Nothing beats a thick slice of Detroit-Style Pizza! The dough is light and airy with a crust that’s super crispy and it’s topped with two kinds of cheeses and a delicious homemade pizza sauce. This is one spectacular pie that everyone at the table is guaranteed to LOVE!
Holy Moly folks! Our Friday night Pizza Party has never looked so good!!
I’m not gonna lie, this summer lots of tasty things came out of my kitchen, but this Detroit-Style Pizza may have been the best!
I wish I could take credit for the entire recipe, but I give credit where credit is due, and credit for this delicious pizza dough goes to King Arthur Flour.
I saw the recipe a while back and decided it was finally time to give it a go. And I went ALL in, even treating myself to the special dark anodized pan to get that extra crispy caramelized cheese around the edges. No worries if you don’t have the special pan, a regular 9×13 metal pan will work just fine.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
You’re going to love how thick and fluffy this crust is. It’s very similar to focaccia. And the bottom is perfectly crispy.
Adding the grated Parmesan cheese to the sides of this pizza before baking makes the edges super crispy and utterly delicious!
The homemade pizza sauce is so tasty and it takes no time to make AND it’s cheaper than buying a store-bought brand.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- unbleached bread flour
- instant yeast
- salt
- lukewarm water
- olive oil, for greasing the pan
- canned crushed tomatoes
- granulated sugar
- dried oregano
- dried basil
- garlic cloves
- sea salt and pepper
- mild provolone cheese
- low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- pepperoni, sausage or veggies, optional
Step-By-Step Instructions
First, you’ll make your pizza dough. You’ll mix and knead all the dough ingredients by hand or in a mixer until a shaggy dough forms, then cover and let it rest before kneading it again.
You will form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly-greased bowl, cover it and let it rise until doubled in size.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a Detroit-Style pan or a 9” x 13” metal pan and stretch the dough into the edges and corners of pan until it won’t stretch any more.
Cover the pan, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before stretching again. Repeat the rest one more time, if needed, until the dough fills the bottom of the pan. You may not need to repeat.
At this point, cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 to 45 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
For the sauce, add all the pizza sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well combined. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When the dough is done resting, you’ll gently press the dough down with your fingers to get rid of some of the larger air bubbles and then sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese along the edges of the dough.
Then you will top the dough with an even layer of pepperoni if using, then with the cubed cheeses. Spread the cubes to the edges of the pan.
Dollop the sauce in two long rows, as pictured above. Sprinkle with some dried oregano, if desired, and bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven until the cheese is bubbly and the edges have turned almost black, about 15 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and run a spatula around the edges to loosen from the pan. Let the pizza rest for 10 minutes, or until you can handle it. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, cut into squares and serve.
It’s not only the crust that sets Detroit-Style pizza apart from regular pizza, another big difference is that the sauce goes over the cheese, not under. And the sauce is usually added as thick lines down the pie.
I added three kinds of cheese to my pie, low-moisture mozzarella, mild provolone and grated Parmesan cheese for that over the top cheesy goodness!
You guys NEED to give this recipe a try. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. And don’t forget to plan ahead so you have enough time for rising.
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Detroit-Style Pizza
You can add other toppings to the pizza if you prefer. If you would like to add pepperoni, you can add anywhere from 8-12 ounces, sliced 1/8-inch thick.
If using pepperoni, veggies or sausage, you will add it to the top of the dough right before you add the cubed cheese in the recipe.
Right after you remove the pizza from the oven you will need to run a spatula around the edges to loosen it from the pan. You will then need to let it rest for 10 minutes before transferring the pie to a board to cut into squares.
Don’t skip the Parmesan cheese around the edges of the pie before baking. It helps make the outside edges extra-crispy and caramelized.
More Delicious Italian Recipes to Enjoy
Detroit-Style Pizza
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, I used King Arthur's
- 1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, for greasing the pan
Pizza Sauce
- 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. dried oregano, plus some extra for sprinkling the pre-baked pie, if desired
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Toppings
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 6 oz. mild provolone, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 8-12 oz. pepperoni, sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- Measure your flour by spooning it into your cup, then sweeping off excess with a knife. Mix and knead all the dough ingredients by hand or in a mixer until a shaggy dough forms.Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Knead it again until it becomes smooth and elastic.Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly-greased bowl. Cover the bowl and allow to rest until doubled, about 2 hours.Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a Detroit-Style pan or a 9” x 13” metal pan. Gently stretch the dough into the edges and corners of pan until it won’t stretch any more.Cover the pan, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before stretching again. Repeat the rest one more time, if needed, until the dough fills the bottom of the pan. You may not need to repeat. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 to 45 minutes while you prepare the sauce. In the meantime, place a rack at the lowest position of your oven, and preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Gently press the dough down with your fingers to get rid of some of the larger air bubbles. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese along the edges of the dough. Top the dough with an even layer of pepperoni if using, then with the cubed cheeses. Spread the cubes to the edges of the pan.Dollop the sauce in two long rows dough the pie, as pictured. Sprinkle with some dried oregano, if desired.Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven until the cheese is bubbly and the edges have turned almost black, about 15 minutes.Remove the pizza from the oven. Run a spatula around the edges to loosen from the pan. Let the pizza rest for 10 minutes, or until you can handle it. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, cut into squares and serve.Leftover pizza will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, 10-15 minutes.
Pizza Sauce
- Add all the pizza sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well combined. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside. You will have more sauce than you need for the pie. Use as much as you prefer and refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge.
Notes
Recipe for pizza dough adapted from King Arthur Flour
Is it wrong that I want this at 10am? I don’t think so :) Detroit style pizza is fabulous and yours looks perfect! Great game day (or any day) eating.
Lol! No judgement here Jennifer!
This looks sooo cheesy delicious, so doughy and wonderful! I’ve only had this type of pizza once and I won’t forget it! That thick dough is such a treat. Yum!
Thanks Katherine! We LOVE it! King Arthur Flour’s recipe is spot on delicious!
Love thick dough ! Besides, there is always home made spaghetti sauce canned in our pantry to make it for week dinner !
It’s such a tasty pie Davorka!
I have to say, Mary Ann, Detroit Pizza is totally the best kind of deep-dish pizza (don’t tell my Chicago friends I said that – but it’s true!) I’ve made it before in a regular 9×13 and it was wonderful, but I imagine in the dark pan it’s even better-textured! Love this recipe!
My family loves when I make this pizza Laura! The crust is so crispy. That Parmesan at the edges is delish!!
I couldn’t agree more Mare, totally worth the effort! This pizza looks OVER the TOP! You know I’m a pizza fan and look forward to putting Detroit style pizza in my repertoire. Our local co-op is offering this style pizza cooking classes, and I’m thinking I’d love to participate in a cook along. You’ve inspired me Mare! Delicious!
Thanks so much Traci! I bet you and Rob would LOVE this pie! Go for it!
Perfect everytime!
Woohoo! So happy you enjoy the recipe Luisa! It’s one of my favorites here on the blog!
I’ve made this recipe as written many times and it’s fabulous. However, I was wondering if I could make the dough the day before and at what point I would put it in the fridge?
Hi Charlotte. I know you can refrigerate pizza dough for up to 72 hours, so I would think that when you form the dough into a ball and add it to a greased bowl at this point you could refrigerate it overnight and then take it out and go to the step where you add it to the metal pan. Hope this helps.