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BJ's Brewhouse Pizza

Re: BJs Brewhouse pizza crust recipe?
From: Michelle
To: Phaedrus
Date: 8/25/2026, 8:46 AM

On 8/24/2026 8:19 PM, Michelle wrote:

Hi Uncle Phaedrus,

Been following you for a long time and you've helped me several times over the years, so thank you for what you do!

BJs Brewhouse is a chain restaurant that serves all kinds of American food. They have great pizza!

I would love the recipe for their pizza crust. It's a thick crust, crispy on the outside and light, chewy, and slightly sweet on the inside, kind of like focaccia, I suppose.

Thank you very much!

Michelle

 Hi Michelle,

I did not have any success finding a pizza dough recipe that is authentically from BJ's Brewhouse. I am a bit confused by what I did find. There are copycat recipes on the web that mention three kinds of BJ's pizza: Classic, White, and Deep Dish and they seem to say that there are differences between the pizza crust of each of them.  If that is so, which are you asking about? Also, I am finding some folks saying that BJ's uses a commercial pizza dough made for them by an outside company and some are saying that BJ's pizza dough is made at a central commissary and shipped in bulk to the various locations, and some are saying that the dough is made in-house at each restaurant.

One thing that I am seeing that seems to be key is that BJ's cooks their pizza in cast-iron pans.

I posed the question to Gemini, who gave me this link to a recipe: BJ's Pizza Dough

and the below copycat recipe:

Phaed

Gemini:

To make a copycat version of BJ's Brewhouse deep-dish pizza crust at home, you can use a simple dough baked in a cast-iron skillet or round deep-dish pan with a touch of oil or butter  for that signature crispy, buttery edge .

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: 2 cups
• Instant dry yeast: 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon
• Warm water: 3/4 cup (about 105°F to 110°F)
• Olive oil or melted butter: 1 tablespoon (plus extra to grease the pan and coat the dough)

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, instant yeast, salt, and sugar.
2. Add wet ingredients: Pour in the warm water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or melted butter for a richer flavor). Mix until a cohesive dough ball forms.
3. Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 to 15 minutes (or use a dough hook on a mixer for 5 to 7 minutes) until smooth and elastic.
4. Let it rise: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. For a better, airier interior texture, you can let it cold-ferment in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
5. Prepare the pan: Generously coat your cast-iron skillet or deep-dish pizza pan with olive oil or butter to help fry the crust into a golden, crunchy edge.
6. Press and shape: Press the dough by hand directly into the pan, gently pushing it up the sides to form a raised outer crust edge.
7. Top and bake: Add your favorite sauce, whole-milk mozzarella, and toppings. Bake in a preheated oven at 475°F to 500°F for 12 to 18 minutes, or until the bottom and edges are deeply golden, crispy, and the cheese is bubbly.