Detroit Style Pizza Recipe
A recipe for a fluffy pan pizza made in the Detroit style. This makes a pizza to fit a 13" x 9" cake pan.
Equipment
- 1 13" x 9" Cake Pan
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Pizza Scissors (Optional)
- 1 Blender (only required if the canned tomatoes are chunky)
Ingredients
- 20 ounces Pizza dough (recommend our copy-cat version of Tony Gemignani’s Master Dough recipe but you can use another bread flour based recipe)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter (unsalted if you prefer)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Detroit Pizza Sauce
- 11 ounces tomato sauce crushed or pureed (use a high quality brand)
- 4 ounces tomato paste (use a high quality brand)
- 1 pinch oregano dried
- ¼ cup basil leaves fresh, chopped (or 2 teaspoons of dried)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
Detroit Pizza Cheese
- 2 cups Wisconsin Brick cheese grated (Munster is a suitable alternative)
- 1.5 cups white cheddar cheese grated
Additional Toppings
- 18 slices Pepperoni (mini cups preferred)
- 1 tablespoon Pecorino cheese grated (adjust to taste)
- 1 pinch oregano dried
Instructions
Preparing the Dough
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for 1 to 2 hours on the countertop.
- Using the cold butter in your fingers, rub it over the entire surface of the cake pan. It will melt as you work it and use your fingers to make sure that it completely covers the bottom and the sides of the pan all the way to the top.
- Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil into the center of the pan on top of the butter.
- Place the covered pan in the refrigerator for 24 hours (up to 48 hours).
- Invert the container with the dough and allow the dough to gently fall into the center of the pan. The dough will be a bit sticky, so use a wetted spatula or dough scraper if it does not completely come away by itself.
- Gently flip the dough over so both sides are oiled.
First Stretch
- Gently using the fingers of both hands, press the dough outward (not pulling) to stretch the dough towards the edges of the baking sheet. The dough won't likely get all the way to the edges this first time. Don't tear the dough trying to get to the edges, but try to get it about the right shape of the pan.
- Let the dough rest uncovered in a warm space away from any draft for 30 minutes. The dough will contract initially but it will also start expanding.
Second Stretch
- Oil your fingers and gently “pillow” (press like you’re playing the piano) the dough to cover the entire pan. Try to preserve the airy texture but also trying to get the dough evenly distributed across the pan. It will still likely not reach the corners completely.
- Let the dough rest uncovered again in a warm space, away from any draft for 90 minutes. The dough should rise to the edge of the pan and fill the bottom entirely now. Even if it doesn't, do not stretch or press the dough again.
- Preheat your oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone big enough, you can cook the pizza in the pan on top of the pizza stone.
- Prepare your toppings: grate the cheese, pull out the pepperoni (if you're using it), and prepare the sauce.
Making Detroit Pizza Sauce
- If your crushed tomatoes are chunky, you will want to blend them before the next step.
- Combine the pizza sauce ingredients in a sauce pan: crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, oregano, sea salt.
- Stir the sauce thoroughly.
- When the pizza goes into the oven (next step), begin to warm the sauce at low heat.
Cooking the Detroit Pizza
- Place the pizza pan in the oven. If you have a pizza stone, place the pan on the stone. Cook for 6 minutes.
- While the pizza is cooking, begin warming the sauce (as per above).
- Remove the pizza pan from the oven and place on top of the stove or on a large wooden cutting board.
- Distribute the cheddar cheese around the edge of the pizza so that it's touching the edge of the pan. The cheese is supposed to melt down the sides.
- Distribute the Brick (or Munster) cheese over the top of the rest of the pizza.
- Rotate the pan 180° and return it to the oven. Do not place it on the pizza stone. Cook for 7 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven.
- Add the pepperoni (if you are using it) in three rows lengthwise across the pizza.
- Using a soup spoon, make 2 "racing stripes" of sauce lengthwise across the pizza (between the rows of pepperoni).
- Rotate the pizza pan 180° and return it to the oven back on the pizza stone. Bake for another 5 minutes and turn off the oven.
- When the top of the crust is golden and the cheese is browning, remove the pan and quickly use a plastic spatula to separate the pizza from the pan. Once the spatula can go around the entire pizza, use the spatula to lift and slide it out of the pan onto a large cutting board.
- Allow the pizza to rest for about 3-5 minutes so that the cheese can harden before cutting.
- While waiting, put the extra sauce into ramekins or bowls for dipping.
- Cut the pizza into slices or squares.
- Add additional Oregano and grated Pecorino cheese to taste.
Notes
This pizza fits a 13" x 9" standard cake pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 872kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 38gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 2430mgPotassium: 659mgFiber: 5gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1939IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 745mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!