Homemade Detroit Style Pizza

What exactly is Detroit Style Pizza? Everyone knows about the famous Chicago deep dish pizza but maybe not the Detroit style so much. It is gaining popularity and there’s a reason why. It is absolutely delicious. Traditionally made in a rectangular pan (specific to Detroit style pizza) then topped in reverse with cheese first and sauce last, over a fluffy chewy crust and crispy cheese “frico” edges that is to die for. Cut into square pieces instead of the more traditional triangles is its signature.

If you don’t have a Detroit style pizza pan I am sure that you can purchase on Amazon or elsewhere. I don’t have one, but I do have a pan that works just as well in my opinion. Even if you don’t have the exact pan you can still make Detroit style pizza in a regular rectangular baking pan.

Why is Detroit Style Pizza a Must Try recipe?

• First of all THE CRUST: The crust is deep but not heavy and dense. Because it is make with bread flour and the long rise it is more like foccacia than what you normally think of as a pizza dough. It is light, airy and bubbly and oh so delicious.
• Secondly, THE TOPPINGS: In order for the crust to bake perfectly, the toppings are added in reverse from what you typically see on pizza. It is cheese first, meat (or other toppings) next and the last topping is the sauce (and not a lot of it)! Traditionaly Detroit style pizza uses Wisconsin Brick cheese, but I can’t get it where I live, so I use a low moisture mozzarella and shred it myself. The pre shredded variety is full of additives and anti-caking ingredients so I like to avoid that-but you can use whatever you like.
• Thirdly, THE SAUCE: as i said you don’t need a lot of sauce on this pizza. Traditionally is has 2 or 3 lines of sauce so it doesn’t weigh down the dough. You can use store bought sauce or make your own.
• FINALLY, THE PAN: Traditionally baked in a seasoned steel pan made specific for Detroit style pizza. If you don’t have one a regular rectangular baking pan should work fine. I have a pan that has a non-stick coating and deep sides, though not a true Detroit style pizza pan, it works amazingly. AND it was probably 1/4 of the price of a true Detroit style pan. If you can find one like that I recommend trying it.

Ingredients for the perfect Detroit Style Pizza:

• Bread Flour: I highly recommend using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. The strong bread flour dough holds up to the layering of toppings without weighing down the dough.
• Mozzarella Cheese: Although traditionally made with Wisconsin Brick cheese it is not readily available to me. If you can find it, perfect, use it. I use a low moisture mozzarella cheese that I shred myself. (you can use a combination of mozza and cheddar if you like, but I am a purist and like the traditional mozzarella only). I also like to add a few slices of mozzarella around the entire circumference of the pan to make sure that i get that “frico” cheese crust that Detroit style pizza is known for.
• Pepperoni: there is no more traditional topping than a good natural casing pepperoni. That’s what my family like, so when I make Detroit style pizza that’s the only topping I use.
• Sauce: You can use store bought sauce if you like, but since there is a lot of effort in this pizza why not go all out and make your own sauce. It is easy to make and the more simple the sauce the better the pizza. If you don’t have a sauce recipe you can find mine here. There isn’t a lot of sauce on this pizza so the best sauce will make an Great pizza.
• Pizza Pan: You can purchase authentic Detroit Style Pizza pans on Amazon I am sure. But if you don’t want to spend the money, I suggest a good metal non-stick coated rectangular pan will work. If you use a regular pan like this then I recommend also using a pizza stone, this will ensure the bottom of the pizza gets that nice crust that we are looking for. Just put the pizza stone in your oven when you preheat the oven so that it is at temperature when the pizza goes in.

How to make Detroit Style Pizza:

The first step to making the Detroit style pizza is obviously making the dough. I prefer to use my stand mixer, but you can do it by hand, it just takes a bit longer. Combine the ingreditents in the bowl of the stand mixer, then using the dough hook, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl (turn the dough to coat it all over), then set it aside to rise. The first rise is 2 hours or until the dough has doubled. I have a proofing function on my oven so it generally takes less time to complete the first rise.

Once the dough has doubled in size, press it into the well-oiled non-stick rectangular pan and using your fingertips, spread it out and dimple it then let it rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten. Once that has happened you can press and stretch it out to the corners of the pan into a flat and even layer. Cover with oiled plastic wrap or a tea towel and let it rise again for another 2 hours or until it has risen to about half way up the pan.

Preheat your oven (and pizza stone if using) to 450 degrees F. If you don’t have a pizza stone, then i recommend you use a baking sheet also letting it preheat in the oven. This will help get the crispy bottom crust we are looking for.

Just before putting the pizza in the oven, add the toppings, in reverse of course! Start with the shredded (or cubed-traditionally) mozzarella cheese. Make sure to get a good amount of cheese around the entire edge of the pizza (I like to add slices around the edge to ensure i get that “frico” cheese crusty edge). Then add the pepperoni in whatever pattern you like, scattered or more organized (it’s your pizza after all!), then finally 2 or 3 lines of sauce. It really only needs that much.

Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes until the cheese becomes golden brown and bubbly and you can see the crust forming along the edges. Let it cool for a couple of minutes then remove it from the pan for slicing. Cut into square pieces and enjoy! I like to serve it with a nice caesar salad to complete the meal.

If you want to make the dough ahead of time:

To make ahead just make the dough and then refrigerate it overnight or up to 72 hours wrapped in lightly oiled plastic wrap. Once you are ready to continue, take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before putting it in the pan as per the recipe continue at that step.