Detroit-Style Pizza – A Beautiful Mess

I love pizza of all shapes and sizes. In fact, I can’t think of a pizza style I would turn down. It’s one of my all-time favorite foods, right up there with pasta. Ha. But I will admit, this Detroit-style pizza is my FAVORITE homemade pizza recipe. It’s so good! And this version is about as easy as you can make it from scratch while still staying mostly authentic. Find more pizza recipes in our archives.

Detroit-style pizza has a thicker, chewy crust. I feel it’s similar to a thinner focaccia bread, with an ultra crispy bottom. The edges are crunchy and crispy from pushing the cheese right up the edge of the metal pan it bakes in. And I even like to do my sauce “racing-stripe” style, meaning it goes on top of the other toppings in vertical lines across the pizza. Yum!

Love pizza? Next up, try: Deep dish pizza, stuffed crust pizza, homemade calzones, St. Louis-style pizza, fruit pizza and chocolate chip pizza.

Ingredients

• Instant yeast
• Water
• All-purpose flour
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Brick cheese – Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, or Wisconsin
• Pepperoni – or other toppings you prefer
• Pizza sauce – tomato sauce, make your own or use store-bought

How to Make Detroit-Style Pizza

Start by making the pizza dough. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the (warm) water. After a few minutes, you should notice the yeast looking kind of foamy; this is a good sign.

Stir the yeast water into the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Knead the dough a couple times, just so it becomes a cohesive dough ball. You don’t need to knead it very much. The dough will be loose and soft. Lightly oil the bowl and place the dough back in and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 45 minutes in a warm spot.

Add the oil to a metal 9×13 pan. Use your hands to spread the oil all along the bottom and up the sides of the pan, coating it. Now place the dough in the center of the pan, just plop it out of the bowl. Gently press the dough with oiled fingers, creating dimples, as you press it into a rectangle filling the pan.

Top with the cubed cheese, making sure pieces of cheese touch the edges of the pan. Then add your pepperoni or other toppings. Then add your lines of sauce.

Bake at 450°F (232°C) on the lowest rack in your oven for 18-20 minutes. The edges should get very brown (almost black—it’s not burning!) and the cheese will be bubbly.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Use a knife to loosen the edges of the pizza, then slide out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut and serve warm!

Tips for Making

• Sometimes I will add a pinch of sugar to the warm water before adding the yeast, just to really get the yeast going.
• If your kitchen is cold or drafty, an option is warm your oven slightly and then place the dough inside, closing the door, so it can rise in a warm place.
• Alternatively, if you want to add the sauce first and spread evenly over the pizza dough, you can. I just like the racing-stripe style of sauce for this recipe.
• If you use hardy vegetables for the toppings, like onion or bell pepper, you may want to lightly saute them before. It’s up to you, but just keep in mind the pizza will only be in the oven for about 18 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

This Detroit-style pizza is pretty indulgent! Here are some lighter side dishes that go great with it: