Gluten Free Deep Dish Pizza

By Nicole Hunn | Published: February 3, 2017 | Posted In: Breads, Dinner, Pizza

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time : 20

Cook Time : 45

This gluten free deep dish pizza is so easy to make and tastes just like you remember. Load up your pizza crust with your favorite toppings!

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This gluten free deep dish pizza is so easy to make and tastes just like you remember. Load up your pizza with your favorite toppings!

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Why I love this recipe for gluten free deep dish pizza

I've been making this deep dish gluten free pizza, in one form or another, since 2012. It's the sort of pizza that you really sink your teeth into.

Maybe it's the bit of cornmeal in the crust. The crust in this gf deep dish pizza has a lot of work to do, since there are so many more wet toppings in deep dish than there are in classic gf pizza dough!

Deep dish gluten free pizza dough is so easy to make and tastes just like you remember. Load up your pizza with your favorite toppings!

I love to bake these deep dish pizzas in 6-inch round baking pans, but of course it's not necessary. You really just need something, well, deep. It is deep dish, after all.

The recipe includes cornmeal as an ingredient because it helps make the crust a little more sturdy and gives it the bite you want. The cornmeal does make the crust delicate to work with, as opposed to your standard gluten free pizza crust, but it's worth it!

I've included two versions of the recipe for the gluten free pizza crust below, in case you don't have the bread flour ingredients. If you use my no-bread-flour recipe below, you'll find that it is more difficult to handle.

The idea is to get the crust into the bottom of the pan however you can, as the pan will help it keep its shape during baking. You could probably even just press the crust into pan without rolling it out, but you'll end up with thicker and thinner spots that will bake unevenly.

Deep dish pizza is unique in more ways than one. Not only is it baked in a round pan, but most of the cheese is actually on the bottom of the pizza.

Just line the crust with thick slices of a semi-hard cheese. I really like provolone here, but asiago and Gruyere are also really nice. You don't want a cheese with a lot of moisture, though, as the tomato sauce will have more than enough.

I always add cubed pancetta next, but you can leave it out entirely or add ground beef or pork for texture and flavor. Then, simply cover generously with tomato sauce and a layer of finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

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Gluten Free Deep Dish Pizza

This gluten free deep dish pizza is so easy to make and tastes just like you remember. Load up your pizza crust with your favorite toppings!

Course: Dinner, Pizza

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 45

Chilling time: 1

Yield: 4 small pizzas (or 2 larger)

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Stand mixer fitted with dough hook (bread flour variation) or paddle attachment (all purpose variation)
4 6-inch x 2-inch round baking pans or 2 8-inch x 2-inch round baking pans

Ingredients

For the gluten free bread flour variation

2 ½ cups (350 g) Gluten Free Bread Flour plus more for sprinkling (please click thru for full info on my gluten free bread flour blend)
¼ cup (33 g) coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
1 ⅓ teaspoons (4 g) instant yeast
2 teaspoons (8 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
¼ cup (56 g) neutral oil like canola, grapseed, vegetable, sunflower
¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) warm water (about 95°F)

For the all purpose gluten free flour variation

2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (use Better Batter here if at all possible)
1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
¼ cup (33 g) coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon (9 g) instant yeast
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
¼ cup (56 g) neutral oil
¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) warm water (about 95°F)

For the pizza.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
5 ounces thickly sliced provolone cheese
4 ounces cubed pancetta
Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
1 cup Tomato Sauce
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

To make the bread flour recipe.

Place the flour, cornmeal, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if you have a hand mixer with dough hooks). Use a handheld whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk to combine. Add the oil and water, and mix to combine.
Using the dough hook attachment for your stand mixer or the dough hooks attached to your hand mixer, knead the dough until smooth (about 4 to 5 minutes).
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or proofing bucket large enough for the dough to rise, and cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap or the oiled top of the bucket.
Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

To make the all purpose flour recipe.

In a medium-size bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornmeal, yeast and sugar, and whisk to combine. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine. To the flour mixture, add the oil and the water and mix to combine.
Press the dough into a disk and place it in a greased bowl or bucket, and cover with oiled plastic wrap or the oiled top to the bucket. Place the dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

When you're nearly ready to bake.

Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Grease two 8-inch round baking dish with sides that are at least 1 1/2 inches high, or 4 6-inch round pans. Set the pans aside.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with extra flour and knead by folding it over on itself until it is smoother. This will be much easier if you used the bread flour recipe.

Shape the pizza dough.

Divide the dough into two or four equal portions (depending upon the size of your pans), and roll each into a ball. Working with one portion at a time, roll out the dough into a round that is about 1/4-inch thick, flouring the dough and the surface and moving it around to prevent sticking.
Lift the prepared round of dough carefully into one of the prepared baking dishes and press it into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, as you would with a pie crust.
Repeat with the remaining piece(s) of dough.

Assemble the pizzas.

Brush the bottom of each crust with the melted butter. Divide the sliced cheese evenly between the crusts, covering the bottom surface of each completely. Divide the cubed pancetta between the crusts next, followed by the oregano leaves and the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Cover each pan loosely with aluminum foil, and place in the center of the preheated oven.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the pancetta is very fragrant.
Uncover the pizzas and continue to bake until the crust is browned and some of the moisture has begun to evaporated from the tomato sauce (about another 15 minutes).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly before removing from the pan, slicing into wedges and serving warm.