Bread Machine Deep Dish Pizza Dough

Updated May 2026 with revised intro, equipment clarifications, and a printable recipe card.

Bread Machine Deep Dish Pizza Dough gives you delicious homemade pizza without spending the afternoon in the kitchen. I’ve been on a quest to find a recipe and method that works reliably, and I think I’m onto something with this one.

Unbaked deep-dish pepperoni pizza with shredded cheese in a cream stoneware baker on an oven rack.

The dough is made in the bread machine, which does the kneading and the first rise for you while you prep the toppings. From there, you have the option of baking it in the pan of your choice, depending on how much dough you make: a pizza pan, deep dish pan, or even a 13 x 9 baking pan.

I opted for a deep dish pizza using a medium-sized dough recipe and baked it in a La Cloche. La Cloche is a stoneware baker, and a ceramic pizza baker would work just as well.

These types of bakers simulate a brick oven by absorbing heat during preheating and then releasing it steadily into the dough, which gives you a crisp, evenly browned bottom crust without the soggy middle that deep-dish pizza is often prone to. They’re easy to use, and the clean-up is minimal.

Finished deep-dish pepperoni pizza with a tall puffy crust on a wooden cutting board, ready to slice and serve.

Why bread machine dough works for deep-dish pizza

Deep-dish pizza needs a dough that can stand up to a generous layer of sauce, toppings, and cheese without turning gummy. The bread machine handles the kneading thoroughly, which develops the gluten you need for that structure, and the warm proofing environment gives you a consistent first rise every time. No guessing whether your kitchen is warm enough.

The other advantage is timing. Once you’ve measured the ingredients into the pan and pressed Start, you can step away for about 90 minutes. By the time the machine beeps, the dough is ready to shape, and the only active work left is stretching, topping, and baking.

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Unbaked deep-dish pepperoni pizza with shredded cheese in a cream stoneware baker on an oven rack.

Bread Machine Deep Dish Pizza Dough


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  • Author: Bread Experience
  • Yield: 1 Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients

Medium-size Bread Machine Pizza Dough:

7/8 to 1 cup water

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

3 cups All-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast


Instructions

Make the Pizza Dough

Place dough ingredients in the bread pan, select Dough setting, and press Start. When the dough has risen long enough, the machine will beep. Turn off the bread machine, remove the bread pan, and turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop or cutting board. Form the dough into a mound and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Bake the Pizza

Medium Bread Machine Recipe Yields: One deep-dish pizza or two 12-inch pizzas

Grease one deep-dish or two 12-inch pizza pans. If using two pans, cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. With your hands, gently stretch and press the dough to fit evenly into the pan(s). Pinch the dough around the edges to form a small rim.

Spread your favorite pizza sauce on top of the dough, then add toppings of your choice, except cheese. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Note: When using a stoneware baker, preheat the oven for about 15 minutes, and bake the pizza for about 15 minutes or so before adding the sauce and other ingredients.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese the last five minutes of baking. When the cheese melts, remove from the oven, slice into wedges, and serve hot. (Note: For a lighter, chewier crust, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F).

Notes

Adapted from: The Bread Machine Book of Helpful Hints by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway.

  • Category: Pizza
  • Method: Deep Dish

This bread machine deep dish pizza recipe and method of baking is definitely a keeper. Both of my sons said this pizza was the best pizza I’ve made so far.

Editor’s note: I’ve made thin and crispy brick oven pizza since this post that my sons and I really enjoy, but if you like deep dish pizza and want something that’s easy to prepare and tastes great, this pizza is a good choice.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Comments

4 responses to “Bread Machine Deep Dish Pizza Dough”

  1. Anonymous

    So this is just a mound of dough with pizza toppings on it? Have you tried using this recipe and making a deep dish Chicago style pizza? Does it work that way too?

  2. Hi,

    What I like about this deep dish pizza is that the dough can be made in the bread machine while you’re doing other things. I have not tried Chicago-style pizza in this pan yet, but I’m sure it would be very good. Here is a recipe for a Chicago-Style pizza (http://www.breadexperience.com/deep-dish-pizza-recipe.html) that could be made in this pizza pan. If you decide to try, please let me know how it turns out.

  3. Anonymous

    Thank you. I’ve given it a shot. Used 2 cups of white flour and 1 cup of wheat flour, used a little less olive oil and let the machine run its full 1.5 hour schedule.

    Formed the crusts into two 9″ cake pans just to see what happened.

    I layered the bottom of the pans with cornmeal, layered the bottoms of the crusts with Italian sausage, loaded it with pepperoni, cheese and crushed tomatoes.

    It worked out well, although it was far too much pizza for my daughter and me. I think I’ll freeze one in the future or experiment with cutting the recipe in half…although I’m not sure that will work!

    Paul

  4. Hi Paul,

    Your pizza sounds delicious! I’ll have to try your technique sometime. Although I never seem to have the problem of too much pizza – not with two teenage boys in the house. 😉

    You can probably freeze part of the dough for later use if you don’t want to make two pizzas next time.

    Cathy

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