nuttiness without the heaviness people associate with whole wheat. A cold overnight ferment unlocks the flavor and improves both texture and digestibility. This recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas. Plan ahead: the dough develops its best flavor with a 24–48 hour cold ferment, but you can also bake it the same day after a 90-minute bulk rise. For Neapolitan-style results, bake on a preheated steel or stone at the highest temperature your oven allows.
Fresh-Milled Sourdough Pizza
A chewy, blistered sourdough pizza crust made from freshly milled wheat with a 24-48 hour cold ferment for deep flavor.
Fresh-Milled Pizza Dough
A 24-hour cold-fermented 100% fresh-milled pizza dough with crisp edges, a tender chew, and a deep wheaty flavor.
Sourdough Dinner Rolls
If you can bake a sourdough boule, you can bake sourdough dinner rolls — they just want a softer dough and a little enrichment. Butter, whole milk, and a touch of honey turn a workhorse sourdough into a holiday-table roll that pulls apart cleanly, smells like a bakery, and reheats beautifully. Fresh milled hard white wheat keeps the rolls feeling familiar to people who think they don't like whole wheat. The cold retard does double duty: it builds flavor that store-bought rolls cannot match, and it makes the timing flexible enough to work around dinner. A few habits make these rolls reliable: weigh the dough balls (the table will judge you if one is twice the size of another), brush with melted butter the moment they come out of the oven, and don't over-bake. Internal temperature of 195°F (90°C) is right — anything more and you lose the tenderness that makes them magical.
Beginner Fresh Milled Sourdough
If you have ever felt that fresh milled sourdough was reserved for experienced bakers, this recipe is designed to prove otherwise. Fresh milled flour behaves differently from store-bought whole wheat: the bran is sharper, the germ is still alive, and the flour drinks water more slowly. Beginners often get pucks and gum-line crumb not because they did something wrong, but because the recipe was never written for fresh flour in the first place. This loaf is. It uses 100% freshly milled hard white wheat for a mild flavor that wheat-skeptics actually enjoy, an extra-long autolyse so the bran fully hydrates, and a generous 78% hydration that fresh flour can comfortably handle. A slow overnight cold retard does most of the work — you get the flavor of a 24-hour sourdough without standing over the dough. The single biggest tip for a beginner: trust the timeline, not the clock. Fresh milled doughs ferment faster than white-flour recipes you may have made before, so watch for a 50–75% rise in bulk rather than a fixed two-hour window. Use a clear straight-sided container and mark the start line. If it hits that line in 4 hours instead of 6, shape early. You will also want a young, active starter. Feed it 6–10 hours before mixing so it peaks while you are autolysing. The recipe assumes a 100% hydration starter; if yours is stiffer, just bump the water by 10 g. No Dutch oven? A heavy cast-iron pan with a stainless bowl inverted on top works perfectly for the first 20 minutes of steam, which is the only part of the bake that really matters for ear and oven spring.
Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas
Fresh milled flour tortillas put store-bought to shame. The dough takes 10 minutes, no yeast, no proof — just mix, rest 30 minutes, roll, and griddle. The result is a soft, pliable tortilla with real wheat flavor that wraps without cracking. The key to soft tortillas is a small amount of fat and hot (not boiling) water. The fat coats the proteins and prevents toughness; hot water relaxes the dough so it rolls thin without springing back. Lard is traditional and best, but butter or neutral oil work well. Keep the heat moderate and don't overcook. Tortillas should puff slightly, develop a few brown spots, and remain flexible. Stack and wrap in a towel as you go so they steam soft. Makes 8 tortillas.