Detroit Style Pizza
Classic Detroit Style Pizza! A thick, fluffy crust with crispy edges, gooey cheese, and a rich, flavorful sauce. I spent over a year perfecting the fine details of this recipe!
Equipment
- Detroit Style Pizza Pan strongly encouraged
Ingredients
For Dough:
- 400 g bread flour about 3 ⅓ cups per batch, + a little more for dusting
- 250 g water about 1 cup + 1 tablespoon per batch
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
For Sauce:
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes 1 standard can per batch
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ tablespoon white sugar
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon MSG (optional)
To Finish Pizza:
- 8 oz low moisture mozzarella cheese cubed
- 8 oz monterey jack cheese cubed
- 4-5 oz pepperoni about 60 pepperoni
- 4 tablespoon ghee or olive oil ghee strongly suggested
Instructions
Prepare the Dough:
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the dough ingredients. Mix by hand or with a stand mixer until a dough forms, then let it rest for about 10 minutes. (If preparing a double batch, this portion can be done together)
- After resting, knead for about 10 minutes until a smooth dough forms. If you're using a stand mixer, dust the outside of the dough ball with a little more flour to keep it from sticking to the dough hook (repeat as needed if the dough sticks) knead on medium-high speed. For a double batch, I recommend splitting it in half and kneading each ball separately if using a stand mixer.
- After kneading, form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours. I use the bread proof feature on my oven for this step.
- When the dough is done rising, prepare the pans. For each batch of dough, prepare either 1 full size pan (10"x14") or two half size pans (8"x10"). Coat a full size pan with 4 tablespoon of melted ghee or olive oil, and half size pans with 2 tablespoon each. Use your hands to spread the oil all around, including on the sides.
- Divide the dough as needed for each pan (I weigh my dough balls to ensure they are even). Add the dough ball to the pan and toss it to get it coated in the oil. Use your hands to gently stretch out the dough until it's about the size of the pan (this skill gets easier with practice). Stretch the corners out past the edges of the pan and allow them to shrink back in to fill the corner space. Repeat for each pizza, and cover with cling wrap placed directly over the dough. Let the dough rise in the pans as you prepare the sauce, occasionally stretching out the corners as needed to make sure the dough fills the whole pan.
Prepare the Sauce:
- Warm the olive oil in a medium size pot over medium heat (I use a large pot for double batches to help it simmer down faster). Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until very fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Once the garlic is fragrant, add the crushed tomatoes and mix well. Add the rest of the seasonings and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to your desired thickness. I prefer a thick sauce and usually simmer it for about 15 minutes.
Finish the Pizza:
- Preheat the oven to 500 F. Note, Detroit style pizza is assembled differently than normal pizza, but this is for good reason. See the post section of this page for more info if you're curious!
- Confirm that the dough is filling the whole pan. If not, gently stretch it out a little more. Place a single layer of peperoni down directly on the dough as pictured.
- Scatter the cheese cubes evenly over the top, make sure that there is good coverage around the edges.
- Add the sauce in thick strips over the cheese. I like to do diagonal lines, as pictured, but you can also do vertical or horizontal lines if desired. (Pictured is a half size pizza, see the post above for an example of this on a full size pizza.)
- Add more pepperoni on top, filling in the space that isn't covered with sauce, as shown.
- Place the pizza in the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is fully melted and just starting to turn golden on top, about 10-12 minutes. I recommend setting a timer for 8 minutes, and then watching it pretty closely at the end, since the exact timing will vary. If you make a double batch, I recommend baking one batch at a time.
- Immediately after removing the pizza from the oven, remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board. The cheese will be stuck to the pan around the edges, I use a metal bench scraper to break it off, and then lift the pizza from the pan with the bench scraper and a large spatula. Slice and serve immediately.
Freeze the Leftovers:
- This reheats incredibly well from frozen, so I almost always make extra to freeze! Once the pizza has cooled to room temp, line a cookie sheet or plate with wax paper and place the slices on it so that they aren't touching. Place in the freezer until completely frozen, then transfer to vacuum bags or freezer zip bags to store.
- To reheat from frozen, defrost in the microwave (about 1 minute for 1 slice, or 1.5 minutes for two slices) then crisp in a toaster oven or air fryer set to 375 F until the crust is crispy and the cheese is bubbly, about 3-4 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice
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