Name: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 cup flour; 2 Tbsp cornmeal; ¾ tsp sea salt; 2¼ tsp (just shy of 1 packet) instant yeastDid you notice that we're using instant yeast, not active dry? Okay, good.; 3 Tbsp melted unsalted butter; 3 Tbsp corn oil; ¾ cup (just shy of 1 packet) instant yeastDid you notice that we're using instant yeast, not active dry? Okay, good.; 2 Tbsp butter; 1 small onion, diced extremely fine, or better yet zhuzhed in a food processor for about a minute (should yield about 1/2 cup); ¾ tsp salt; 1 tsp dried oregano; ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 28 oz can crushed tomatoes; 1 tsp sugar

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The deep dish pizza recipe produced the best authentic Chicago style crust. If you love a crispy deep dish pizza, you must try this recipe. The characters in the novel are set up to be the basis of many intriguing mysteries. You will be delighted to have found this series.

This cozy mystery has the most fiery main characters of all of the books I’ve read. Delilah is a flawed hero with plenty of room to grow and that makes this series exciting. There will be plenty of changes and development with the characters in this series.

Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

from a cozy mystery:

Six Feet Deep Dish

by Mindy Quigley

Book Outline and Tone:

This is a fiery book. I didn’t type spicy, I meant fiery. Main character, Delilah is fiery, she has a bit of a temper. Talk about a character flaw, she is a fascinating main character. While not perfect, you will find yourself hoping she is successful and turning page after page to see what she will do next. Author Mindy Quigley describes this series as “mysteries that will make you lol.” Delilah’s recipes from her restaurant, Deep Dutch Pizza (again not a typo), are straight from a professional kitchen and she offers no apologies. Humorously, Delilah says “I busted my butt for years honing my craft to get this recipe right and then invested every ounce of my being to make sure the restaurant was outfitted with the best equipment. You think Joe Public can just whip up my pizza on a Friday night using ingredients from the Piggly Wiggly and whatever bush-league garbage oven he has at home?”

Fortunately for us, the answer is Yes. Yes we can follow her recipe to make outstanding deep dish pizza, just like you could get in Chicago, crust, toppings, cheese, sauce, in that order!

Delilah is in Geneva Bay, Wisconsin and so is her elderly aunt, Biz. When Biz’s attendant is found murdered on the night of the restaurant’s soft opening, Delilah must solve this mystery to be able to open her restaurant. Long story short, Delilah’s ex-fiance was the financial backer for the restaurant, but since he is her ex-fiance, she is uncertain how she will keep the restaurant open. In the meantime, she finds herself drawn to the police detective, Calvin Capote who is related to THE Capote. It is a tangled web just trying to open the restaurant.

The Best Quote:

“‘Delilah, why don’t you do the honors?’ Sam pushed me forward. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled back the cloth to reveal our new sign: Sam and Delilah’s Deep Dutch Pizza. I blinked hard “Deep Dutch Pizza” I enunciated each word through clenched teeth….Sonya appeared behind me and took hold of my shoulders, steering me into the restaurant before I could shift into full Hulk Smash mode.”

Point of View:

The novel is written in third person limited point of view with Delilah as the focus.

The Author: Mindy Quigley

Author Mindy Quigley is an award winning author of two series, the Mount Moriah Mysteries and this one, Deep Dish Mysteries. The tagline on her website reads “Sometimes murder is a laughing matter.” This slogan seems perfect for this series. Her website has questions to use for a book club and a place to sign up for her newsletter. The first question on the book club page is “Delilah O’Leary has some rough edges. Do you like the character?” This first question perfectly sums up my review. She does have rough edges, but I do like her and will be picking up the next book to see how she grows. Mindy is active on social media. You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.

What is not to like?:

I was surprised that the main character has a hot temper, but then I realized that meant she will have room to grow and mature.

The verdict:

First, make the pizza. Do it! The crust is fabulous! Plus I enjoyed the novel as much as the pizza.

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Assemble the Ingredients

DELILAH & SON CHICAGO- STYLE DEEP DISH

Yields: 4-6 servings

Prep time: 1.5 hours (including rising the dough)

Bake time: 30 minutes

[Recipe and comments directly from the novel]

Sonya here. Delilah & Son is built on quality, fancified deep-dish pies. When I said I wanted to adapt our basic deep-dish recipe so folks could make it at home, Delilah was, let’s say, not super supportive. I think her exact words were, “I busted my butt for years honing my craft to make sure the restaurant was outfitted with the best equipment. You think Joe Public can just whip up my pizza on a Friday night using ingredients from the Piggly Wiggly and whatever bush-league garbage oven he has at home?”

I agree that it’s hard to mimic restaurant food in a normal kitchen, but if you’re game, let’s give it a whirl.

First, let me say that Delilah has a dirty little secret. I’m not talking about her crush on Capone, which she thinks I don’t know about. I’m talking about the fact that I’m actually better at making pizza dough than she is. To say Dee is a little competitive is like saying the pope is a little Catholic, so she was none too pleased in culinary school when I sailed through the Yeasted Doughs lesson while she struggled. Our instructor said her English muffins “bordered on impenetrable.” She’s gotten better since then, but she’s not a natural. Personally, I attribute it to her kneading technique. If she’s in a bad mood, she can be aggressive. Like Mike Tyson, aggressive. Good dough requires finesse, not ten rounds in the boxing ring.

P.S. Don’t tell her I told you about her infamous impenetrable muffins. It’s a sore spot to this day.

The Recipe

This recipe will fill a 12-inch round deep-dish pan and will feed 4 to 6 people. If you don’t have a pan that big, you could use a 9-inch cake pan and either cut this recipe down by about one-third or keep the leftover dough for another purpose.

Step 1: Make the Dough

Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and give everything a little how-do-you-do with a wooden spoon.

Add the butter, oil, and water and stir again until the dough just begins to come together.

Do not over-mix or use boiling water here. Pop the dough hook on to your mixer and let that sucker spin on medium-low for about 6 minutes.

Quick tip: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do all of this by hand. Make sure you use a B.A.B. (Big Ass Bowl), because you need a lot of room to maneuver. You’ll probably need a slightly longer kneading time, too. If the dough looks too wet, add one tablespoon of flour. Too dry? Add a tablespoon of warm water.

Step 2: Let It Rise

Form that bad boy into a ball and pop it into an oiled pizza pan (i.e., the pan you’re going to cook it in). Make sure the pan is well-oiled, sides and all, and flip the dough ball once to coat it in oil.

Cover the whole shebang with foil and throw a clean kitchen towel over it. Let it hang out in a warm spot for about an hour. On a cold day, you may want to heat your oven until it’s just warm and then cut the heat off. Nestle your little dough baby in that cozy oven while it doubles in size. If you’d like, you can start cooking your sauce (Step 4) while the dough is rising.

Step 3: Let It Rise Some More

After the first rise, unveil your dough. Set the foil aside; you’ll need it again. Press the dough down to fill the pan and mold it up the sides. Fix any holes by sticking the dough to itself with wet fingers. Re-cover the pan with the foil and towel and let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Now is a good time to start pre-heating your oven to 425° F.

A couple of notes about the dough.

There’s an active debate about whether cornmeal belongs in an authentic Chicago deep dish. We like it because it adds a nice yellow color to the dough and a little pleasant grittiness to the texture. Some of the big chains achieve a yellow color with food coloring, which … I mean, just why? If you want something to be a color, use ingredients that are that color. Don’t get me started. Suffice it to say, we include a little cornmeal. The dough will come together okay if you leave it out because you’re some kind of weird Gino’s East cultist. Some places spread a dusting of cornmeal in the bottom of their pizza pan to add an extra crunch. You could go that route if it floats your boat.

We use corn oil in our dough. You heard me. Corn oil. It may not be the most fashionable of oils, but it’s the best for this recipe. You can substitute olive oil if you prefer. It will change the flavor and color a bit, but the dough should turn out hunky-dory. Don’t use boiling water or it’ll kill your yeast. The water should feel very warm to the touch, like a warm bath.

Step 4: Make the Sauce

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the zhuzhed/diced onion.

Toss in your salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about five minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, and sugar. Simmer on very low heat for 30 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. Let it cool slightly.

A couple of notes about the sauce.

You like spicy? Add more red pepper flakes. You like garlic? Throw in another clove. You do you, boo. The quality of the tomatoes is super important. Probably the most expensive ones in the grocery store are gonna be your best bet. If you know an Italian person, ask them what brand they use.

Molly’s note. I used Wal-Mart’s great value crushed tomatoes and I thought the sauce was fantastic. So as she said, you do you boo!

Step 5: Build Your Creation

Take the foil and the towel off your pan and behold your gorgeous dough. If the shape has gone funky during the second rise, press it back into submission.

Layer mozzarella directly on top of the crust. If you use sliced mozzarella, lay the slices out with a slight overlap, as if you’re making a fruit tart.

If you want to add sausage, veggies, or other toppings, now is your moment. Go nuts.

Pour sauce on top of the mozzarella then sprinkle the grated parmesan across the top.

A couple of notes about building your pizza.

If you’re adding other toppings besides cheese, make sure the sauce covers your toppings.

We are using low-moisture mozzarella here. Don’t use fresh mozzarella unless you want Delilah to personally come to your house and tell you how soggy and disgusting your crust is. Ditto with any other toppings you add. Don’t add anything too wet, or you will regret it.

Super-Important Note: Deep-dish pizza layering goes cheese, then toppings, THEN sauce. If you do it the other way around, you’re not making deep-dish pizza. You’re making hot garbage and you have only yourself to blame.

Step 6: Baking

Pop your pan in the oven and bake it in a preheated 425°F oven for about 30 to 35 minutes. The crust around the edges should be lovely and golden brown. Let the pizza cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Slice, serve, and chow down.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

from a cozy mystery: Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley

This recipe will fill a 12-inch round deep-dish pan and will feed 4 to 6 people. If you don't have a pan that big, you could use a 9-inch cake pan and either cut this recipe down by about one-third or keep the leftover dough for another purpose.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 30

Course dinner, lunch, pizza

Cuisine American, Chicago Style

Servings 4

Ingredients

Dough/Crust

3 cup flour
2 Tbsp cornmeal
¾ tsp sea salt
2¼ tsp (just shy of 1 packet) instant yeast
Did you notice that we're using instant yeast, not active dry? Okay, good.
3 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
3 Tbsp corn oil
¾ cup (just shy of 1 packet) instant yeast
Did you notice that we're using instant yeast, not active dry? Okay, good.

Sauce

2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced extremely fine, or better yet zhuzhed in a food processor for about a minute (should yield about 1/2 cup)
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar

Instructions

Dough/Crust

Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and give everything a little how-do-you-do with a wooden spoon.
Add the butter, oil, and water and stir again until the dough just begins to come together. Do not over-mix or use boiling water here.
Pop the dough hook on to your mixer and let that sucker spin on medium-low for about 6 minutes.
Form that bad boy into a ball and pop it into an oiled pizza pan (i.e., the pan you're going to cook it in).
Make sure the pan is well-oiled, sides and all, and flip the dough ball once to coat it in oil. Cover the whole shebang with foil and throw a clean kitchen towel over it. Let it hang out in a warm spot for about an hour.
start cooking your sauce (while the dough is rising.

Sauce

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the zhuzhed/diced onion. Toss in your salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Cook for about five minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, and sugar.
Simmer on very low heat for 30 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary. Let it cool slightly.

Dough Crust

After the first rise, unveil your dough.
Press the dough down to fill the pan and mold it up the sides. Fix any holes by sticking the dough to itself with wet fingers.
Re-cover the pan with the foil and towel and let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Assemble Pizza

Take the foil and the towel off your pan and behold your gorgeous dough. If the shape has gone funky during the second rise, press it back into submission.
Layer mozzarella directly on top of the crust. If you use sliced mozzarella, lay the slices out with a slight overlap, as if you're making a fruit tart. If you want to add sausage, veggies, or other toppings, now is your moment.
Pour sauce on top of the mozzarella then sprinkle the grated parmesan across the top.
Super-Important Note: Deep-dish pizza layering goes cheese, then toppings, THEN sauce. If you do it the other way around, you're not making deep-dish pizza. You're making hot garbage and you have only yourself to blame.
Pop your pan in the oven and bake it in a preheated 425°F oven for about 30 to 35 minutes. The crust around the edges should be lovely and golden brown. Let the pizza cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.