So, here I am; having gone from not really knowing what Detroit-Style Pizza was to buying a special pan and making one.
And, you know what? It was good!
Yesterday, I shared Jeff Mauro‘s Wicked Easy Pizza Sauce, today, we’ll make the dough (also surprisingly easy) and the pizza.
Note: you do not really have to buy a Detroit Style Pizza Pan. Your standard 13×9″ baking dish will work a treat.
INGREDIENTS
Dough:
•2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•2 tsp kosher salt
•1 tsp yeast
•1 tsp sugar
•1 cup warm (~100º) water
•Olive oil
Pizza:
•Olive oil
•8 oz sliced pepperoni
•Thinly sliced sweet onion (optional)
•16 oz Brick and/or Mozzarella cheese, cubed
•Pizza sauce
A note on making the dough: Jeff Mauro specifies using a blender, and it did work a treat, but my blender motor was a little bit overworked by it, so be careful, or use a stand mixer.
Another note on making the dough: Jeff Mauro also specified using rapid rise yeast, which I did not have on hand. Regular yeast worked a treat.
Brush a bowl with olive oil and set aside.
Add the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar to your blender and pulse to blend.
Add the warm water and process for about 30 seconds, just until the dough comes together in a ball. If, for some reason, it does not come together, add a bit more flour.
Process for another 30 seconds (this is where my blender motor started smelling), then turn the dough out into oiled bowl, cover loosely with a kitchen towel, and set aside to rise for two hours or so – until the dough has doubled in size.
Note: as always, you are the boss of that dough! Can’t get back to it in two hours? No worries! The dough will be fine just sitting there, even overnight, if needs be.
When you are ready to deal with the dough and make the pizza, brush your Detroit pizza pan (or 13×9 baking pan) with olive oil, and heat your oven to 500º.
Punch the dough ball down, then lay it out in the pan, stretching it to fit the pan.
Note: if the dough is not playing nice while stretching, just set it aside for 15 minutes or so, then come back to it. Worked for me.
My key takeaway about Detroit style pizza is that you have a kindofa wall of cheese all around the edges, that bakes up into a crusty, crispity cheesy goodness. Everything else, as far as I am concerned, is up for grabs.
That said, I chose to brush a thin layer of sauce on the crust before building my wall of cheese all along the sides.
BTW, I used Colby Jack for the edges, because I couldn’t find Brick cheese.
Cheese wall built, scatter the remaining cheese cubes – here I also added shredded Mozzarella – then top with pepperoni slices – I also added that thinly sliced sweet onion, because I love onion on a pizza.
Top with the remaining pizza sauce, then pop into the oven for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and, using a fish spatula, remove the pizza from the pan and cut into squares to serve.