4 Cheese Deep Dish Pizza Recipe
This 4 cheese deep dish pizza recipe is sure to be a hit! With its crispy crust, flavorful tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and rich garlic butter, this pizza is sure to disappear and become a new family favorite!
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Who doesn’t love a good pizza, especially a cheese pizza? I’ll be honest me and cheese pizza have had a love-hate relationship for quite some time now. I loved it was I was little, hated it when I got older, and somewhere along the way fell in love with this classic pizza again.
Usually, I prefer to eat thin crust pizza, especially if it is sourdough pizza crust. But every now and then I find myself craving a good thick crust pizza, and I’m still counting down the days till I get to eat a real Chicago style pizza.
When I started making homemade from-scratch pizzas for pizza night, I knew it would only be a matter of time will I got around to making a deep dish pizza.
This recipe took a lot longer than I was expecting it to, and I don’t really care to admit how long it took me to nail down a good homemade pizza crust recipe. Or how long it took me to figure out how to make a good crispy golden brown deep dish pizza. All that matters is that I did, after a few months and my family having to eat more pizza than they bargained for this recipe was born.
In it I’ve combined my sister’s love of cheese pizza, my love for deep dish pizza, my mum’s love of garlic butter, and how to create the perfect cheese blend, a secret I picked up from a take n’ bake place we used to go to a lot.
Needless to say, this recipe has it all! And it’s sure to become a fast favorite, and the best part is the crust is the only part that actually takes any time!
4 cheese deep dish pizza recipe
Ingredients
for the pizza
- 1 batch of homemade pizza crust –you can also use store-bought dough, just keep in mind you want the same amount that would normally be used to make 2 pizzas
- Gouda cheese, shredded
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- garlic salt
- Italian seasoning
- parsley
- Pizza sauce, I like to use my homemade pizza sauce!
- olive oil
for the garlic butter
- salted butter
- garlic cloves OR garlic powder
- Fresh or dry parsley
How to Make a Deep Dish 4 Cheese Pizza at Home
Prepare your pizza crust according to the recipe or package instructions. The Recipe below is written based on my homemade pizza crust.
Make the pizza crust and set it aside to rise as usual, the only difference you make when preparing the crust for this recipe is that you only want to leave the dough ball to rise for 30 minutes.
While the dough is rising, lightly grease a 9×13 deep dish cake pan with olive oil. (I like to use this Nonstick Aluminized Steel cake pan.)
After 30 minutes, turn the pizza dough out into the greased cake pan. Using your hands stretch/spread the dough out until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a tea towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour.
In a large bowl, combine the cheese, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and parsley, toss with your hands to coat the cheese with the seasoning. Set aside
In a medium saucepan combine the butter, garlic, and parsley. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly, until the butter is completely melted and bubbly. Remove the pan from the heat, until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Once the dough has risen, use your hands to spread it out if needed to make sure the dough is touching the corners of the pan.
Pour all of the garlic butter onto the crust, and spread it around using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula. Carefully pour the pizza sauce over the butter, and spread it out till it covers the whole surface of the crust. You can make the pizza as saucy or not saucy as you like. (Any extra sauce can be stored in the fridge and used at a later date)
Top with the cheese mixture, and place in the oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is crispy and golden around the edges. If you want to brown the cheese a little more, switch your oven to broil and broil the pizza for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned.
Allow the pizza to cool for 5 minutes, before carefully removing it from the pan. Set the finished pizza onto a cutting board, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
Any leftover pizza can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can find the pan I used HERE
If you are using store-bought pizza dough, follow the instructions on the package. Rise time will defer depending on the brand. You want to let the dough rise part way, then transfer it into the pan it will be baked in to finish the rise. This recipe uses a whole batch of homemade pizza dough, which typically makes 2 10-12 inch pizzas, so keep that in mind when buying pizza dough.
Feel free to use whatever kinds of cheese you like for this pizza. This recipe uses my family’s favorite kinds of cheese, but you can really use whatever you like. Monterey jack cheese, provolone cheese, asiago cheeses, feta cheese, goat cheese, parmigiano reggiano, and fontina cheeses would all be great choices!
You can also use whatever kind of sauce you like. I prefer to make my own pizza sauce, but store-bought will also work well! You can also spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce
Even though this is a cheese pizza recipe, I understand some people prefer their pizzas with more than just cheese. So feel free to add any of your favorite toppings. Bell peppers, basil leaves, onions, olives, pepperoni, or sausage would all be great!
Be sure to check out these great recipes too!
Heirloom Tomato Pizza with Garlic Butter
Jalapeño Pineapple Pepperoni Pizza with BBQ sauce
Homemade Pizza Sauce | With fresh herbs
No-fail Quick-rise Sourdough Pizza Crust | Ready in 2 hours!
4 Cheese Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
For the Pizza
- 1 batch homemade pizza crust You can also use store-bought dough, just keep in mind you want the same amount that would normally be used to make 2 pizzas
- 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp parsley
- Pizza sauce I like to use my homemade pizza sauce
For the Garlic Butter
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 3-5 garlic cloves minced OR 1 tsp garlic powder
- Fresh or dry parsley to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your pizza crust according to the recipe or package instructions. The Recipe below is written based on my homemade pizza crust.
- Make the pizza crust and set it aside to rise as usual, the only difference you make when preparing the crust for this recipe is that you only want to leave the dough ball to rise for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, lightly grease a 9×13 deep dish cake pan with olive oil.
- After 30 minutes, turn the pizza dough out into the greased cake pan. Using your hands stretch/spread the dough out until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a tea towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour.
- In a large bowl, combine the cheese, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and parsley, toss with your hands to coat the cheese with the seasoning. Set aside
- In a medium saucepan combine the butter, garlic, and parsley. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly, until the butter is completely melted and bubbly. Remove the pan from the heat, until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
- Once the dough has risen, use your hands to spread it out if needed to make sure the dough is touching the corners of the pan.
- Pour all of the garlic butter onto the crust, and spread it around using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula. Carefully pour the pizza sauce over the butter, and spread it out till it covers the whole surface of the crust. You can make the pizza as saucy or not saucy as you like. (Any extra sauce can be stored in the fridge and used at a later date)
- Top with the cheese mixture, and place in the oven.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is crispy and golden around the edges. If you want to brown the cheese a little more, switch your oven to broil and broil the pizza for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned.
- Allow the pizza to cool for 5 minutes, before carefully removing it from the pan. Set the finished pizza onto a cutting board, slice, and enjoy!
