Cole Cooks: Detroit Pizza Recipe

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I discovered Detroit pizza in 2016 and it has quickly become one of my favorites.  This is a thick crust, square pizza where the sauce is on top of the cheese.  For a complete guide to this style of pizza and my experiments at making it go here.  This is a Detroit Pizza recipe which I have tweaked for several years now.

GO HERE TO SEE OUR DESCRIPTION OF HOW I CREATED THIS RECIPE

UPDATE 2021: We have been using Brick Cheese from Alp and Dell in Wisconsin

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Detroit Pizza Recipe

David Cole

This is my recipe for making Detroit style pizza. This is a delicious thick crust square pizza that is one of the few pizza styles that comes out great at home.

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Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 2 ½ cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour 11 ounces
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp Olive oil for greasing pan

Sauce

• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Toppings

• 6 oz pepperoni
• 6 oz Monterrey Jack or Muenster
• 6 oz Mozzarella
• 6 oz Cheddar

Instructions

 

• Combine flour (weigh if possible), yeast, salt and water in food processor. Mix until it forms a ball and continue to knead for 30 seconds. If it doesn’t form a ball add more water a teaspoon at a time. If it is too sticky add flour a tablespoon at a time. You can also knead by hand for 10 minutes or do in a mixer or bread machine.
• Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rest 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 550 degrees (or highest temperature). Drizzle oil in bottom of Detroit Pan or a roughly 11” x 15” pan. Stretch dough to corners of pan, as far as it will go.
• Let dough relax in pan for 15-20 minutes. While dough is resting combine sauce ingredients in a bowl. Stretch dough again until it fills the pan. If necessary, repeat rest and stretching until dough fills the pan.
• To make pizza top dough with half the pepperoni, followed by cheese and the second half of the pepperoni. Add sauce on top in three lengthwise strips.
• Put pizza in oven and cook 12 to 15 minutes until edge starts to blacken and cheese is bubbling.
• Remove from oven and run spatula around edges of the pan. Let pizza rest 5 minutes and carefully remove from pan to cutting board. Cut into slices and serve.

Notes

Wisconsin Brick Cheese is the traditional cheese, but it is hard to find and is often expensive.

Keyword Detroit Pizza, Homemade NY-Style Pizza, Italian Recipe

Cole Cooks: Making Detroit Pizza

It was fairly late in life that I found out that some of the best pizza in the world comes from Detroit, Michigan.  It seems Detroit-style pizza is starting to catch on in a big way and I am firmly on the bandwagon.  This post describes my discovery of this pizza style and provides our […]

This works in a regular baking pan but for authentic results I got the official Detroit Pizza Pan.  I also ordered the recommended Vermont pepperoni.

Note, traditional Detroit pizza calls for Wisconsin brick cheese.  This is almost impossible to find in San Diego.  You can order it online but it is expensive.  We use a combination of cheeses as a substitute.

UPDATE MARCH 2020: Recently we have been finding brick cheese online for about $10 a pound which is reasonable.

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