Easy Detroit-Style Pizza

Let’s talk about pizza, shall we?  Detroit-style pizza to be exact.  Well ok, really we’re going to have a quick sorta broader discussion about pizza too.  Because, pizza, what is not to love, amiright?!

Detroit-style pizza, if you have not heard of it, is a pan style, a deeper pan style.  It’s a rectangle or square and it is a hearty venture.  The edges are crispy crunchy with burnt cheese and that’s the best part.
And it’s experiencing a bump in popularity as of late.

If you’ve been to Chicago and have had Pequod’s or Burt’s, you’ve had something similar, but mmm, different.  Those are, whooie, those are a treat unto themselves.  

Pequod’s is our fave.  Double pepperoni…..Or Coalfire’s Neopolitan, ooooh.  Or tavern-style square cut, wafer-thin crispy crust, win win win….omg this post is gonna be cruel.

Look, Mike and I, we’re equal opportunity pizza eaters.  We love pizza.  In actuality, shh I think Mike has a pizza problem.  There are some we’re not big fans of (cough, so sorry NY style) but we’ll try any regional variety.  We’re open-minded like that.  Pizza.

See, I even checked out an e-book solely about pizza from the library (using Libby, it’s great, try it) and was so put off that the author thoroughly and completely ignored Chicago style that I returned the book.

Right, like that’ll show that haughty west coast dude a thing or two, return the book.  But honestly, I was quite pissed.  No mention.  Zero.  Not even a whisper.  None.  Whether you agree with Chicago and/or St. Louis style pizza or not, it is absolutely pizza. 

Because in my opinion, and brace yourself, it’s a doozy, Midwest pizza is by far the most interesting, flavorful, developed, advanced, well-rounded, and most option-filled in the nation.  Burn me up all you want, do not care.  Can’t change my mind, sorry.

Ahem.

Opinions aside, there are loads of Detroit-style recipes out there, how do you choose….Well, I chose based on ease for the home chef without the time and fuss and trauma and convoluted steps and whittlie-doo trouble (yeah I just made that up) but also bakes up the best, most consistent, most delicious results.

 

I shared this recipe from How Sweet Eats with my mom, a Detroit native, before sharing it here.  She grew up on Buddy’s, the Detroit-style inventor so I was extra anxious for her opinion.

She made this recipe, even ventured out to find the Wisconsin brick cheese,* and sadly she was disappointed.  But wait don’t click away, not for the reason you think — it’s because it wasn’t Buddy’s.  

I get that, and I was a bit crushed that she felt let down, and I should have said at the very beginning, this is not going to be an exact replica, there are too many variables at play here.

She did say it was a very excellent pizza and she will be making it again.  Which is something for her to say really as making this effort is not high on her list of things to do.

You will need a metal baking pan for this, a metal 9×13, preferably a steel version which is easy to test with a magnet.  Glass won’t conduct heat fast enough and I can’t speak to an aluminum pan.  Mine is the USA Pan in this general link.* 

So make the dough pretty much as you would any pizza dough.  Yeah!  Shockingly easy, right?!

Always amazes me how so few ingredients can rock your world.

Dissolve the honey in the warm water, then sprinkle the yeast atop.  Trust me, you’ll find out if your yeast is alive or not here!

Yeast before above, yeast after…it’s aaaah-liiive!

Once it’s foamy, toss in the rest of the dough ingredients, whirling that around in a slow knead.  

Dump in bowl.  Cover.  Let that puppy rise.  Could that be any easier?!  I think not.

Top, kneaded; bottom, poooofff, risen!

Now the pizza, this will be to your preferences for sure.  Us, we like pepperoni and lots of it.  We are so Midwest, I know.

Pour olive oil into the baking pan and spread it around with a paper towel.  Dump that beautiful dough in there, admire the gorgeous stretchy bubbles, then start mushing it level and into the sides and corners with your fingertips.  

 

Looooook at those oodles of bubbles and stretchies, omg, right?!

It’ll not want to go, that’s fine.  Walk away for a few minutes then try again.

Top, smushed out (don’t force it) then I waited a couple minutes. Bottom, about where I stopped stretching the dough.

No need to worry about getting it super duper into the corners.

Add the layer of brick cheese edge to edge.  Yes, edge to edge.  Do it.  If you don’t have brick (it is a Midwest cheese, you might have trouble finding it local), you can use mozzarella or another slightly saltier-than-mozzarella mild cheese.  

Toss on your toppings, uh, thick cut pepperoni thank you…sprinkle with the shredded mozz, it’s ok to be generous, this dough can handle it….pour on your sauce.  I found 1 1/2 cups called for to be a bit light, 2 to be a bit too saucy, but anywhere in that range is gonna be perfectly delicious.

❮ ❯

Bake.  Pace and wait for that cheese to caramelize and burn on the edges as that’s what this pizza is all about.

 

Uh. Um. Yum.

Once it’s ready, run a spatula around the perimeter to loosen it up.  The best way to do this is, ha, “hey Mike, can you….” and he scoops it whole right out of the pan with a giant spatula.*

I’m still working on my timing, thinking I need to go a little longer to get more burnt with the edges.

Cut, eat, enjoy.  Yummmm-eeee am I hungry now.  Heeeeyyyy babe?, want pizza tonight?

Yum all around! 

Burnt cheese edges = life.

Easy Detroit-Style Pizza

Yield

10 slices

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

20 Min

Inactive time

1 H & 30 M

Total time

2 H & 19 M

A hearty Midwestern pizza style, Detroit-style, bursting with flavor made extra special with burnt cheese edges. Easy to make too!

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

• 1 1/8 cups (266 ml) warm water (110° F/43° C)
• 1 tablespoon (21 g) honey
• 3 teaspoons (9 g) active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon (12.5 g) olive oil
• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) fine sea salt

Pizza

• 2 tablespoons (25 g) olive oil
• 1/3 lb. (151 g) sliced brick cheese or thinly sliced mozzarella
• pepperoni to taste or other toppings as desired
• 1 cup (113 g) shredded mozzarella cheese (give or take)
• 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) sauce of choice (1 3/4-2 cups if preferred saucier)
• grated parmesan to taste

Instructions

Pizza Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water with the honey, ensuring it is fully dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow to bloom to foamy and bubbly, about 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the olive oil, the flour, and the salt and turn the mixer to low speed. Once everything has mixed in, knead the dough in the mixer for 3 minutes.
3. This dough can also be prepped by hand, mixing everything in a bowl with a spoon then kneading on a floured surface for about 5 minutes.
4. Grease a bowl with olive oil or cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with oil, then cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for around 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Pizza

1. Into a 9x13 metal cake pan (preferably steel), pour the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread it around with a paper towel.
2. Add the dough to the pan and spread it evenly without forcing it. If it springs back, wait a few minutes for the dough to relax and try again. Get to the edges but no need to make sure the corners are entirely filled. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 550° F (288° C) or as hot as it will go.
4. Lay down the brick cheese slices (or thinly sliced mozzarella) edge to edge on top of the dough. To the very edges is key to the success of this pizza.
5. Layer on the toppings of choice then spread the shredded mozzarella over the toppings.
6. Ladle the sauce in three wide strips lengthwise across the top then if desired, spread it evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan.
7. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes at 550° or if the oven does not reach that temperature, bake for slightly longer. The edges will bubble and look a bit burnt when the pizza is ready.

Notes:

Adapted from How Sweet Eats. 

Calories

418.51

Fat (grams)

19.34

Sat. Fat (grams)

9.89

Carbs (grams)

39.82

Fiber (grams)

2.05

Net carbs

37.77

Sugar (grams)

4.09

Protein (grams)

20.88

Sodium (milligrams)

965.80

Cholesterol (grams)

52.40

Please see the "info" section for nutrition details.

pizza, Detroit pizza

recipe

American

Created using The Recipes Generator

Note: This content originally appeared on Flaky Bakers. 

*The brick cheese, USA Pans, and large spatulas are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.