8 Styles Of Deep-Dish Pizza, Explained

Pizza takes on endless shapes, sizes, and styles around the world. From an oven-baked, greasy New York slice to the fresh-flavored, thin-crusted California style, this iconic food was made for adventurous customization. The first mention of pizza was around the year 1000 AD. It didn't arrive in the U.S. until 1905 with the opening of Lombardi's in New York City. After which, it spread like wildfire across the states, evolving with the influence of the region.

Chicago-style deep dish, for example, is both derivative of the ancient Sicilian sfincione style and an entirely distinct offshoot that has inspired other pizza styles. A thick, topping-heavy indulgence, and may be the first variation meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. While it may not dethrone a classic NY slice, Chicago deep dish ranks nicely on our list of pizza styles, not just for its taste, but for its influence on the evolution of pizza. Deep dish is now a category all its own, and with the help of Noel Brohner, pizza consultant, instructor, and founder of Slow Rise Pizza Co., here is every style, explained.

The pizza Chicago is most known for was created in the 1940s at Pizzeria Uno by Ike Sewell, Ric Riccardo, and cook Alice Mae Redmond. Deep dish pizza was inspired by savory pie rather than traditional Italian pizza. It's baked in round, 2-inch-high metal pans large enough for dough and copious ingredients. The crust is at least 1.5 inches high, made of yeast-leavened and fat-enriched dough with a moist, Play-Doh-like texture. The iconic yellow hue of deep dish crust comes from cornmeal or corn oil.

Unlike traditional pizza dough, which is stretched and molded, deep dish dough is pressed into a pan and baked until it has a tender consistency. "The classic layering is cheese first, then toppings (often bulk sausage, mushrooms, onions), and finally tomato sauce on top — often chunky and unblended," says Noel Brohner. Ingredients are layered with sauce on top to prevent cheese from overcooking during the three-hour-plus cook time. It's usually eaten for lunch or dinner, or at restaurants or home, due to its layered, fooditis-inducing design. Despite being named after the city, tavern-style pizza is actually more popular in Chicago.

A sub-variation of the original deep dish was invented in 1971 by Burt Katz. Dubbed "the Quod," it was named after Pequod's Pizza, another iconic Chi-town establishment. It featured a cottony crust more akin to white bread and includes Pequod's famous "frico" technique, which involves adding caramelized cheese around the pan edges.

Deep dish evolved in the 1970s with the introduction of a stuffed variety. Giordano's founders, Efren and Joseph Boglio, invented this style, which includes a second, thinner layer of dough on top covered with additional tomato sauce. It's a dense undertaking with a higher crust than the original, requiring a deeper round metal pan, typically 2-2.5 inches high. "[The crust] has less of the buttery crispiness and more of a soft, enriched bread texture," says Noel Brohner. It's closer to the Quod than to the original style, but varies from place to place depending on the salt and fat content, which adds subtle flavor and imparts a pale yellow color.

Stuffed deep dish pizza is also layered in reverse, starting with crust, then ingredients, mozzarella cheese, a second crust top layer (or "dough lid"), and tomato sauce. Steam from the baking process gives the top layer crust a gel-like consistency that can be mistaken for cheese by first-timers. Unlike traditional deep dish fillings, this variety usually contains a wetter, more sauced assemblage of ingredients. Due to its heft, stuffed deep dish is more suitable for dinners or larger gatherings.

Long Island, New York is the birthplace of a style of pizza invented by grandmas in the kitchen. This matriarchal mouthful is a pan-style pie that's thicker than regular pizza, usually under 1 inch thick, but thinner than a typical deep dish. In fact, whether it qualifies as an official deep dish pizza is debatable, but we'll leave that up to the pizza diehards. The most defining characteristic of Grandma pizza is its homemade style, which involves a "whatever's on hand" approach. "Italian-American grandmothers (nonnas) on Long Island baked these pies using standard dough, rectangular sheet pans, and basic pantry toppings. The goal was speed and substance — not perfection," says Noel Brohner.

Like the original deep dish, the dough is pressed into the pan. It is then layered with a tomato, garlic and herb blend, olive oil, oregano, melty mozzarella, and a sauce top-layer often sprinkled with Parmesan or basil. Grandma pizza outgrew its humble kitchen origins, and according to Brohner, "has become a chef-driven favorite."

Detroit's auto industry is partially responsible for the creation of this rectangular-shaped pizza. Invented in 1946 at an east side bar named Buddy's Rendezvous, Detroit-style pizza has become one of the most popular variations around. Unlike the round metal pan the original deep dish is made in, Motor City-pie is baked in a blue steel pan, around 2 inches thick, that was made for auto mechanics to hold tools or use as drip trays. The steel produces a distinctive crunchy consistency.

"The dough is light and airy, with medium-to-high hydration. It's pressed — not stretched — into an oiled pan, resulting in a crispy, golden bottom crust. Cheese (often Wisconsin brick cheese) is layered edge to edge, creating the distinctive frico crown. Sauce is applied after the bake, in stripes or dollops, to avoid sogginess and maintain a crisp base," says Noel Brohner. Detroit-style pizza can be enjoyed by hand or with a fork and knife. 

Sicily's take on deep dish dates back to the 17th century. It goes by the name sfincione (pronounced sfeen-cho-nay) and was created by nuns in Palermo as a dish for Christmas and New Year's Eve. This ancient style has sponge, focaccia-like dough that's super absorbent and heavily olive-oiled, which gives it flavor and crispness. According to Noel Brohner, "The name comes from the Latin word spongia, meaning sponge — a nod to its airy crumb. [It's] sometimes baked twice — once to set the crumb, then again after topping."

Traditional add-ons include onion-tomato sauce peppered with anchovy, breadcrumbs seasoned with oregano, and sometimes a dash of sharp cheese, though many iterations exist. While closer to a pan-style pizza, many consider it a predecessor to modern deep dish. However, sfincione is minimalist compared to the Chicago-style and more bready with a tangier flavor profile. It's traditionally sliced into rectangular portions and eaten warm or at room temperature after the flavor has settled, rather than hot. Sfincione can be found at street vendors throughout Sicily.

Large swaths of Sicilians immigrated to New York between the late 1800s and early 1900s, bringing with them their homeland culinary traditions. Sfincione was one of many dishes brought along, where it evolved into a New York-style variation. While it retains many characteristics of the original, there are several that make New York Sicilian pizza distinct. The rectangular/square shape remains, along with the thick, chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-bottom crust. However, the dough itself is closer to NY pizza that's fermented for longer periods. Par-baking is more common with this iteration, too, a technique that ensures the ideal dough consistency.

Unlike sfincione, New York Sicilian pizza is usually served hot and comes with more toppings, cheese, and sauce. Low-moisture mozzarella and crushed tomatoes with a garnish of oregano or Parmigiano in particular, though other variations can include pepperoni, anchovies, onions, fresh mozzarella, or basil. Sicilian Americans see it "as a nostalgic comfort food and a way to showcase more dough-centric pies," says Brohner.

A predecessor to modern pizza, Italian focaccia dates back to the Age of Antiquity, which historians say lasted from 8th century BCE to 5th century CE. "The name derives from the Latin word focus, meaning 'hearth,' where these early flatbreads were baked (panis focacius = hearth bread)," says Noel Brohner. As it spread throughout Italy, Italian focaccia evolved into many iterations and took on different names — "schiacciata" in Emilia-Romagna, "focaccia di Recco" in Liguria, and "fougasse" in southern France are a few.

Traditional focaccia is a simple flatbread enriched with olive oil that has a spongy interior and crispy crust. The typical toppings are flake salt, herbs, and sometimes thinly sliced onions, olives, cherry tomatoes, or garlic, which Noel says are "pressed into the dough before baking or scattered lightly across the top." Italian focaccia is considered a more rustic bread than deep dish pizza and is normally served as a side dish, in a bread basket, or used as sandwich bread. That said, due to its customizable nature, it makes sense why variations with toppings, like this crispy no-knead skillet pizza, can be considered a type of deep dish pizza.

Another deep dish-adjacent style originating from Italy is Roman pizza al taglio. Meaning "pizza by the cut," it's a bakery-borne pie made with high-hydration dough, fermented for several days, and baked in generously oiled pans. Bakers often flip it over midway to give it a crispy exterior and light interior. This modern pizza style is endlessly customizable; popular topping combos include burrata and prosciutto, potatoes and oxtail, and mortadella and pistachios. For the most part, however, bread and crumb texture are the focus. Slices typically only have two to four ingredients at a time.

It's closer to a high-hydration pan pizza than a deep dish, but is similar to Italian focaccia in its customizable nature. A more defining characteristic is that it is sold by weight instead of in uniform slices. "Pizza al taglio is baked in large rectangular pans, displayed behind glass, and iconically cut to order with scissors. Customers can order any size slice, making it ideal for on-the-go dining or sampling several styles," says Noel Brohner. In Italy, Roman al taglio can be found at bakeries, fast-casual shops, and food halls.