Deep Pan Pizza

Ingredients

For the dough

• 500g plain flour

• 10g dried yeast

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 500ml lukewarm water

• Olive oil

For the topping

• 250ml thick pizza sauce

• 300g fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces

• 100g mushrooms (button or king browns), sliced

• 100g thinly shredded bacon

• 50g salami slices

• 50g ham slices

• 1 sausage, cut into pieces (left in the casing)

• Pinch dried oregano

• 1 jalapeño sliced

• ¼ red onion, sliced

• Drizzle olive oil

Method

1. Prepare the dough by combining flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Pour the lukewarm water into the centre and mix until the dough becomes sticky and fully combined. Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough prove until full of bubbles—about an hour.

2. Drizzle olive oil over the surface of the risen dough. Using your hands, lift and fold the dough from the sides toward the centre, knocking it back gently. Repeat around the bowl until the dough tightens slightly and becomes lively and aerated again.

3. Prove for another hour

4. Oil a deep baking tray well and line it with baking paper. Transfer the dough to the tray, letting it spread naturally. The dough will be light and full of air pockets.

5. Add a generous layer of thick pizza sauce. As you spread the sauce, the dough will shift and rise under it—that’s exactly what creates the deep-pan effect.

6. Scatter torn mozzarella across the base. Add mushrooms evenly across the pizza. Layer on shredded bacon, followed by plenty of salami slices. Add ham and distribute pieces of sausage across the top.

7. Sprinkle dried oregano, add jalapeño slices and scatter red onion. Finish with a few extra pieces of mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil.

8. Bake the pizza at 220°C until the dough is risen and golden, the sausage is cooked, and the cheese is bubbling and caramelised. Allow the pizza to settle briefly before slicing, then cut into thick pieces.

9. Serve hot, stacked with all the meat and deep-pan goodness.