Tavern-Style Pizza

Chicago-Style Thin Crust Pizza

Crispy, square-cut tavern-style pizza made with a firm cold-fermented dough, bright tomato sauce, mozzarella, and classic sausage or pepperoni.

Makes 2 pizzas 45 minutes active 2-7 day ferment Intermediate
Printable chicago style pizza recipe Download Printable Recipe

Crispy, Thin, and Tavern-Cut

There is a common misconception that Chicago pizza means deep dish. While deep dish gets the attention, most Chicagoans grew up eating thin crust tavern-style pizza: rolled thin, baked crisp, and cut into squares.

This version uses a simple low-hydration dough that benefits from a few days of cold fermentation. The result is a crisp, sturdy crust that holds up beautifully under sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, and bright tomato sauce.

This is a low-hydration dough, so it will feel firm. That is intentional.

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with dough hook
  • Pizza steel or pizza stone
  • Rolling pin
  • Dough docker or fork
  • Parchment paper
  • Pizza peel or rimless baking sheet
  • Immersion blender

What Makes Chicago Thin Crust Different?

  1. It is rolled instead of stretched. Rolling creates the thin, even crust associated with tavern-style pizza.
  2. It bakes crisp and cracker-like. The low-hydration dough and hot steel help create a firm bottom crust.
  3. It is cut into squares. Also called tavern cut, this makes the pizza easy to share.
  4. Sausage often goes under the cheese. Small pieces of uncooked Italian sausage cook directly on the pizza.

Sauce Method

  1. Combine. Add all sauce ingredients to a bowl.
  2. Blend. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
  3. Taste. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Good pizza sauce should taste good before it ever touches the dough.

Dough Method

  1. Start the dough. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Bloom the yeast. Mix the sugar into the warm water, stir in the yeast, and let sit until foamy.
  3. Mix. With the mixer on low, add the water mixture, then the olive oil.
  4. Rest. Once the dough looks shaggy, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Knead. Mix with a dough hook for about 10 minutes, until smooth.
  6. Divide. Split into two dough balls and place in lightly oiled containers.
  7. Cold ferment. Refrigerate for at least 48 hours and up to 7 days.
  8. Warm before baking. Remove from the refrigerator 3 hours before baking.

Prep, Roll, and Build

  1. Preheat. Place a pizza steel or stone on the bottom rack and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Roll. Dust your work surface generously with flour. Coat one dough ball in flour, flatten gently, and roll to approximately 14 inches.
  3. Dock. Dock the dough with a dough docker or fork, avoiding the outer edge.
  4. Transfer. Move the dough to parchment dusted with cornmeal. Repeat with the second dough ball.
  5. Sauce. Spread sauce evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
  6. Top. Add sausage in small pieces or layer pepperoni evenly. Cover with shredded mozzarella and finish with dried oregano.
  7. Bake. Transfer the pizza, on parchment, onto the hot pizza steel. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown.
  8. Cut. Let cool briefly, then cut into squares.

Paul's Notes

Don't skip the cold ferment

The dough gets dramatically better after 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Dock the dough

Docking prevents big bubbles and helps keep the crust flat and crisp.

Use a steel if you can

A pizza steel gives you the best bottom crust for tavern-style pizza.

Chicago thin crust pizza dough and sauce
Building Chicago thin crust pizza
Finished Chicago thin crust pizza

Cut It Into Squares

Chicago thin crust might not be as famous as deep dish, but for many of us, it is the pizza we grew up with: crispy, cheesy, tavern-cut, and built for sharing.

Cook with me

Want to learn this pizza hands-on?

Chicago-style thin crust pizza is a great recipe to learn in class because it teaches dough fermentation, rolling, sauce balance, pizza steel setup, and how to build a crisp tavern-style pizza at home. Ask about adding it to a private cooking class in Naperville or the surrounding Chicago suburbs.

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