How to Make Homemade Detroit-Style Pizza
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If you love pan pizza with an irresistible cheese frico crust, you will love this Detroit-style pizza recipe. The base is very similar to focaccia, light and airy, and thanks to a parbake, it’s sturdy enough to sustain a blanket of cheese, sauce, pickled jalapeños, and cup-and-char pepperoni. Below you will find step-by-step instructions for how to make excellent Detroit-style pizza at home and the secret to creating a tall and lacy cheese frico crust.
My introduction to Detroit-style pizza came not by way of Detroit’s legendary Buddy’s Pizza, but rather from Matt and Emily Hyland, the couple behind Pizza Loves Emily, whose New Haven-style pizzas are near and dear to my heart, and whose Emmy Squared slices now follow close behind.
It began at the height of the lockdown. Longing to eat something from beyond my 5-mile radius, I splurged on a trio of pizzas from Emmy Squared via GoldBelly. The small rectangular pies topped variously with everything from pickled jalapeños and banana peppers to Calabrian chilies and smoked gouda transported us to what felt like a faraway land. It was a blast.
After this at-home Emmy Squared dinner, I found myself determined to learn how to make this style of pizza for two reasons: one because it was delicious, but two because it seemed easy: I loved the idea of making one large pizza in one vessel, presenting it to the family, and then: turning the oven off! (I’ve gotten used to never sitting on pizza night.)
Friends, guess what? Having Detroit-style pizza in the dinner rotation is as dreamy as imagined. Making one and only one pizza that feeds my entire family is life-changing. (Turns out: I like sitting!)
But can I tell you my favorite part about making this style of pizza? You can complete so much of the prep — from mixing the dough to parbaking it — days in advance.
The recipe below includes both a yeast-leavened and a sourdough-leavened Detroit-style pizza dough with two topping options: one with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, the other with the addition of pickled jalapeños and honey, inspired by “The Colony” served at Emmy Squared.
Of course, you can top your pizzas as you wish. The key to finding success with Detroit-style pizza at home, as with so many things, is balance. For me, finding the right balance meant topping the pizzas a little more minimally than many of the recipes I found on the web. And finding ultimate success with this style of pizza came down to borrowing techniques from various sources, most notably from Matt and Emily Hyland (both from their book and a virtual cooking class I attended) and Wes Pikula of Buddy’s in Detroit (from this Pizza City USA podcast episode).
PS: How to Make Homemade Sicilian-Style Pizza
This is a long post, jump ahead if you wish:
- What is Detroit Style Pizza?
- The Dough
- The Secret to a Light and Airy Dough?
- The Cheese
- The Sauce
- The Pan
- How to Create A Cheese Frico Crust
- Why Parbake Your Detroit-Style Pizza
- Detroit-Inspired Pizza
- My Ideal Detroit-Style Pizza
- How to Make Yeast-Leavened Detroit-style pizza
- How to Make Sourdough Detroit-Style pizza
What is Detroit-style pizza?
Detroit-style pizza is often described as “pan pizza” and it is not unlike a cheesed- and sauced-focaccia. But there are some defining characteristics of true Detroit-style pizza. Let’s explore:
The Dough
- The dough of Detroit-style pizza should be high hydration (typically this means over 65%), and the baked dough should be light and airy, similar, as noted, to focaccia.
- In the picture below of the crumb shot, you’ll see lots of nice air pockets — this is partially thanks to the 83% hydration dough.
The Secret to a Light and Airy Dough?
As with focaccia, a long, cold proof will make for a lighter, airier dough. Matt and Emily Hyland bulk ferment their Detroit pizza dough in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours; then proof their dough in the pan in the fridge for 2 to 36 hours before using.
Detroit’s Buddy’s Pizza also employs a cold proof. After the dough’s first rise, it gets pressed into the pan, topped with both cheese and pepperoni, and transferred to the fridge to proof again.
I get the best results when I bulk ferment at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours; then transfer it to the fridge for 48 hours. From here I’ll fit the dough into the pan, then either return it to the fridge (for 24 hours or more) or let it proof at room temperature for 3 to 5 hours depending on the time of year.
As noted above, this is great for convenience — it’s so nice having a nearly assembled pizza waiting in the fridge — but it’s also beneficial for the dough: the longer dough ferments, the more gas bubbles are produced, and when those gas bubbles hit the hot oven, they expand, creating a light, porous crust.
The Cheese
- Wisconsin Brick Cheese, which is derived from white American cheddar, but has a higher fat content, is traditional.
- In Detroit-style pizzas, cheese goes on the dough before the sauce and is spread all the way to the edge of the pan. This method allows the cheese’s fat to pool at the pan’s edges and fry the dough, creating a cheese frico crust (see below).
- Note: In Upstate New York, brick cheese is hard to find. During my experiments, I ordered lots of Wisconsin Brick Cheese (and it truly is a great pizza cheese: very melty and tasty), but for ease, I now use a combination of Cheddar or Monterey Jack and low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella:
I like to cube or shred the above cheeses, but when I’m feeling lazy, these two bags work great:
The Sauce
- Detroit-style pizzas use a cooked tomato sauce (as opposed to an uncooked sauce, which is what Neapolitan-style pizzas and others traditionally call for.)
- The sauce is applied last (over the cheese and pepperoni) in dollops or in two or three “racing” stripes. Detroit-style pizza is not super saucy. Here are two sauce recipes (one made from canned tomatoes, one from fresh) that I love for pizza.
The Pan
- The story of Detroit’s Buddy’s Pizza, the “original” Detroit-style pizza, is that the owner used his mom’s Sicilian pizza recipe, but placed the dough in rectangular blue steel pans — these were “scrap” pans from the nearby auto plants.
- Lloyd Pans is a company that makes, among many things, Detroit-style pizzas pans — they arrive already seasoned, and they truly make a beautiful crust. I have two. I also recommend baking the pizzas on a Baking Steel for optimal crispness.
- A tip from Emily Hyland: grease the pan with butter because the milk solids in the butter encourage a deeper browning in the crust than oil. I like to use both butter and oil.
Cheese Frico Crust
If you have spent any time on Instagram or TikTok, you may have come across some striking images of Detroit-style pizza. My favorite are those from Apollonia’s Pizzeria in Los Angeles. Justin De Leon, the owner, will be first to say, however, his pizza is not true Detroit-style, but rather what he calls “Los Angeles” style.
Though I have never been to Detroit, from what I gather, the frico crust of a true Detroit-style pizza is less wild than the images filling our social media feeds, but caramelized and pronounced nonetheless, something more like this:
But the dramatic cheese frico crusts are fun, right? So how do we create these magical crusts? …
… with a parbake and pre-grated cheese. Read on for the details. I have two pizza makers I met through Instagram, Christy Alia of Real Clever Food and Jimmy Hank of Jimmy Hank Pizza, to thank for sharing their wisdom on this matter.
Why Parbake Your Detroit-Style Pizza?
For two reasons:
Most important: If you have struggled to get your bottom crust to cook completely before your toppings burn, a parbake is the solution. I have found 8 minutes at 500ºF to be perfect. After the 8 minutes, I let the dough cool, then I top it and return it to the oven for 10 minutes at 475ºF.
Second: if you’re looking to create a dramatic cheese frico crust, the parbake is essential. During the parbake, the dough will shrink from the sides of the pan ever so slightly, creating a space for cheese to wedge itself into and ultimately build into a tall, lacy cheese crust.
Another essential piece — unfortunately — is to use pre-shredded cheese, the starches in which prevent the cheese from clumping and melting too quickly. These cheeses do not taste nearly as good as block cheese you grate yourself, and one solution, smartly suggested by Christy Alia is to use pre-shredded cheese along the perimeter and the good stuff in the interior. These are the two pre-shredded cheeses I have been using for the perimeter of DSP:
Detroit-Inspired Pizza
The recipe below is inspired by the Detroit canon: the dough is high hydration, like a focaccia, and it’s cheesier and greasier (hey pepperoni!) than the pizzas I’ve grown to love over the years. That said, compared to many Detroit pizza recipes out there, some of which call for 24 ounces of cheese and 12 ounces of pepperoni, this one is not quite so excessive.
If you want more of deep dive into true Detroit-style pizza this episode of Pizza City USA is great.
My Ideal Detroit-Style Pizza
- At least 75% dough hydration.
- Butter + olive oil in the pan. As noted above, the milk solids in butter help better brown the bottom of the pizza. I grease the pan with 1 tablespoon of butter; then pour 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the center of the pan for the dough.
- Fermentation: Two Options:
- Long cold ferment: There are several ways to do this: You can mix the dough and stick it in the fridge for 48 hours. Or you can mix the dough, let it rise at room temperature, pan it, then stick the pan in the fridge for 48 to 72 hours.
- Long room-temperature proof works well, too: Recently (2/10/2023) I’ve been mixing the dough in the evening using cold water and 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast, letting it rise overnight, then following the initial rise with a room-temperature proof in the pan.
- Parbake: To allow the dough to cook and prevent the toppings from burning.
- Sauce on top, but not last. In true Detroit-style pizza, the sauce goes on last. I tried this a few times, and it’s not my preferred way of assembly because when the sauce goes on top, the toppings can’t brown/crisp/char as nicely. I like to proof the dough with the cheese spread across it, spoon sauce over the cheese once it comes out of the fridge; then top the pizza with any other toppings I am using.
- 12 to 14 ounces of cheese total. As noted above, I use a mix of whole milk, low-moisture mozzarella and Cheddar. Monterey Jack works nicely, too.
- 1/2 cup of sauce — it won’t feel like enough, but it is. I love a vodka sauce on pizza. This is the simple vodka sauce recipe I’ve been making most often.
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños: Matt and Emily Hyland include pickled jalapeños on one of their pizzas, The Colony, which has become one of my favorites to make at home. It’s finished with a honey drizzle out of the oven, and the spicy-sweet combination is irresistible.
- 3 to 4 ounces of pepperoni. I love this Vermont Smoke and Cure:
Detroit-Style Pizza, Yeast Leavened, Pepperoni
Gather your ingredients: bread flour, salt, cold water, and instant yeast, SAF is my preference.
Whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast:
Add cold water.
And stir to form a sticky dough ball. Cover the dough with a teaspoon of olive oil. Cover with an airtight lid or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight or for 10 to 12 hours.
The following morning, remove the lid.
Deflate the dough. I like to use a flexible dough scraper for this. At this point you can transfer the dough to the fridge and let it rest for as long as week. I find 2-3 days to be the sweet spot.
Or you can proceed: place it in your prepared pan: a buttered Detroit-style pizza pan with 1 teaspoon of oil in the center:
Let the dough rise for 3 to 4 hours.
Then dimple and stretch the dough to the edges.
Let it rise for another hour, then parbake it for 8 minutes at 500ºF:
Remove the parbaked crust from the pan and let it cool upside down on the rack — this is another tip from Christy Alia, which she learned from her grandfather.
Return the dough to the pan and begin by adding your cheese, using pre-shredded cheese on the perimeter (if you’re going for that dramatic, tall frico crust) and hand-grated cheese on the interior. Note: Here I am using all hand-grated cheese, which I prefer for its flavor. You will see at the end that the crust is not tall and dramatic, but it sure is tasty.
Next, add sauce and toppings for choice.
Return to the oven at 475ºF for 10 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a board to cut and serve.
This a frico crust made with hand-grated cheese:
Undercarriage:
Crumb:
This is a frico crust made with pre-shredded cheese:
Detroit-Style Pizza, Sourdough Edition, Pepperoni + Pickled Jalapeños
Combine 100 grams of active, bubbly starter with 185 grams water.
Add 6 grams of salt:
Stir to combine.
Add 255 grams flour.
Stir to form a sticky dough ball.
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Then perform a set of stretches and folds or slap and folds (see video for guidance). Do two sets of these stretches and folds total at 30-minute intervals.
The dough will feel smooth and elastic after the second set. Transfer to a straight-sided vessel and let rise until doubled in volume.
When the dough has doubled or nearly doubled, you can transfer it to the fridge for 48 hours or proceed with the recipe.
From here, the process is the same as outlined above with the yeast-leavened dough. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape it into a ball. Transfer to a prepared pan (see yeast-leavened process photos above). UPDATE 2/10/2023: I now add a parbake. I have not updated the sourdough step-by-step photos yet, but will do so soon. Stay tuned!
Out of the oven, drizzle lightly with honey.
In closing, this is a nice tool to add to your arsenal of pizza-making gear: a mezzaluna. I love this one:
How to Make Homemade Detroit-Style Pizza
- Total Time: 24 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Description
**Attention Pizza Fans**: My pizza cookbook is here! Get your copy: Pizza Night.
If you love pan pizza with an irresistible cheese frico crust, you will love this Detroit-style pizza recipe. The base is very similar to focaccia, light and airy in texture but sturdy enough to sustain a blanket of cheese, sauce, pickled jalapeños, and cup-and-char pepperoni. A parbake will ensure everything bakes evenly and will help create a dramatic cheese frico crust.
UPDATE 2/10/2023: I have updated the original yeast-leavened recipe by increasing the hydration and eliminating the stretches and folds. I’ve also added a parbake. Find the original recipe here.
Notes:
As always, for best results, please use a digital scale to measure everything. Volume cups simply are not accurate.
Flour: I have had success using all-purpose flour, but if you can get your hands on bread flour, that is ideal, especially if you live in Canada or abroad. Moreover, if you live in Canada or abroad, you may need to reduce the water amount. Consider holding back some of the water (25 grams or so) during the mixing process to ensure you don’t end up with a soupy mess. You can always add it back in slowly if the dough is too dry.
Cheese: Wisconsin Brick cheese is traditional but it can be hard to come by if you live in the Northeast. A mix of whole milk mozzarella and Cheddar or Monterey Jack works great for the interior surface. Pre-shredded cheese is essential for creating a dramatic cheese frico crust on the perimeter.
Sauce: I love a vodka sauce on pizza, such as this one or this one. This is my favorite fresh tomato sauce recipe. Of course, use your favorite tomato sauce here. I love all of the Rao’s brand sauces.
Pan: I hate to encourage spending money on yet another piece of equipment, but a Lloyd Detroit-Style pizza pan does make a difference. I love my 9×13-inch USA pan, but a Lloyd Pan truly creates a crisper, more golden bottom. Furthermore, if you have a Baking Steel or pizza stone, baking the pizza on it will encourage even better browning, and if you don’t have a Lloyd pan, I suggest using the Baking Steel, which will help crisp up the bottom.
Timeline: Plan ahead. I like to mix the dough in the evening, let it rise overnight, then bake it the following day.
The toppings: The pickled jalapeño and pepperoni pizza below is inspired by “The Colony” served at several of the Matt and Emily Hyland pizza restaurants, the recipe for which also can be found in their book, EMILY: The Cookbook.
Ingredients
For the yeast-leavened pizza dough:
- 288 grams (2.25 cups) bread flour
- 6 grams (1.5 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) instant yeast, SAF is my preference
- 240 grams (about 1 cup) cold water
For the sourdough pizza dough:
- 255 grams (1.75 cups + 1 tablespoon) bread flour
- 6 grams (1.5 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 185 grams (3/4 cup) water
For each pizza:
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) softened butter
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) olive oil
- 6 ounces pre-shredded Cheddar (for the cheese frico crust)
- 4 ounces pre-shredded low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella (for the cheese frico crust)
- 6 ounces hand-grated low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella for the interior surface
- 3 to 4 ounces (85 – 113 grams) pepperoni, I love Vermont Smoke & Cure, sliced as thinly as possible
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, to taste, optional
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce, such as this one or this one, or your favorite jarred sauce
- light drizzle honey, optional
Instructions
To make the yeast-leavened pizza dough:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the water is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Slick the dough with a teaspoon of olive oil. Cover the bowl with an airtight lid. Let rise overnight or for 10 to 12 hours at room temperature.
- Using lightly oiled hands or a flexible bowl scraper, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it towards the center. Shape it into a rough ball. At this point, you can transfer the dough to the fridge for up to a week. I find the sweet spot to be 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can skip to preparing the pan.
To make the sourdough pizza dough:
- Place the water in a large bowl. Add the starter and stir with a spatula to combine. Add the salt and stir again; then add the flour. Mix again until the flour is mostly incorporated. Use your hands if necessary to briefly knead in the last bits of flour. Cover vessel with a tea towel or cloth bowl cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes have passed, reach into the vessel and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the vessel quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes; then repeat the stretching and folding. After these two sets of stretches and folds, you should see a difference in the texture of the dough: it will be smoother, stronger, and more elastic.
- If you have a straight-sided vessel, transfer the dough to it; then cover it with a tea towel or bowl cover and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 8 hours (the time will vary depending on the time of year, the strength of your starter, and the temperature of your kitchen) or until the dough has roughly doubled in volume. (A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy because it allows you to see when your dough has truly doubled.)
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape into a rough ball. I like to do this without flour, but use flour as needed — the dough will be sticky. Use the pinkie-edges of your hands to pinch the dough underneath to create a ball. Skip to preparing the pan.
Prepare the pan:
- Grease a 10×14-inch pan with the tablespoon of softened butter. Pour 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the center. Place the dough ball in the pan and turn to coat. Let rest for 3 to 4 hours. With lightly oiled hands, stretch the dough to fit the pan. Let the dough rest again for 1 hour.
Parbake the dough:
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF.
- Dimple the dough one last time with lightly oiled hands taking care not to dimple the perimeter. Transfer the pan to the oven for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the dough to a cooling rack. Let it cool upside down on the rack for 20 minutes. Do not wash the pan.
- Once the dough is cooled, you can transfer it to an airtight storage bag for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Top the pizza:
- Preheat the oven to 475ºF. If you do have a Baking Steel or pizza stone, place it on a rack in the middle or lower third of the oven while it preheats.
- Return the parbaked crust to its pan (bottom side down).
- Combine the two pre-shredded cheeses for the frico crust in a medium bowl. Spread this cheese around the perimeter of the dough pressing it into the sides of the pan.
- Sprinkle the hand-grated mozzarella over the interior surface of the dough.
- Finish topping the pizza: spread the 1/2 cup of tomato sauce evenly over the top. Spread the pepperoni evenly over the surface. If you are using pickled jalapeños, scatter them evenly over the pizza, keeping in mind heat tolerance — they make the pizza very spicy.
Bake the pizza:
- Transfer pizza to the oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are caramelized to your liking. Remove the pan from the oven and let the pizza rest for 5 minutes in the pan. Carefully run a paring knife or spatula around the pan’s edges. Then, carefully remove the entire pizza from the pan, transferring it to a cutting board. If you are using the honey, drizzle it over top. Cut the pizza into 12 pieces and serve.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
263 Comments on “How to Make Homemade Detroit-Style Pizza”
I’m a little confused about the two fermentation options and the instructions that accompany the pictures – is there benefit to spending time in the fridge? Is there one rise/proof option that’s easiest for beginners? I’m used to single rise dough, but am from Michigan and have been searching for a Detroit style (or Jet’s pizza) crust and hoping I can dial this in!
Sorry for the confusion here! I think the key to making a really good DSP is this:
1. Long slow room temperature first rise.
2. Deflate and place it in the fridge for a day if possible — this makes the dough much easier to stretch out when you are ready to fit it into your pan.
3. Stretch dough into your pan and let it proof at room temperature for roughly 4 hours… or longer. The longer the proof (till a point), the less the dough will shrink in the pan and the airier it will be.
4. Parbake.
Once you nail the parbake, the rest is easy!
Let me know if you need anything clarified.
Preface by saying with love Alexandra cooks and use her pizza recipes all the time! But maybe this will be helpful info for this one: we did two double recipes – one with sourdough and the other regular. The sourdough recipe dough was very tight, ended up adding a tiny bit of water during the bulk rise. After reading both recipes and watching both videos, we were so confused – while after the fridge instructions said they were supposed to be the same, the sourdough recipe said that after taking the dough out of the fridge, you should ball it up and let it rise in the middle of the buttered pan and let it rise for an hour while the yeast video said to stretch the dough to the pan, let rise 3-4 hours with plastic wrap on top. a few other discrepancies which we found hard to follow… also the dough quantity was seemingly not enough, in both recipes the dough was stretched so thin despite it doubling in size and our pans being the right size. Maybe has to do with our climate or something but i would recommend making 1.5 times the recipe just in case this happens to you!
I’m so sorry this one is confusing 🙁 I will say I have edited this recipe so many times because, well, it has been a journey! I started with no parbake, but I now am a firm believer in the parbake being essential to create a non-gummy crust as well as a pronounced frico crust. Let me address your questions:
“while after the fridge instructions said they were supposed to be the same, the sourdough recipe said that after taking the dough out of the fridge, you should ball it up and let it rise in the middle of the buttered pan and let it rise for an hour while the yeast video said to stretch the dough to the pan, let rise 3-4 hours with plastic wrap on top.”
This is my preferred method regardless if it’s sourdough or yeast:
1. Long slow room temperature first rise.
2. Deflate, ball it up, and place it in the fridge for a day if possible — this makes the dough much easier to stretch out when you are ready to fit it into your pan.
3. Remove from the fridge and immediately stretch the dough to fit your pan — this should be easy if it’s had sufficient time in the fridge, but if it resists, let it rest, then try again 30 minutes or so later. Then let it continue to proof at room temperature for roughly 4 hours… or longer. The longer the proof (up to a point), the less the dough will shrink in the pan and the airier it will be.
4. Parbake.
Once you nail the parbake, the rest comes easy.
“also the dough quantity was seemingly not enough, in both recipes the dough was stretched so thin despite it doubling in size and our pans being the right size. Maybe has to do with our climate or something but i would recommend making 1.5 times the recipe just in case this happens to you!”
I do think the amount of dough in the recipe is sufficient, but this could be a personal thing — I like the thickness here. But if you like a thicker crust, then definitely increase the quantities.
Questions: Are you using a scale to measure? What kind of flour? And you are using a 10×14-inch pan, correct?
Like Alexandra said… thickness is a personal preferance. Most other Detroit pizza recipes go for the 540 gm dough amount. I tried 600 gm total dough weight and thought it was too thick. So am trying the 546 gm amount… just a slight difference.
Thank you for this, Christy! It definitely is a personal preference, and I also find 600 grams to be too thick for me. Thanks for writing 🙂
Delicious!
Followed recipe exactly for crust. I did use Fleishmann’s Bread Machine yeast- Didn’t have SAF. Worked great!
The dough is very forgiving- can’t mess it up. I proofed a little longer- but baking and letting it sit upside down is a great idea!
Very nice recipe- Thank you! – Carol
Great to hear, Carol! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. A longer proof is a good idea here 👍👍
michigander here that now lives in the uk! just got back from a trip to visit family and rediscovered detroit pizza and can’t get it out of my head. This recipe looks great. I’m wanting to make this sunday afternoon but we are going away friday afternoon. Would it be okay to proof in the fridge for two days (yeast leavened) or will it make the crust too dense ?
Hi! I would make the dough today (Thursday… either in the morning or evening), then once it has risen for the 10-12 hours, deflate it and stick it in the fridge. Sunday morning if possible or 4-5 hours before you plan on serving your pizza, remove the dough from the fridge and fit it into your pan — it should stretch very easily out to fit. Cover with oil/plastic wrap and let rise until it is ready for the parbake.
Does this timeline work for you?
So, am a pizza lover yet not a bread baker! Got the pan, measured the KA bread flour, instant dry yeast, salt and cold water. My dough seemed very sticky. First proof seemed to rise yet probably not enough. Continued with proof on counter in pan covered in wrap…still seemed wet. Did not stretch out to meet edges of 10X14 pan. Dough seemed very thin, in comparison to your video( which is extremely helpful). Made anyway, as had everything ready to go. Flavors melded well, frico kind of slid under the crust not up the sides and crust was def not light and airy like yours. Saw in some other comments to not use as much water and not as cold…. Any suggestions. Was really hoping this would be my go to yet really deflated lol
Hi Marion!
Did you use a scale to measure?
Yes I did! Live in NewSmyrna Beach Fl don’t know if that is an issue …it’s actually been cool. House is open approx 70 degrees.
OK, given your environment, which is humid — right? — I’d suggest reducing the water or adding more flour. Because you had issues with it being thin, I’d suggest starting with more flour. Try starting with 300 grams of flour.
Ali!
I just got your book and I’m jumping out of my seat! I credit the massive size and keen intellect of my oldest son to New Haven pizza throughout my pregnancy–Sally’s, Pepe’s, Modern, Bar–his baby shower was at Bar, actually. When you mentioned “The Salad”, I was right there with you! We used to buy dough at Modern for $1/ball–I wonder if they still do this? Needless to say, I’m thrilled to have your book in our home for our own pizza night tradition! Thank you for doing everything that it takes to put such a gorgeous cookbook out into the world! Ready to jump right in!
Awww it’s so nice to read all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂 I LOVE that your baby shower was at Bar… that would be my ideal. I didn’t know that Modern sold dough balls for $1/ball – what a steal! — but I’m going to find out if they do. Thank you for writing and thank you for your kind words!
How would you suggest reheating/cooking the crust from frozen?
I like to thaw it at room temperature for about an hour before using, but honestly, you could probably get away with less time — it doesn’t have to be fully thawed before using.
What is the recipe for the dough if I have the smaller pan 8×10? I made this last time and my dough was very dense in the middle as I’d used the smaller pan with the larger dough quantity
Hi! Apologies for the delay here.
OK, a little math: I think if you use roughly 60% of the dough quantity, you’ll be in business (you can use the same amount of yeast):
173 grams bread flour
4 grams kosher salt
2 grams instant yeast, SAF is my preference
145 grams cold water
Best pizza dough ever.
So I made the pizza dough according to the recipe in the comments for the regular yeast recipe with the step of having it in the fridge overnight, then stretching it into the pan and letting rise for another 4 hours, then the parbake and top and cook. Also, knowing my audience I did the 1.5 recipe to be sure we would have a super thick dough.
I used some butterkase cheese and mozzarella for the topping, but used what recipe called for by the crusts. Also, we are a ham and pineapple family, so that was our topping.
My Detroit style loving husband said this was quite possibly the best pizza he has ever had.
If you could do the update with pics of each step of the notes you have in the comments that would be super helpful…unless Jets has paid you not to share it because it would put them out of business.
Mel! I’m so happy to read all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂 I updated the recipe and some of the notes in the post to reflect the updated method, mostly to include the step about the fridge rise. I think the rest of the process/notes are all up to date… let me know if I’m missing anything. I do need to update the photos… on my to-do list for this summer! Thanks for writing and sharing. I will have to try 1.5x the recipe soon, too.
If I want to make 2 pizzas, but only have 1 pan (they are $$$) can I bake one of them on a cookie sheet? I’m assuming if I’m parbaking the crust it will hold it’s shape when I bake a second time…is that a crazy thought? Thanks!
Hi! They are indeed $$!
This is what I would suggest if time permits: parbake one loaf in the Lloyd, remove it, let it cool, let the pan cool; then proof the remaining dough in the cooled pan, and parbake that one. You can parbake 2 to 3 days ahead of time: stick the parbaked slabs in large ziplocks.
On serving day: use the Lloyd for one of the slabs, use a sheet pan for the other slab. You won’t get the nice frico crust on the one that’s on a sheet pan, but that doesn’t matter. It will still be delicious!
Let me know if this makes sense.
Hi Alexandra,
About this one:
“Once the dough is cooled, you can transfer it to an airtight storage bag for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.”
How long would you say one could store in the fridge?
Hi! Apologies for the delay here. I’d say 3 days as well — bread actually stales faster in the fridge than at room temperature.
Hi Alexandra,
Having followed the yeast-leavened pizza dough recipe and instructions, the parbake shrinks the crust approx 1/2 inch both directions, what am I doing wrong?
(I had the dough to rise overnight, but skipped the fridge part and as described went straight to preparing the pan)
Hi John! Apologies for the delay here. A few thoughts/questions:
1. Are you using a scale to measure?
2. What type of flour are you using?
3. How long did you leave the dough in the pan before parbaking it?
4. Are you using a 10×14-inch pan?
I think you will find that if you give the dough a few days in the fridge, you’ll have less shrinkage. When I pull dough from the fridge that has been in for at least a day, but ideally 2, the cold dough will stretch immediately to fit the pan. And then, after a 3-4 hour rise, it is pillowy and light and easily stretching edge to edge.
For the final dimple, too, it’s important to push the dough towards the edges to encourage it to keep its shape.
Ali we are really having fun cooking from Pizza Night! We are especially enjoying the grandma-style and grilled pizza recipes. The salads are also terrific. I love the combinations of pizza + salad. It is helpful to have the detailed pictures in your book and also the ability to reference your YouTube videos.
One question for you – could you bake two grandma-style pizzas at the same time? And, I have the baking steel you recommend in the book – would you suggest baking one on the steel on one rack, and one on the other/ rotate racks mid way? Or, if baking two – just stick with the oven rack. I bake these using convection oven. Would appreciate your thoughts.
Amy, thank you! It is so nice to read this. I so appreciate you taking the time to write 🙂
I think you could bake two at a time as long as neither of the pizzas is below the Steel. So, you could put one on the Steel, and one on a rack above the Steel, and you could switch/rotate them halfway. When I do this, I try to stagger them on the racks (push one pizza to the right side of the oven and one to the left side), so that there is the least amount of overlap as possible… not sure it really does anything, but I do think maximizing airflow over the top of each pizza promotes more even browning.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
I made the new version of your dough yesterday. I mixed it and left it on the counter for 10 hours. Then greased my hands and pulled it away from bowl, but it just deflated and did not come into a ball just a smaller “blob”. It is now in the refrigerator until tomorrow when I will continue with preparing the pan. Will the dough be ok considering it did not form a ball after the long ferment on our counter?
Yes! It will be fine. It’s a very wet dough, so this is OK.
Questions: Did you use a scale to measure? Do you live in a humid environment? What kind of flour are you using?
Yes I used a scale, King Authur flour, live in Hilton Head Queen of HUMID! I will take the dough out and place it in the prepared pan stretch and let it sit the 4 hours or so and then parbake. Am I missing anything? So excited to get back to pizza nights. Thanks for your reply
Not missing anything! Hope it turns out well. Great to hear about the scale and KAF. I usually suggest holding back water when humidity is affecting the dough, but because this is a small-ish amount of dough, I’d actually suggest starting with more flour next time around. Try 300 grams of flour next time around. Bread flour might help, too, if you have been using all purpose.
Hey there Ali! I’m looking forward to trying your dough recipe. I had already made my dough for pizza when I came across your method, which I followed. I didn’t get the “bubbliness” of the crust shown in your photos, but as I said, I didn’t use your recipe, only your method. So next time, it’s you and me, girl!
I did want to offer a tasty addition to pizza crusts: I often sprinkle the pan with sesame seeds before plunking in my dough. Gives the baked pizza crust a wonderful nutty flavour which I love.
Thanks – and I’ll see you soon! 😉
I have been meaning to try a sesame-crusted pan dough for ages!! I heard it mentioned on a podcast awhile back, and it sounded so good. Hope the dough turns out well for you! thanks for writing 🙂
Hi,
I just wanted to thank you for this entire very specific post. I fell in love with the arenstein at Emily’s and I live in Jersey and can only have it once very couple years.
I even went on a recent trip to Detroit and was profoundly disappointed.
I’m going to try it at home now using your guidance. 🤞
Thanks again!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing. Hope you love it 🙂
Love your site, and make several of your sourdough recipes regularly, including your focaccia. I bought the metal pin you recommended there. Would that work for this.
Metal *pan!