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)
