A knife, or a fold
Deep dish vs thin crust
Deep dish vs thin crust: time, pan, cheese, and how to eat it. Chicago deep dish against a New York slice and a tavern cracker.
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People argue as if one of these is pizza and the other is a mistake. They are different dinners. The photo is deep dish. Thin crust is the foldable slice, and the method is on Thin crust pizza.
Two different pies
| Pick | Pan | Cheese first | Under 15 min | Fork |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep dish | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| New York thin | No | No | Yes | No |
| Tavern cracker | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Tick = yes. Dash = no or not the job. Bar = only sometimes.
What to buy
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Baking Steel OriginalCheck Amazon.comBaking Steel
Low-Moisture MozzarellaCheck Amazon.comToppings
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King Arthur Bread FlourCheck Amazon.comBread Flour
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Deep dish needs a pan, Chicago Metallic Pizza Pan or a similar dark pan, and patience. Cheese goes down first so it does not burn under a long bake. Tomato on top. You eat it with a knife. Thin crust needs a Baking Steel Original that has been hot for the better part of an hour, and less topping than you want to add.
If you only have a weeknight, bake Classic Cheese Pizza or Folded NY Pepperoni. Deep dish is the pie you start when you have an hour. Neither one is improved by using the other one’s temperature.
Common questions
- What is the difference between deep dish and thin crust?
- Deep dish is a buttery wall of dough in a pan, cheese underneath, tomato on top, 35–45 minutes at about 220°C (425°F). Thin crust is a stretched round on a hot steel, sauce under a lighter cheese, done in well under 15 minutes at 260–290°C (500–550°F).
- Is Chicago pizza the same as thin crust?
- Chicago has both. Deep dish is the postcard. Tavern pizza is the thin, square, cracker pie. They are not substitutes. Recipes: Chicago Deep Dish and Classic Cheese Pizza.
Then bake
New YorkClassic Cheese Pizza
From New York
Sauce, mozzarella, that’s it. The pie Google still looks for every night.
New YorkFolded NY Pepperoni
From New York
The slice you fold in half on the sidewalk: crisp undercarriage, extra cheese, cupped pepperoni that pools a little oil.
ChicagoChicago Deep Dish
From Ike Sewell
Buttery crust, cheese first, chunky tomatoes on top. A pie you eat with a knife.
Also read Baking steel vs pizza stone, Pizza oven temperature, Thin crust pizza, How to tell a pizza is done.