Stuffed Pizza

Name: Stuffed Pizza
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 24 h
Yield: 2 pizzas
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 250g Bread flour; 150ml water; 6g salt; 1g Instant yeast; 15ml olive oil; 150g mozzarella, shredded; Cherry tomatoes, halved; Fresh basil leaves; Fresh oregano; Red pepper flakes

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Published: April 03, 2026 | Prep: 45 min | Cook: 30-35 min | Total: 24-48 hours

Difficulty: Advanced

Ingredients

🧂 Dough

250g Bread flour
150ml water (60 hydration)
6g salt
1g Instant yeast
15ml olive oil (optional)

🛒 Recommended Products

Fresh Mozzarella →

Extra Virgin Olive Oil →

King Arthur Bread Flour →

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🍕 Toppings

Fresh oregano
150g mozzarella, shredded
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh basil leaves
Red pepper flakes

Instructions

Mix flour and water until combined. Let rest 20 minutes (autolyse).

Add yeast and salt. Mix until smooth dough forms.

Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough is elastic and slightly tacky.

Shape into a ball. Place in oiled bowl.

Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled.

Divide into 4 ball(s). Shape each into a tight round.

Cold ferment in refrigerator for 48 hours or overnight.

Remove from fridge 1-2 hours before baking.

Preheat oven to maximum temperature (250°C+).

Stretch dough into a rectangular shape. Top with your favorite ingredients.

Bake for 30-35 min until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Let rest 2-3 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

💡 Pro Tips

Seal the edges tightly to prevent leakage. Let it rest 5 minutes before cutting.

Chicago stuffed vs Chicago deep dish

Both styles originate in Chicago and both are thick. The difference: deep dish has a single layer of dough pressed into a tall pan, with toppings layered on top (cheese first, then sauce). Stuffed pizza goes further — two layers of dough sandwich the fillings, with sauce on the very top.

Stuffed pizza was popularised by Nancy's Pizza and Giordano's in the 1970s. The second dough layer is what makes it a meal rather than a pizza — each slice weighs noticeably more than deep dish, and a single slice can be a full dinner.

The technique that matters

The structural challenge: the bottom dough layer has to hold a lot of wet filling without going soggy, and the top layer has to seal without blowing out during the bake.

Key details:

Pre-bake the bottom crust for 5 minutes before adding filling. This sets the base and prevents sogginess.
Fillings go directly onto hot pre-baked crust — cheese first, then your chosen toppings.
The top dough layer should be thinner than the bottom, rolled to about 3mm. Pinch the edges tightly to seal.
Cut steam vents in the top layer — two or three small slashes with a sharp knife. Skip this and the top balloons.
Sauce goes on AFTER the top dough, before the final bake.

Pan and temperature

A dark-coloured 9-inch deep-dish pan works best — dark metal absorbs heat and crisps the bottom crust. If you only have a shiny pan, add 5 minutes to the bake time. Bake at 220°C for about 40 minutes. The internal temperature of the filling should hit 75°C before you cut it.

Let the pizza rest in the pan for 10 minutes after baking. If you cut immediately, the filling flows out and you lose the layered structure.

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