Detroit Style Pizza
Detroit-style pizza originated in 1946 at Buddy's, a neighborhood tavern located at the corner of Conant and Six Mile Roads in Detroit. The owner, Gus Guerra, along with his wife Anna, whose mother was Sicilian, brought a fresh vision to pizza-making. Drawing inspiration from the blue steel utility trays used in Detroit’s automotive plants, Guerra decided to use these pans to create a deep-dish pizza inspired by Sicilian traditions.
Detroit-style pizza features a thick, crispy crust with caramelized edges, whereas Sicilian-style pizza has a thick, airy, and bread-like crust. In Detroit-style pizza, the cheese is layered underneath the toppings, while Sicilian-style pizza layers the toppings on top of the sauce and cheese.
One of the defining elements of Detroit pizza is its topping of "Brick cheese"—a semi-hard, smear-ripened cheese made from cow’s milk, first developed in Wisconsin in the late 1800s. The cheese gets its name from the bricks originally used to press out the moisture. Young brick cheese has a milky flavor with a subtle nuttiness, while the aged variety develops more complex, pungent, and tangy flavors.
- Servings 4
- Dish Main
- Time 45
- Skill Home Cooks
Ingredients
Dough ingredients
Sauce ingredients
Toppings and Baking ingredients
Parts
Dough
If using a stand mixer: In the bowl of a small stand mixer fitted with a dough hook combine the flour, warm water, oil, salt, and yeast. Mix on low until the dough just comes together, increase the speed to medium-low, and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. If needed, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is less sticky to the touch.
If making the dough by hand: In a large bowl, combine the flour, warm water, oil, salt, and yeast. Mix until the dough forms a shaggy ball, then transfer the dough to a clean surface, and dust the dough with flour; knead until soft, smooth, and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. The dough should be moist, but not too sticky. If needed, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Generously drizzle oil into a Detroit pizza pan. Pre-shape the dough into a round and put it in the pan, drizzle the top with more oil and rub it into the top of the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and proof until the dough has doubled in volume and begins to spread out into the pan, about 2 hours.
Sauce
While the dough is proofing a second time, preheat the oven to 450°F and make the sauce.
Strain the excess liquid off of the tomatoes, then add them to a food processor. Pulse the tomatoes a few times until there are no large chunks. Season with salt.
Toppings and Baking
Once the dough is proofed, top it with ¼ cup of sauce (reserve the rest), and add the cheese and meat evenly distributed across the top of the sauce.
Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, or with an internal temperature of 200-210°F internally.
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