Detroit Style Pizza Recipe
Detroit Style Pizza Recipe
Once you make your first Detroit style pizza at home, you’ll become addicted to the fluffy, focaccia-like crust and the super crispy bites of cheese that you get in every bite. At least, that’s what happened to me! Here’s your complete guide on how to make the most delicious Detroit style pizza in your own home, with or without a pizza oven.
Once you make your first Detroit style pizza at home, you’ll become addicted to the fluffy, focaccia-like crust and the super crispy bites of cheese that you get in every bite. At least, that’s what happened to me! Here’s your complete guide on how to make the most delicious Detroit style pizza in your own home, with or without a pizza oven.
My partner and I have become obsessed with making pizza at home ever since we got our Ooni Koda 16 Outdoor Pizza Oven. At first, we dedicated our time to perfecting Neopolitan style pizza in the pizza oven, but now we’re all about delicious Detroit style pizza. Both types of pizza are great, but we really love the uniqueness of Detroit style pizza.
If you want to try making Detroit style pizza at home too, then this is the guide for you!
WHAT IS DETROIT STYLE PIZZA?
Detroit style pizza is in a league of its own. This pizza is soft on the inside but crunchy on the outside, and it’s quickly become a favorite in our home and we know you’ll love it too! Here’s what distinguishes Detroit style pizza from the rest:
It has a rectangular shape that’s achieved by cooking it in a special Detroit style pizza pan
Its fluffy pizza base closely resembles focaccia, so it’s rather fluffy and chewy
The signature crispy crust comes from cooking it in a dark Detroit style pizza pan, which heats up faster and quickly browns the pizza crust
Cheesy edges aka frico
Streaks of red sauce that go on top of the cheese rather than under the cheese
Put these all together and ta-da! You’ve got Detroit style pizza.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE DETROIT STYLE PIZZA AT HOME?
Here’s the thing about Detroit style pizza: it’s a bit fussier than traditional pizza because you need to grab specific ingredients in order to make it right. This isn’t a “Oh, I already have this laying around in my kitchen” type of recipe.
So when you’re ready to make your Detroit style pizza from scratch, here are the things you’ll need:
Detroit style pizza pans are anodized, non stick, resistant to high heat, and perfect for baking crispy pan pizza. A regular baking pan used for cakes will not yield you the same result, but you can use it as a substitute if you don’t have a Detroit style pizza pan on hand. Just know that the pizza crust may not be as fluffy and crispy.
>> Also, if you do use a regular baking pan for this do not use it for the pizza oven! It may not be able to with stand the high heat. HERE is the link to the pizza pan that we use for our deep dish pizzas. The brand we use is Lloyd Pans.
BRICK CHEESE
Brick cheese is a specific type of cheese from Wisconsin that’s commonly used in Detroit style pizza. I live in Los Angeles so I couldn’t find this cheese in the grocery stores near me, but perhaps you’ll have better luck depending on where you live. Nevertheless, I use a firm white cheddar cheese when I make my Detroit style pizza at home and it still yields deliciously crispy, cheesy results.
>> Be sure to use a white cheddar cheese that’s pressed into a brick NOT shredded cheese.
PIZZA OVEN
Ok, a formal pizza oven is more of a nice to have than a necessity, but having a pizza oven makes a HUGE difference in the quality of the Detroit style pizza that you make at home. While traditional ovens only get to 500 F, pizza ovens can get to over 900 F. This high heat is the ideal temperature for making many types of pizza, including Neopolitan style pizza.
>> You can definitely still make Detroit style pizza in a traditional kitchen oven, just note that the crust may not get as crispy. I recommend making your Detroit style pizza in a pizza oven like an Ooni, but if you don’t have one then your regular degular kitchen oven will do just fine.
DETROIT STYLE PIZZA INGREDIENTS LIST
Just like any regular pizza, there are four main components of delicious Detroit style pizza:
PIZZA DOUGH
bread flour: this high protein flour gives you a chewier crust, which makes this pizza delectable
instant yeast: necessary to make the dough rise
salt
water
PIZZA SAUCE
San Marzano tomatoes: the superior tomato! You can easily find these canned tomatoes in 28 oz tins at your grocery store. These tomatoes are firm, lightly sweet, and perfect for making the best pizza sauce
shallot
garlic cloves
salt
pepper
red pepper
basil
oregano
paprika
onion powder
garlic powder
PIZZA TOPPINGS
cheese: preferably brick cheese, as mentioned above, as well as mozzarella cheese
optional, fun toppings like shallots, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, jalapeno, etc.
TO PIZZA OVEN OR NOT TO PIZZA OVEN?
My number one preferred method for making ANY pizza at home is with a dedicated pizza oven, like the Ooni Koda 16. Pizza ovens are a GREAT investment if you have the outdoor space and love to make a lot of pizza (or anything, really) at home. You don’t have to make only pizza in a pizza oven either: we regularly use it to grill shrimp and veggie kabobs, make flatbreads, and even cookies!
Pizza ovens are definitely a superior method of cooking pizza because the pizza oven gets much hotter than a traditional kitchen oven. While traditional ovens only get to 500 F, pizza ovens can get to over 900 F. This is the ideal temperature for making many types of pizza, including Neopolitan style pizza.
Although you can certainly make these pizzas in a traditional at home oven, unfortunately they don’t come out exactly the same. That’s why I recommend making your Detroit style pizza in an Ooni Koda, but if you don’t have one then your regular degular kitchen oven will do just fine.
In the recipe below, I have cooking instructions for both a pizza oven and a traditional kitchen oven.
HOW TO MAKE DETROIT STYLE PIZZA AT HOME
Pour the bread flour, yeast, salt, and water into a large bowl and gently mix it together by hand until a shaggy dough forms. There will still be dry spots of flour–that's ok.
Cover the dough for 10 minutes and allow it to rest.
Now, knead the dough until it comes together and becomes smooth an elastic.
Cover the bowl and let it rest until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Transfer the dough to the Detroit style pizza pan and gently stretch it into the edges of the pan.
Cover the pan and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes before stretching it into the corners again.
Cover the pan and let it rest for 45 minutes as you prepare the sauce and toppings.
Top the dough with an even layer of mozzarella cheese and white cheddar cheese, paying special attention to the edges (this will make sure you get a nice crispy, cheesy crust on the pizza)!
Add two stripes of sauce on top.
If using a pizza oven: Heat the pizza stone to 650 F, which you can check with an infrared thermometer. Turn the flame down to the lowest setting and slide the pan inside of the pizza oven, close to the front so it's not too close to the flame. Rotate the pan every 2 minutes for a total of 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the edges are crispy, and the top is lightly browned.
If using a traditional oven: Position a rack in the lowest position in the oven, and preheat to 500 F. Place the pan on the rack and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the edges are crispy, and the top is lightly browned.
Cool the pizza in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cutting board. Slice and serve!
DETROIT STYLE PIZZA TOPPINGS
Detroit style pizza tastes amazing on its own thanks to the crispy melted cheeses and perfect pizza crust. As a pescatarian, I love eating Detroit style pizza with just plain cheese, but I also like to try it with different toppings. Here are some topping ideas for your Detroit style pizza journey:
Shallots and mushrooms: finely dice them and cook them in a pan for about 10 minutes to extract the moisture first
Olives and bell peppers
Roasted corn and jalapeno
Supreme pizza: A combination of them all!
Detroit Style Pizza
Ingredients
- 300 g bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 6 g salt
- 1 c water
- olive oil, for greasing the pan
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes, canned
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper
- 1/4 tsp basil
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
- 6 oz white cheddar cheese, diced into 1/2" cubes
Instructions
- Start by generously greasing your Detroit style pizza pan with olive oil. You want to make sure there's a good layer of olive oil because this helps to make the pizza crust crispy.
- Pour the bread flour, yeast, salt, and water into a large bowl and gently mix it together by hand until a shaggy dough forms. There will still be dry spots of flour–that's ok.
- Cover the dough for 10 minutes and allow it to rest.
- Now, knead the dough inside of the bowl until it comes together, and becomes smooth an elastic. Form the dough into a ball and cover it in a thin layer of olive oil, turning it so it's coated on all sides.
- Cover the bowl and let it rest until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Transfer the dough to the Detroit style pizza pan and gently stretch it into the edges of the pan. It won't stretch all the way–that's ok.
- Cover the pan and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes before stretching it into the corners again. Repeat again, if necessary, until the dough covers the bottom of the pan.
- Cover the pan and let it rest for 45 minutes as you prepare the sauce and toppings.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat.
- Add the shallot and the garlic, and cook on LOW heat for at least 10 minutes. This ensures that the shallot and garlic tenderize but do not burn.
- Add the San Marzano tomatoes and their juices, as well as all of the seasonings. Mash the San Marzano tomatoes with a fork or potato masher until it's chunky but there are no large pieces.
- Bring to a simmer, and then cover the pan and let it cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add more salt or pepper, to taste.
- Top the dough with an even layer of mozzarella cheese and white cheddar cheese, paying special attention to the edges (this will make sure you get a nice crispy, cheesy crust on the pizza)!
- Add two stripes of sauce on top.
- If using a pizza oven: Heat the pizza stone to 650 F, which you can check with an infrared thermometer. Turn the flame down to the lowest setting and slide the pan inside of the pizza oven, close to the front so it's not too close to the flame. Rotate the pan every 2 minutes for a total of 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the edges are crispy, and the top is lightly browned.
- If using a traditional oven: Position a rack in the lowest position in the oven, and preheat to 500 F. Place the pan on the rack and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the edges are crispy, and the top is lightly browned.
- Cool the pizza in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cutting board. Slice and serve!
I started salt n sprinkles to show that making good food is both fun and easy to do. My recipes are mostly plant-based, and always delicious. I know you'll find just what you're looking for!