The next time you hear people arguing about whether Chicagoor 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 14×10 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)
“Karniyarik” means “split belly,” which refers to the technique used to stuff them, although depending on the size of your eggplant, it could also refer to you after enjoying this delicious dish. By the way, this was my first time making these, and when I mentioned in the video only doing 15 minutes of research before filming, I wasn’t joking. So, you’ve been warned. 
