If you like home made fresh thick deep dish pizza, this is the recipe for you!
I found this great deep dish pizza recipe on seasons and suppers blog. Jennifer’s blog is loaded with some great Canadian recipes! I have relatives in Canada and remember some great Â
It’s super easy to make, no kneading, and the crust has a crispy bottom and soft and chewy inside.Â
A quick bake in a very hot oven, and you have pizza that is better than your favorite pizzeria! 
I made a home made pizza sauce because I prefer sauce that is thin and sweet. I took a can of Italian really good tomatoes, drained them slightly in a strainer and mashed up with my hands. I added sugar to my liking and heated on the stove slightly (maybe 4-5 minutes). I added basil, oregano and a little parsley to the sauce.Â
What is the difference between the different yeasts out there? 
Instant Yeast – Can be mixed right into dry ingredients. Works faster than Active Dry yeast. Ready for use the “instant” you open the package. Guaranteed to be 100% active due to the way it is made. It has a small grain size so it activates with the moisture in your recipe. Can be bought in bulk.Can be frozen for several years. Perfect for dough’s requiring more than one rise, or cold proofed doughs. 
Active Dry Yeast – needs to be dissolved in warm water to activate before using. Then dry ingredients are added. Don’t think you will remember the difference once you are in the grocery store? Just remember Active Dry yeast needs to be “activated” before use. Even though you just purchased and the expiration is good, yeast can still be dead. So when adding water if it doesn’t start “cooking” after a bit, throw it out and try another envelope. Active dry yeast is highly perishable. The temperature of the water to proof the yeast should be between 105 and 115 degrees F. Anything above 115 degrees F may damage yeast. 
Rapid Rise/Quick Rising Yeast – As the name suggests, not suitable for products that need a “long rise”. Can be refrigerated for up to a year. Designed to work for products with “only one rise”. Not designed to work for refrigerated dough’s.
In summary, Instant yeast is a product that is more user friendly for today’s home cooks and professionals. It last’s much longer than Active Dry yeast, is more reliable and eliminated the extra step of proofing.
Deep Dish Pizza is this easy to make:
Mix the ingredients for dough in the morning.
Place on the counter and let it rise for about 7 hours or so. It may triple in size.
An hour before you want to eat, take dough out of the bowl and transfer to a floured surface. Dough will be a bit sticky so you will need flour to avoid sticking. Knead just a little to work in a little flour. Form into a ball.
Oil a 12 inch black cast iron skillet liberally and place the dough ball in the center. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 1 hour.
Half an hour into 1 hour resting period, preheat oven to 500 degrees F.Â
One dough has rested for 1 hour, stretch dough to sides of pan. If it wants to bounce back stretch it as best as you can, let it rest a few minutes and try again. 
Top with pizza sauce, cheese and any topping you like. 
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Take out of pan and cut pizza into slices. 
This pizza was so thick and delicious! It’s hard to believe even a beginner cook can make this with no effort! Pizza nights will never be the same!
Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
Dough:
2 1/2 cups bread flour, Italian “00” Pizza flour or all purpose flour, plus more, as needed
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon Instant yeast, such as SAF Brand *See Note 1 below for other yeast options
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
Topping:
3/4 cup pizza sauce, store-bought or homemade
3 cups full-fat, low moisture pizza mozzarella cheese, grated
1 green bell pepper, very thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil, for greasing the pan
Instructions
Combine dough ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon (dough will rise a lot at one point, so use a large enough bowl to allow it to triple in size). Dough will be shaggy and dry, but just stir as best you can to moisten the flour well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set on the counter to rise for 7-8 hours (the longer the better!).
About 1 1/2 hours before you want to eat your pizza, remove the dough to a floured work surface. The dough will look very moist and sticky in the bowl. Dust the top of the dough with a bit of flour, as well, then gently knead the dough a bit, working in a bit of additional flour, as needed, only if the dough is sticking to your work surface or hands. Form the dough into a ball. Brush the skillet liberally with olive oil and place your dough ball into the center of your prepared baking pan. Cover with a clean tea towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 500F.
Once dough has rested, using only your fingertips, gently press down and stretch the dough towards the outside edges of the pan. It will want to shrink back a bit, but keep at it. You don’t want to deflate the dough too much, so only use your fingertips. If it is stubborn, let it rest a couple of minutes, then try again.
Once the dough is stretched to the outside of the pan, top with pizza sauce. Top with grated cheese and additional toppings.
Bake pizza in preheated 500 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Let pizza rest in pan about 4-5 minutes, then loosen with a spatula and slide onto a cutting board to slice.
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