Friday, September 28, 2018

Detroit-Style Pizza – This "Rock City" Pizza Rocks

The next time you hear people arguing about whether Chicago or New York has the best pizza, politely interrupt them, and make sure they know about Detroit-style, since it really should be part of the discussion. And by discussion, I mean heated argument.

Even though Detroit-style pizza is often referred to as “deep dish,” I don’t think that accurately captures the essence of this crispy, crusty, crazy-good slice. It has flavor elements of a slightly charred, blistered, thin-crust pizza, with the texture of light, airy focaccia. Plus, if you use the properly shaped pan, the edges of your crust get wonderfully crunchy, making for a very unique experience.

If you can’t get the classic 14” X 10” Detroit pizza pan, you can also use a 12” cast iron skillet, although you may need to not use quite as much dough, since I forget how much surface area that has, but it should be close. You can also use two 8” X 8” metal cake pans, but no matter what you go with, be sure it’s at least a few inches deep, otherwise things could get ugly.

Since I’m new to this style of pizza, if you’re from Detroit, please let me know how close I got, and if there’s anything obvious I’m missing. I know I needed more, and thicker, pepperoni, but other than that, I was really happy with how this came out, and hope everyone gives it a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for one 14x10 Detroit-Style Pizza:
For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

For the sauce (you’ll have a little extra):
one (24-oz) jar marinara sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder

The rest:
8 ounces sliced pepperoni
12 ounces brick cheese (I used 8 oz. of Monterey Jack and 4 oz. of cheddar)

54 comments:

Roberto said...

A 14"x10" square pan would equal a skillet about 13.3" in diameter, so your suggestion to use a bit less dough is correct. I think the difference is pi are square but pies are round, or something like that.

rodentraiser said...

Ooooh, man. Pepperoni plus olives, onions, mushrooms, bacon, ham, pineapple, sausage - I can see all those ingredients on that pizza now. YES!

Unknown said...

Could you pay a link to the pan that you used for this? Thanks!

Buzzelina said...

Could you please send me the info where you got he pizza dish? Thank you and I enjoy your videos even though I'm vegan I don't make most of your recipes.

Simon said...

hi chef, i like the recipe but you forgot an important step in pan pizza. after its been stretched to the edge you need to let it proof again for an hour or 2. this will result in much lighter texture.

The Dago by the Lake said...

Now we know what happened to Jimmy Hoffa. He served this to a bunch of "guys" visiting from Chicago, the guys said, "what are we eating?" Hoffa said, "Pizza." The rest is history.

OliveWellington said...

Hey Chef,

I noticed your oven is a convection oven. Yet you never mention whether or not to use the convection option on our ovens (assuming ours is equipped as such) when you showcase baking.

Can you please give your two cents on the matter?

Thanks!

Gene S said...

I'm from Detroit. You might try the King Arthur Flour Detroit pizza recipe (https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/king-arthurs-detroit-style-pizza-recipe). I tried it (without the King Arthur pizza dough flavoring) and was very happy with it.

There is also a Web site, pizzamaking.com, with two lengthy, multi-year threads, with numerous recipes, comments and photos:

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=3783.0

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=21559.0

FWIW, the first of the two above links, "Detroit Style" - Buddy's or Shield's," was started by me. (I am "gschwim.") As you can see, I started the thread in 2006, so Detroit pizza has been a major topic of pizza-making enthusiasts for a long time.

Gene Schwimmer


Inky said...

This looks absolutely amazing! I want to try this either today or tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I have all the ingredients on hand to make it. I don't have a 12" cast iron, but I've got a miasma of (fairly deep) cake pans. I imagine a 9"x 13", or maybe 10" or 12" square pan would work? Does the thickness or material matter? I mostly have aluminum pans. Thanks for sharing, Chef John!

Unknown said...

Would love a time and temp. Apologies in advance if I'm just continuously overlooking it

FSB said...

As expected... "Detroit Pizza Pan" on Amazon, $40.00+/- !!!

Unknown said...

That is awesome! It is basically Sicilian pizza. Can't wait to try it. Thanks Chef!

benwdunn said...

Chef! Major props to your homage to Detroit-style pie. I'm a Chicago transplant living in mid-Michigan. I love pizza (duh!) and have the "which city does it better?" argument all the time. Ironically, I prefer thin crust or foldable pie, but there is no such thing as a bad pizza. I also love the Buddy's reference. We follow your posts and make your recipes regularly. Per usual, you nailed it. I'll now the be the Jerry Garcia of my home pizzeria.

dove_song1 said...

No link for the pan Chef John? You need an Amazon store for these things.

Chris Keenan said...

I’m not sure what I did wrong. Tried this in the 8x8 pans. It never got to the fry level that you speak of. It seemed WAY UNDERCOOKED. Any thoughts what I may have done wrong?

Mr. Wermers' Blog said...

We made this for Sunday dinner this week. As is always the case when we make a Food Wishes recipe, the results were delicious! We also have to say using a few 8x8 pans was perfect. It made every piece a corner piece.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John,
ive come here today on the behalf of europeans and people who has a scale in their kitchens to ask you if you could use the weight of the ingredients for measuring the quantity in your recipes. if i recall correctly you made a video about the two types of salt, you were saying that more of table salt fits in a tablespoon compared to the more coarser salt. As you canunderstand same consequense applies to flour and a bunch of other ingredients.

Ive been watching your videos for a very long time and i appreciate for all the things youve taught me thus far and hopefully for many videos to come. also hopefully you dont see this as insulting in a way, i just want the whole world to be able to follow your recipes with more ease, because you know, USA and like two other countries are the only ones that still use the inferior Imperial system as opposed to the far more superior Metric System ;)

yours truly
some random amateur cook

LynnieBNC said...

I am drooling. And laughing. LOOKS FABULOUS. I can almost smell it.

Pat said...

can't wait to try it great job !

Anna Rogg said...

Love your blog, great recipes, wonderful instructions! But I have one question. What is "Italian sausage"? Italian sausages crop up in lots of your recipes (sometimes it's just "sausage", no explanation). In Italy they make all kinds of different sausages. Please tell me the Italian name of your Italian sausages so I know what kind of sausages you're talking about.

Ellen said...

Would a 9x13 baking dish work? Would you just need to make slightly less dough?

Points2Ponder said...

This is why Chef John is the greatest fun/cool teacher in the world. Thank You so so much for this Detroit (Buddies style) pizza best i have ever had as i grew up in the motor city....

Unknown said...

John--I'm from just outside Detroit. Your pizza looks like the real deal. You've got the crust down. If you're serious about coming to the Motor City, I'd love to be your tour guide! It's a fascinating city. And because I'm 'industry,' (albeit in a very small way), I know where we should eat!

tim said...

i'm telling kenji...

Pyrofish said...

Not to compare your pizza to a fast food chain, but this is the same style as Little Ceaser's "Deep Dish" pizza, which was widely panned... as being Detroit style, not Chicago. Detroit style isn't popular enough to advertise, so they just said Deep Dish. That is their only pizza that I will order, and I will gladly attempt your version so I can stop buying their's!

I have a pellet grill that claims 500F, but it struggles to get there. However, I have to believe the wood fire will only add to this. I'll just hide the pan from the wife till she's had it a few times.

Becca said...

Now that fall is here, can we get a good pumpkin soup recipe?

chad said...

Can you recommend a good Detroit pizza pan?

jjacobs0307 said...

Looks like another great Pizza waiting for my kitchen to accomplish! Thanks Chef John.

jjacobs0307 said...

Looks like another great pizza my kitchen needs to try. Thanks Chef John for all the years of foodie happiness.

Di said...

Zingerman's mail order sells a Detroit Brick with green pepper corns. The write up itself is entertaining. This is an Ann Arbor Michigan company.

Di said...

I see Walmart sells brick cheese via mail order too. Even with shipping pretty reasonable.

Alex in Shanghai said...

Stoked to try this. We have a detroit pizza place near our house ("Pie Squared") and I love this style. Like a crispy foccacia! Speaking of which, if you do this base with no sauce, then top with diced tomato, lettuce, mayo, and crumbled bacon, you have a really awesome open face BLT.

Unknown said...

Could you suggest were to buy the ideal Detroit Pizza baking pan?

Unknown said...

Can you use glass/pyrex baking pan instead? I so want to try this!

tim said...

lloyds pans have three they're great

Will R. said...

Anna Rogg, I believe "Italian" sausage as it's known in America is actually an American invention that comes comes in 2 varieties, "sweet" or "mild", and "hot", either of which are flavored with fennel seeds, among other things. I imagine it would be difficult or impossible to come by in other countries, but Chef John actually made a video on making Italian(-American) sausage on June 1st this year. If you live in America, though, I bet your supermarket has it near other sausages such as Kielbasa and Bratwurst.

timwux said...

I can vouch for the authenticity and functionality of these pans: https://detroitstylepizza.com/product/10-x-14-steel-dsp-pan/

This recipe has inspired to make some pizza tomorrow! Finding brick cheese in SF has also proven impossible for me as well, and I would love some suggestions for Wisconsin brick that has been vetted—lots of options out there, but no way to know quality (that’s a lot of cheese for it to turn out unusable).

Thanks, many times over.

Tim

timwux said...

I can vouch for the authenticity and functionality of these pans: https://detroitstylepizza.com/product/10-x-14-steel-dsp-pan/

This recipe has inspired to make some pizza tomorrow! Finding brick cheese in SF has also proven impossible for me as well, and I would love some suggestions for Wisconsin brick that has been vetted—lots of options out there, but no way to know quality (that’s a lot of cheese for it to turn out unusable).

Thanks, many times over.

Tim

Unknown said...

LloydPans Kitchenware 10 inch by 14 inch by 2.5 inch Detroit Style Pizza Pan, Pre-Seasoned, Stick Resistant, Made in the USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FY5PHIK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_O6qXBbJ3RVD5R

Sandra from Montreal said...

i followed the directions for this recipe exactly as shown (using "00" flour and my bread machine to make the dough), and it was fantastic! I can now say that I am, after all, the Canadian diva of my Detroit-style pizza! Thanks again, Chef John. :)

Anonymous said...

how come you dont allow people to print them from the website

Unknown said...

for those of us in Euroland, the ingredients would work out as follows. Using a bakerr's percentage of 100% flour, you have the following ingredients by weight

285 grams of Four (100%)
233 grams water (82%)
4 grams of sugar (1.4%)
7 grams of salt (2.4%)
10 grams of olive oil (3.5%)
10-15 grams of yeast (guessing here so between 3.5% and 5.2% by weight)

so this gets us to to a total weight of about 549 grams. considering that he is using a 10x14" pizza pan with 140 square inches, you have a dough density factor of 3.9 grams of dough per square inch. So if you are using a smaller or larger pan, just take the number of square inches and multiply by 3.9 (call it 4 if you want to round up).

If you have a round skillet, just go back to high school geometry and do some cipherin' and figgerin

I have a lodge 10.5" skillet. The pizza wouldn't be square but it would taste just as good.

the number of square inches in my skillet is calculated as follows:

radius is 1/2 the diameter, so 5.25". Square that (27.56) and multiply by Pi (3.14) for 86.5 square inches. Given the dough density factor of 3.9, you would need 337 grams of pizza dough. Knowing this, you can scale down the recipe using the baker's percentage to get to

175 grams of flour (100%)
144 grams of water (82%)
and do the math for the rest.

this way, you won't have too much left over dough.

Mrs. Landadio said...

Thanks for this recipem Chef John. We just made this ... DELICIOUS! Your recipes are fantastic! Please keep 'em coming.

Unknown said...

I bought a seasoned Lloyd’s pan off amazon and have been having some troule lately with the pizza sticking to the side of the pan making it difficult to remove smoothly. Anybody else experiencing this? Chef John, or anybody else, is there a way I can improve my technique to avoid the sides sticking? AMAZING recipe!!! Easily my favorite pizza I’ve ever eaten! Goes great with the Food Wishes pizza sauce

Unknown said...

Ok question; you said red chili flakes, did you mean crushed red pepper? because I think they are different things are they not? I am having a hard time finding red chili flakes.

Unknown said...

Raven, I have made this 4x now. I am using a Lodge 10.5 square cast iron skillet. My advice to you is to make sure that you are using enough olive oil and be sure to coat the sides of the pan. When stretching your dough in the pan, flip it over once or twice.

By the way, the proper dough density ratio is 3.8 grams per square inch. I sent an email to Shields Pizza and one of the owners was kind enough to write me back and tell me that they use 19 oz of dough i(538 g) for their large pizza 14x10). Also, the technique at Shields is to put the pepperoni on the dough, followed by the cheese, then all the other ingredients, followed by the sauce.

I grew up eating Shields Pizza before moving to Germany and I have to say that Chef John's recipe is every bit as good as the original, even if I cannot get brick cheese here.

Paul said...

This works fantastic in a 12 cast iron skillet but only use half the dough recipe. I love the crust. Thanks.

Cindy K said...

I've made this several times since you posted it and I'm making it again tonight. It's fantastic, and you're so right, it's nothing like a deep dish pizza.

I have a small request for those of mediocre memory like myself. Would it be possible to include details like oven temp and timing in the blog? I watch your videos many times but it's difficult for me to retain the math when I'm in the kitchen following the recipe.

Anyway, thanks for yet another new favorite dinner.

Unknown said...

Cindy K, iTdepends on how hot your oven gets but basically as hot as it will go for at least 12-16 mins.

Unknown said...

Cindy K, iTdepends on how hot your oven gets but basically as hot as it will go for at least 12-16 mins.

Unknown said...

anyone kind enough to translate the cups to grams,etc ?

Cindy K said...

Thanks Max Power. I realized after I posted the comment that the reason I have such a particularly hard time remembering the temp for this one is because my oven doesn't go anywhere near there, so I do as you suggest and cook it as high as it will go.


Re imperial to metric conversion, this site (and many others) provides an easy to read chart. Not sure if it's ok to post a link, but if doesn't work just google US to UK recipe conversion

https://fabflour.co.uk/fab-baking/5-conversion-charts-for-your-convience/

Pat from Detroit said...

Hey, a little bit of history. The original pizza pans were oil pans from model T‘s in Model A‘s made in near by factories. This is Detroit after all. Putting the toppings on top of the cheese is an absolute no no. You do not want the toppings to cook and ultimately burn at those high temperatures. The toppings need to be under the cheese to get the proper temperature . One other point, about half of Detroit style pizza makers put the sauce on AFTER the pizza has cooked. Do not skimp on the garlic in the sauce.

steelheader said...

Rumor has it that the original pans come from Generous Motors. The one ones they used to put nut and bolts in on the assembly line. Fact.