Detroit Style Pizza

by Kelly's Culinary Adventures

1 Pizza

1 hr 51 min

My family, especially, my kids love pizza...perhaps a little too much if you ask me. So, sometimes instead of getting take out, I will make it from scratch for them. Lately, I’ve seen this Detroit style pizza all over the place and the one place in the city that makes them sells them for roughly $30 a pie! Considering that the size of the pizza is about 9x13”, I just can’t justify the cost.

After doing some research, I learned that the dough for this style of pizza is a little more doughy almost like a focaccia bread. The sauce is usually layered on top and the cheese that is used in Detroit cannot be found in Canada. Most describe it with a buttery flavor and when it melts all over the sides, the dough soaks in the rich butter fats and creates a crispy layer of cheese all around the pizza. I opted to try Monterrey jack mixed with mozzarella. And, lastly, it is cooked in a very specific pan. I wasn’t about the purchase a specific Detroit pizza pan just for making this so I dug around my kitchen and found a dark 9x13” pan that I could use. You do want to stick with a dark pan in this case so that the crust cooks properly and the cheese creates that nice crispy crust.

Although, I’ve never had the real thing, I think my version tastes pretty darn good. And, even with all the substitutions, it looks somewhat legit. I hope you make this and enjoy with your family.

Detroit Style Pizza

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Recipe details

Yield 1 Pizza
Time spent: Prep time: 90 Minutes Cook time: 21 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 51 min

Show Nutrition Info

Per serving

% Daily value

Ingredients

Crust

3 tbsps olive oil
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp instant dry yeast
3/4 cup plus 3 tbsps warm water

Pizza

2 cups pizza sauce
Pepperoni
Sautéed Mushrooms
1 1/2 cup small diced Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cup small diced mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Crust

In a large mixing bowl, add in the flour, salt and yeast. Mix to combine. Add in 1 tbsp olive oil and the warm water. Mix together with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. It will be quite wet and shaggy. If the dough is dry, add in 1 tbsp water at a time until it comes together.
Add in 2 tbsps olive oil to your pizza pan. Dip your fingers into the olive oil and scoop out the dough into the pizza pan. Using your oiled fingers, press and dimple the dough. It will only fill about 1/2 of your pan at this point. Cover the pan with a dish towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, using your fingers, press and dimple the dough again. At this point it should be relaxed enough to cover the bottom of your pizza pan. If not, cover again and wait another 15 minutes before you dimple and press again.
Cover with a dish towel and allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour. After an hour, you will see that the dough looks soft and pillowy. It will still look quite flat as if it hasn’t risen very much. That’s normal. It will do most of the rising in the oven.

Assembling pizza

Preheat your oven to 500F. When the pizza dough is ready, then you can start assembling the pizza. Top your pizza dough with a layer of pepperoni. Then a layer of the sautéed mushrooms. Then a layer of cheese paying attention to sides of the pan. With the pizza sauce, you are going to lay down three strips of sauce running from one side of the pan to other side. Lay more pepperoni on top of the sauce. Then take the remaining Monterey Jack and place them all along the edge of the pan. Take the remaining mozzarella and scatter it along the side of the pan and between the strips of sauce.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes rotating the pan halfway. At this point, the pizza should look a little golden, the edges of the pizza should have crispy cheese all around it. If you want the look of those curled pepperoni cups, turn the oven to the broiler setting and broil for a couple of minutes. Watch closely as you don’t want the top to burn.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before sliding the entire pizza onto a cutting board.
Slice and enjoy!

Comments

Ivy Klos on Mar 02, 2021

Sounds wonderful, going to try

1 Reply
- Kelly's Culinary Adventures on Mar 05, 2021
  
  Wonderful! I hope you like it!
  
  Like
Mary on Mar 02, 2022

It looks much like the original deep dish from pizza hut that I enjoyed. Must give it a try!

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