Detroit-Style Pizza

Before you start

Detroit-style pizza is baked in a heavy rectangular steel pan. The dough is wet, around 75 percent hydration, so it bakes up light and open like focaccia. Cubes of cheese go all the way to the pan walls, where they melt down the sides and fry into a dark, crisp frame, often called the frico crust. The sauce goes on top in stripes, usually after baking, so the cheese stays in direct contact with the dough.

The pan and the cheese drive the result. A dark, heavy pan conducts heat well and fries the bottom; thin, light pans brown more slowly. Brick cheese, a mild, high-fat Wisconsin cheese, is traditional, but a mix of Monterey Jack and low-moisture mozzarella melts and caramelizes in a similar way. Do not be timid about pushing cheese against the pan edges; that is where the best part forms.

Ingredients

• Dough300 g (2½ cups) bread flour
• 225 g (scant 1 cup) warm water — about 35°C (95°F)
• 3 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
• 6 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil or soft butter — for the pan
• Sauce400 g (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic — minced
• ½ tsp each dried oregano and sugar
• ½ tsp fine salt
• Topping60 g (about 30 slices) small cupping pepperoni — optional
• 340 g (12 oz) brick cheese, or half Monterey Jack and half low-moisture mozzarella — cut into 1 cm (½ in) cubes

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt and warm water until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky. Cover and rest 15 minutes, then with wet hands do 4 sets of stretch-and-folds around the bowl. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours in total, until doubled and bubbly.
2. Coat the pan with the oil or butter, including the corners. Turn the dough into the pan and press it toward the edges with oiled fingers. It will spring back; cover and rest 20 minutes, then press again until it fills the pan.
3. Cover and proof for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy and jiggly with visible bubbles. Meanwhile heat the oven to 260°C (500°F) with a rack in the lowest position.
4. For the sauce, warm the butter in a saucepan, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, oregano, sugar and salt. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened enough to mound on a spoon.
5. Dimple the dough lightly with your fingertips. Scatter pepperoni over the dough, then the cheese cubes, pushing plenty of cheese right up against all four walls of the pan.
6. Bake on the bottom rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and browned in places and the edges are a deep mahogany. Check the bottom with a spatula; it should be golden and crisp.
7. Run a thin metal spatula around the edges right away to free the cheese crust, then lift the pizza onto a rack. Spoon two or three thick stripes of warm sauce along the length and cut into squares.

Tips for success

• Loosen the edges within a minute of baking. As the cheese cools, it glues itself to the pan.
• If the bottom is pale when the top is done, move the pan to a preheated steel or the oven floor for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Cubed cheese melts more evenly and caramelizes better at the edges than shredded cheese.

Substitutions

Brick cheese

A 50/50 blend of Monterey Jack and low-moisture mozzarella melts similarly. Adding 30 g white cheddar deepens the edge flavor but can release more oil.

Detroit pan

A dark 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) metal pan works, giving a slightly thinner crust. Glass dishes do not crisp the bottom well and are not recommended.

Bread flour

All-purpose flour makes a softer, less open crumb. Reduce the water by 10 g to keep the dough manageable.

Variations

Red top bake

For a deeper, jammy sauce, spoon the stripes on before baking. The sauce caramelizes but the cheese underneath browns less.

Veggie Detroit

Replace pepperoni with well-drained roasted mushrooms and pickled jalapeños, kept under the cheese so they do not dry out.

Troubleshooting

Cheese crust stuck to the pan

The pan was underoiled or the pizza cooled before loosening. Oil the walls well and run a spatula around the edge immediately.

Crumb is dense and tight

The dough was underproofed in the pan. Wait until it is visibly puffy and jiggles when the pan is shaken.

Dough will not reach the corners

The gluten needs rest. Press, wait 20 minutes, then press again rather than tearing it.

Bottom is soggy

The rack was too high or the pan too light. Bake on the lowest rack and use a dark, heavy pan.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat squares in a covered skillet over medium-low for 5 to 8 minutes to re-crisp the bottom and edges.

Safety notes

Do not taste raw dough. The pan and the melted cheese edge are very hot right out of the oven. Contains wheat and milk.