Detroit-Style Pizza | Cooking the States (Michigan)

As a Chicago man with a steadfast love for crispy, thin-crust pizza, I have ZERO issue saying that Detroit-style Pizza is elite. You can’t deny greatness and Detroit’s native pizza style is just that - LEGENDARY. The history behind the pizza style is so unique and the crust is crispier than the freshest 100 dollar bill. Matter of fact, this pizza is so good that I decided to drive all the way to Detroit just to try some (and to acquire first-hand experience for this recipe). You got this. 🤘🏼 Adam

Gear I Use:

• Detroit Style Pan (10x14)

• Detroit Style Pan (8x10)

• Pizza Steel (preferred)

• Pizza Stone (still good)

Yield: 1 (10x14 inch pizza) or 2 (8x10 inch) Pizzas

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Detroit-Style Pizza

Ingredients

Detroit Pizza Sauce

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28oz can San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed
• 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt, plus more to taste
• 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Whipped Ricotta

• 1 ½ cups Ricotta Cheese, full-fat
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste

Detroit Pizza Dough

• 480g Bread Flour (4 cups)
• 5g Sugar (1 tsp)
• 5g Instant Yeast (2 tsp)
• 6g Salt (2 tsp)
• 350g Water (90F) (1 ¾ cup)
• Fat to coat the pan

Toppings

• 8 ounces White Cheddar, grated
• 4 ounces Full-fat Mozzarella, grated
• Natural Casing Pepperoni, sliced to ⅛ inch rounds
• Fresh Basil
• Whipped Ricotta *see recipe
• Olive Oil, to garnish
• Parmesan Cheese, to garnish

Instructions

Detroit Pizza Sauce

1. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir together the tomatoes, dried oregano, sugar, salt and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, then remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Whipped Ricotta

1. Add ricotta, salt and pepper to a food processor. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon the ricotta into a piping bag with a star-tip attachment and refrigerate until needed. This can be done up to a week in advance.

Detroit Pizza Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add the bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Mix on low speed to combine. Pour in water and mix on low speed just until the dough forms into a shaggy ball. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
2. Mix on medium speed until the dough forms into a smooth ball, about 8-12 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll it into a smooth ball. Plop the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. From here you can use the dough right away or allow it to slowly cold-ferment in the fridge for extra flavor.
3. If cold-fermenting, put the bowl in the fridge and allow it to develop for 24-48 hours. Remove it from the fridge at least 2 hours before you want to bake.
4. If using the dough right away, allow it to bulk ferment on the counter at room temperature for 2 hours or until nearly doubled in size.
5. Spread the butter all over the bottom and the sides of the pan ensuring that the butter is everywhere. More is more here if you want crispy edges. Transfer the dough to the pan and flip it over to cover the dough in fat. Press down the dough to spread it as close to the edges as possible. You won’t be able to get it all the way there at first. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Stretch the dough out a second time ensuring that it covers the entire pizza pan. If you’re having trouble, allow the dough to rest 10 minutes longer. When finished stretching, cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof at room temperature for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven to 500F at least one hour before you want to bake. Situate a rack onto the middle section of the oven and, if available, place a pizza steel or stone on the middle rack to preheat.
7. Bake the pizza dough for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Top the entire pizza with half of the pepperoni and all of the cheese. Make sure to sneak most of the cheese into the cracks of the dough. Top with the remaining pepperoni. Ladle on 2 thick, but even, lines of sauce, about ¾ cup for each line. Bake the pizza for another 12-15 minutes, until the sides are dark brown and crisped.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. After resting, carefully remove it from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Top with dollops of whipped ricotta, basil, parm and olive oil. Slice into 8 even squares with a knife or pizza rocker and CRUSH!

Adam's Notes

• Yields one large 10x14 or two 8x10 pizzas.
• This dough is wet at about 73% hydration. It’s not super easy to work with, so the “slap and fold” is your best bet to shape it before allowing it to rise (see video).
• Frico (“free-coe”) is what makes Detroit style unique, it’s the word to describe the crisp cheese crust that forms on the side of the dough. Be sure to load the sides up with cheese for an extra crispy frico.
• For an extra prominent frico you can dry out the cheese by shredding it and leaving it uncovered in the fridge for 1-2 days. The idea is to drive out moisture from the cheese which helps it crisp up in place when baked.
• Be careful when removing pizza to preserve frico, carefully remove the pizza by working a thin spatula around the sides before plopping it out of the pan.
• To make life easier or serve multiple pizzas at once, you can take the dough to the “par-bake” stage, allow it to cool, wrap it in plastic and either refrigerate or keep at room temperature, then finish the pizza in a hot oven when ready.
• Derrick Tung, owner of Paulie Gee’s, sauces pizza AFTER it bakes. He likes it cold, but they serve it warm at the restaurants. Key word: CONTRAST.
• Think of toppings in terms of slices. Make sure to distribute the toppings so everybody gets a little bit.

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