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 use a lidded vessel — I love this 4-quart Pyrex bowl + lid set, 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.
283 Comments on “How to Make Homemade Detroit-Style Pizza”
Made this recipe following her exact instructions and it came out wonderful. Currently making it again.
Even though the recipe might look intimidating as there are a decent amount of steps involved, it is not difficult (I am not a great baker) and it is definitely worth it.
So nice to hear this Tatjana 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing. This has become a Sunday tradition in our house. So great to hear you’re making it again 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕
Hi, I have made the sourdough version twice and I am not getting the rise that you do. I know I have good starter as I make other items and they turn out well. The first rise seems to look good, but after it sits in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours with the cheese it never recovers. They crunch and flavor are good.
Hi Teena! Bummer to hear this: one thought, and I’ve been meaning to revisit this recipe and add notes, but I made the sourdough version on Halloween for a small gathering. I removed the pans from the fridge before we left to trick or treat; then I baked them several hours later. They turned out really well. Part of me wonders if you tried a longer room temperature proof if you might get a better rise. Another thought: skip the cold proof, and see if simply proofing at room temperature for 3-4 hours after the bulk fermentation might make a difference. Sorry for the trouble with this one!
I have my pan in the frig with cheese – when you’re ready to bake it does it go right from the frig to the oven?? or does it need to come to room temp before cooking
Hi Mary! I’m likely too late here. It sits at room temperature for about an hour before baking. Hope it turned out well!
Hi Allie,
I let it sit out for an hour before baking. My family loved it so much they asked me to make it for superbowl. The only issue is it did not get the airy holes or height like yours & like the focacci I’ve made before with great results. On the first stretch and slap my dough was not as elastic as yours in the video (measured the water & used bread flour)
It rose fine tho. Also after the 24 hours in the frig it didn’t change much after an hour on the counter – is that normal?
I really love your videos and all your recipes Thank you so much for all you do!!
Hi Mary! So sorry for the delay here.
Question for you: are you making the yeast version or the sourdough version?
My two thoughts initially are that 1.) You could try letting the dough sit out longer at room temperature before baking — the focaccia, for instance, sits out for 3 to 4 hours before baking, so that might make a difference.
2.) Potentially reduce the water. You are using a scale to measure, right? I think you are, but just double checking.
I need to revisit this recipe with a longer room temp proof. Will do so soon!
Hi. Our oven has a bake setting and a convect bake setting. Do you have any thoughts? Thanks so much.
I would use the bake setting! I worry the convection setting will cause the top to brown too quickly. Good luck!
I made the yeast version. I was looking for great crust and wasn’t disappointed. Hubby said it was the best crust he ever had and didn’t leave a crumb behind. I’m going to try the sourdough version next. Thanks!
Great to hear this, Jacki! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂 Good luck with the sourdough version 🎉🍕
Thank you very much for this recipe and excellent advice. Pizza success for us !
Great to hear, Carl! Thanks so much for writing.
A question can my sourdough retard/proof the first time in the fridge for 18 hours like I normally do in my banneton’s for my sourdough bread then shape in the Lloyd pan as you describe for up to 24 hours?
Recipe sounds great and I am going to try it if this question above is yes.
Thank you
Yes, absolutely!
As an early patron of Buddy’s- imagine going out for pizza with a bunch of your friends- always a wait – but inside at long tables with bench seats were women in minks and jewels with men in tuxes who had just come from the Fisher Theater and every other wall of life all sitting together for one purpose- the best pizza in the world. Outside during the warmer months were bocci ball courts filled with men who worked hard in the factories. Cigars and shots. Speaking polish and Italian. Money on the line. The teams were serious!!
I would like to suggest you try bacon grease on your pans- that’s the subtle taste I remember of the original crispy!! Enjoy.
This sounds like a dream! I am dying to get to Buddy’s even if the scene isn’t as romantic as the one you have painted back in the day … so fun!! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this. Bacon grease also sounds dreamy 🙂 🙂 :
So delicious! My family is already asking for round two. This recipe is a keeper. Also, well worth buying the baking pan.
So nice to hear this, Noelle! Great to hear you like the pan, too. Couldn’t agree more. Lloyd pans are the best 💕
Ali,
I made this pizza and it was so good I just ordered the pan so that future pizza with be crisper!
What is that square vessel you use to raise the dough, it has a nice clip on lid too, it looks like a useful, handy container. Thank you.
Great to hear, Denise! I love that pan so much. You won’t be disappointed! Honestly, that vessel is just a storage vessel I got from the grocery store. I don’t think there is a brand on it. I’m on an airplane right now, but when I get home I’ll look. Next time you are at your market, see if they sell storage vessels with the clasp lids. Thanks for writing!
Alex, I got that great pan and the pizza is at the step in the refrigerator in the pan with the cheese. My question, what would be considered too long in refrigerator at this step. I don’t know if that is something to be concerned with, at some point it might be best to freeze the pizza in pan at this step. Thank you.
Hi! I think you can leave the dough topped with cheese for 24-48 hours. Definitely let it come to room temperature for at least an hour before baking. I think over 48 hours you risk the dough over-fermenting.
Alex, so, I did bake the pizza tonight and it was on the flat side. I am assuming over fermenting can or does cause flattening. The taste was great and so was the crunchy ends. I did the yeast version. We kind of forgot when it went into the pan but it was definitely at least 48 hrs and maybe more. You are a dough expert, do you think flattening can be an over fermentation issue? I’ll be making it again soon! Love the pan too. The edges didn’t loosen as easily as yours did in video but ultimately it came loose. Back to the drawing board for me with hopefully some pointers from you!
Bummer to hear about the flatness, Denise! I do think it probably overfermented, i.e. the yeast lost its oomph. My only thought is less time in the fridge or even to skip the fridge rise to see how it works — many have had success skipping that test. I need to make this again — it’s been ages. I’ll report back when I do!
Just tried this. Well laid out recipe. My only critique is that I had to search for the pan size. I used all purpose flour. The dough was very soft and tender. Will try bread flour next time. I topped with cubed mozzarella, very thin sliced mushrooms, sauce, then pre-cooked crumbled Italian sausage. Only managed to eat half a pie. I’m guessing it’s going to be really good re-heated.
Great to hear this, Joe! I have actually been meaning to revisit this recipe on a number of levels, mostly regarding the too-burnt frico crust, which I think can be solved with a parbake, and also the topic of flour — I do think bread flour might be best here. Thanks for writing and sharing your notes.
Hi! Detroiter, here! And this pizza looks fab. Can’t wait to give it a try! One comment…. Really traditional Detroit style – like from Buddy’s – actually has the topping UNDER the cheese, then the cheese, then the sauce on top! In recent years, I would say they’ve added a lot more “specialty” pizzas to their menu which have toppings on top, for the reasons you mentioned. (Everyone likes crispy pepperoni!) Now a question… is there a reason you don’t parbake the sourdough version, and instead let it proof with the cheese on it? Just curious, thanks!
Hi! And thank you for bringing this to my attention … I have yet to revisit the sourdough version of this recipe, but when I do, I will definitely do a parbake. Sorry for the confusion there. I think a parbake will be beneficial for both types of dough.
My family is 2. The 8 x 10 pan is about 57% smaller than the 10. X 14. Do you think I can just adjust the ratio all the way down to make a smaller pie?
Also what did you think of the Misen Baking Steels?
Victoria
Yes, absolutely, scale the recipe down to fit your pan. I have not tried the Misen Baking Steel so I can’t speak to how it performs. I generally love Misen products.
I make your Sicilian-style pizza at least once a week. We all love it! How is this different?
Great to hear, Lisa! this is essentially the same dough, but it’s baked in a different pan and I’d say it’s slightly cheesier and characterized by the frico crust, which is not part of a Sicilian pizza. Overall very similar!
Excited to make this recipe. I have a question. The 2/10/2023 update for the yeast long room-temperature proof fermentation option, decreased the yeast to a 1/2 teaspoon followed by the room temp 10-12 hours overnight rise. I am planning on using this option…should I decrease yeast to 1/2 teaspoon or follow the recipe and use 1 teaspoon. Am not sure it will make a significant difference but thought I should ask. 🙂
Thank you
Oh shoot! I am going to edit immediately. I use 1/2 teaspoon yeast and cold water when I do the long overnight room-temperature rise. Thanks for catching this!
I made it with the 1tsp 🙂 and just finished the parbake.
Help….the dough shrank…pulled away from one side by about 1″. I did a 12 (probably more like 13) hour overnight rise, 3.5 hour 2nd rise, then the 1 hour after spreading rise. I did use a 8″X12″ pan which was all I had…also one side is about 1.5″ tall and the other 1/’2. The dough was stretched out to edges prior to baking. I make a lot of bread/focaccia and this is the first time this has happened. Do you think it was the extra yeast?
Hi Dianne! I’m so sorry I made the mistake with the recipe and didn’t edit it in time for you to see it. I don’t think the 1 teaspoon of yeast caused the shrinkage, however. And your pan is smaller than mine, so theoretically the dough should fill up the pan even more.
My thoughts:
It’s possible you need to proof the dough in the pan longer: Coat it with the teaspoon of oil, and let it rest untouched for 4 hours. Spread it to fit, and let it rest again for another hour. Dimple it one last time, throughout the center. I do use my fingers to press into the dough about an inch from each side and press the dough to touch the pan.
What material is the pan you are using?
I’m sorry this didn’t work out!
Shrinkage is definitely an issue with parbaking and I found it tricky to get right. At 5 minutes, there was no shrinkage, but I found the dough ultimately to be undercooked. At 8 minutes, I get that perfect slight separation from the sides that allows the cheese to fall into. It may take some trial and error for you to get right.
Perfect, thank you so much and please don’t worry re the extra yeast and plan make another pizza later in the week. The Detriot pizza may replace us using the pizza oven and agree with your comments re “sitting”. The pizza was so good/delicious and I sent your recipe off to friends and family to enjoy. Will follow the steps you outlined above. I do think the parbake may be the issue as I baked for 10m rather than 8. The pan is an anodized aluminum from Fat Daddios. It’s the pan I use for focaccia too. Thank you again…love your recipes and have the boozy choc cake baking at this moment.
Fat Daddio pans are great! Thank you for your kind words. It’s so nice to read all of this. Sometime very soon I am going to do a side-by-side comparison of the updated recipe witht the parbake, and the updated recipe without the parbake but for a longer bake at a lower temperature. I am hoping to get a youtube video up of the new parbaked DSP recipe soon, too. Hope you loved the boozy chocolate cake. It stays moist for days! Love that one.
I have your original sourdough version recipe (to the topped with cheese part) in the fridge right now. Just saw your updated version on IG so mixed-up dough to try that as well. Made your Pissaladiere recently. Delish! There’s only 2 of us so I halved that as well as the current DSP recipe experiment. Proof/baked in a 9×9 square pan… it worked! Def going to get the Lloyd pan though. Originally from Philly but living on the West Coast now. #GoEagles 🙂
oops didn’t think the first comment posted so rewrote and tried again. apologies for that. You can delete the first one 🙂
Started the original sourdough version on Thursday planning on baking it today/Sunday. Saw your IG post this morning with the updated recipe that now includes par baking. Forged ahead with the original since it was already covered with the cubed cheese. Halved your recipe as it is only my husband and mself eating today. Baked in a 9×9 square pan and it turned out very well! Perfect cute little pie for two! Had ripe starter so have another batch of dough proofing to try it with the addition of par baking. Ha running to the store for pre grated cheese now. Made your fresh tomato and bell pepper sauce as well. YUM! Also made the pissadeliere last weel. Halved that recipe as well. Delish! Will go back to rate that recipe 5*! Planning on ordering your kit that includes the book if the set is still available. My scale is acting wonky so might as well. Happy Super Bowl Day! Philly native now living in Southern California. Go Eagles 🙂
Hi! So sad for the Eagles, but what a game. Love Philly so much.
OK, great to read all of this. I was hesitant to change the recipe because many people had success with the old recipe, but the burnt edges of my old DSPs were bothering me, so I updated the recipe, and I hope it’s for the better for everyone.
Great to hear your halved recipe turned out well in the 9×9 pan! Will be so curious to hear how the parbaking experiment works for you especially since you have the recent nonparbaked experiment to compare it with.
So nice to hear about all of the other recipes, too. Thanks so much for writing!
Unfortunately I found this recipe disappointing…I followed the process and weighed out all ingredients…my pizza did not rise as much as your pizza …was a bit flat and the amount of oil that pooled on the top from the cheese was not very appealing…I have always had such success from your recipes so don’t quite know why this one was a flop ??? Anyway good learning experience from things that don’t always work out…thanks for all your tips and wonderful website 😀
Bummer to hear this!
Questions: did you do the overnight rise with 1/2 teaspoon yeast and cold water? What type of flour did you use? What size and type pan did you use? Did you use pre-shredded cheese along the perimeter or all hand grated?
so, what brand is that mezzaluna that you love so much? i tried desperately to read the markings but just couldn’t see clearly enough. otherwise, thanks for a great recipe … i can’t wait to try it!
Oh shoot, I thought I had linked to it. I’ll update the post now. It’s this one: https://www.rmurphyknives.com/store/pizza-rocker-pn-pirosbu-details.html
Hi Ali, I’m about to attempt to make the updated version of this pizza. Two questions: If I’m understanding your directions correctly, is it true that I could parbake the dough in the morning, store the dough in an airtight baggie for the early afternoon, then finish the recipe right before dinner? Also, could you please explain the reasoning behind letting the topped pizza rest for at least an hour at room temperature? Since it’s already been parbaked at that point, I don’t understand why it needs to rest. Thank you!
Hi Marion! Yes, you can parbake the dough in the morning, let it cool completely, store it in an airtight bag — I use the 2-gallon sized ziplocks — and then proceed when you are ready. As for your second question: thank you for catching an error! I’ve removed that line. It was from the old recipe. So sorry for the confusion. Hope this turns out well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Have you ever run into undercooked dough in the middle for this parbaked version? It was gummier in the middle for me so wondering if it needed more cooking time during the parbake or the second bake. Thank you!
I have! I found the solution was a longer parbake. 5 minutes was too short. 8 minutes was just right. How long did you parbake for? And did you experience shrinkage? You can parbake for as long as 10 minutes, but you also don’t want your dough to shrink from the sides of the pan too much.
Hi Ali, I thought you might be interested to hear about one of your fan’s experiences with trying both versions of your Detroit-style pizza. For me, your original version turned out a delectable, bubbly/crispy crust that my family and I couldn’t get enough of! Unfortunately, my attempt with the updated version resulted in a crust that was significantly inferior to the first version’s. It was flatter, not crispy, and lacked the air bubbles that the first version had. It also didn’t rise on the edges like your gorgeous frico crust shows in your picture. I followed both versions’ recipes to a tee, other than the second version I didn’t use quite as much of the shredded cheese as your recipe called for. I’m going to try your second version one more time, but if it turns out the same as it did with my initial attempt at it, I’ll go back to your first version and keep making that one over and over. We were thrilled with the way it turned out. So . . . as of now, I’m rating the first version 5 stars, and the second version 4 stars!
Marion, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your thoughtful comment. Thank you for taking the time to write and share all of this. I think I am going to have to once again revisit the recipe because the new version does not seem to be simplifying and improving things the way I had hoped.
I am so happy to hear the original recipe turned out well. And I have a batch of that dough in the fridge as I type. Questions for you regarding the original recipe: did you do a cold proof? And if so, did you cover the dough with cheese and then transfer it to the fridge? And finally, are you using a 10×14-inch Lloyd pan?
I think I’d like to rewrite the recipe with the original proportions and method, but also offer the parbake as an option for anyone trying to create the frico crust. Or maybe I add that in the notes. I have found this recipe to be such a challenge to get right.
Thank you again for your time!
I’m made the focaccia bread and loved it! Def want to try this! Is the yeast amount accurate since recipe update? It seems like such little amount compared to focaccia recipe?
Yes! It’s less yeast because I do a room temperature rise. Just a warning, I am not feeling as confident in this recipe as I would like. People seem to be having better success with the original recipe, which you can find here.
Hi Ali, thank you for your thoughtful reply to my comment about the experiences I had baking both your versions of the Sicilian-style pizza. To answer your questions . . . yes, with the first version I made that came out incredibly well, I cold proofed the dough for 48 hours, covered the dough with cheese and then transferred it to the fridge according to your instructions, and used a 10×14-inch Lloyd pan. I’m still dreaming about the crust that made!
I’m still planning on attempting version #2 again. If it turns out differently than the first time I made it, I’ll let you know!
P.S. I just love your website and cookbook, which I consistently make recipes from (mostly bread and pizza). Thank you for all you do for the rest of us who are fortunate enough to benefit from your talents and experience!
Marion, you are too too kind 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you for all of this. It is so helpful to hear about the cold proof as well as the proofing in the pan with the cheese. As I noted, I am in the process of revisiting that method, and I am going to revise the recipe once again very soon. I’m so happy to hear about the other recipes on the blog and cookbook, too 💕💕💕💕
This pizza is AMAZING! I followed the 2023 updated recipe. I let the dough proof at room temp for about 10 hours and then moved the bowl to the fridge for about 36 hours. I moved the dough to my prepped 9×13 pan, let it sit for a few hours at room temp so I could stretch it to the corners easily, then put it back in the fridge for another 24 hours. On pizza day I brought the pan back to room temp for about 6 hours, then parbaked it 9 min on my baking steel at 500F. I cooled it upside down on a rack for about 10 minutes, then returned it to the pan and added all the preshredded cheese to the edges (note: the crust shrinks a bit, so you’re adding cheese into that crevice all around the pan) plus hand-shredded mozzarella, pepperoni and very light sauce to the middle. Baked it on the baking steel at 550F for about 10 minutes, plus another minute under the broiler to help brown the cheese. The end result was out of this world!! The dough was perfectly cooked through an the frico edge was a lot of fun. I had only made one batch, but next time I’ll make at least 2! I’ll probably get one of the lloyd pans too, just to see how that changes things. Thanks for a terrific recipe and addition to our pizza night rotation!
Great to read all of this, Nancy! Thanks so much for taking the time to share all of the details, which will be so helpful for others and which is so helpful for me since the recipe has proven problematic! I think your room temperature fermentation + the cold fermentation both in bulk form and in the pan likely contributed to your great success, and I think I will incorporate those steps into my revised recipe soon. Great tip on using the broiler, too. And I think you should absolutely get a Lloyd pan — they’re wonderful! — but I’m so happy to hear you got great results without one. Thanks again for writing, Nancy!!
Hi Ali,
Not sure if I’ll hear back from you in time.
I’m making this recipe today in 4 9×9 pans for tomorrow and I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly to fit the size of pan. I’m going to be using the long room temperature rise. If I leave the dough out for 10 to 12 hours then prepare the dough would it be okay if I left them on the counter for another 8 to 9 hours? If not should I prepare dough and refrigerate it after 10 to 12 hours room temp rise, then take them out 4 or 5 hours before I plan on baking them?
Hi! I would refrigerate the dough after the 10-12 hour rise; then remove 4 to 5 hours before you plan on baking them. Good luck!
Thank you for the quick response! 😀
Hi Ali, The recipe turned out great! I did 4 pizzas in 9×9 pans. Two using original water yeast ratio and two with your new ratio, less water less yeast. The smaller amount of yeast, 1/2 tsp, and water turned out better. I will definitely be investing in the blue steel pans to get a better Frico.
OK, great to hear! Thanks so much for reporting back and sharing your results. You will not be disappointed with the Lloyd pan investment… it’s such a good one!
Can I just have clarification on the long cold ferment options:
1. Fridge for upto 48 hours and then place in greased pan let rest for 3hrs and continue
2. Room temp for 10-12hrs/overnight then in greased pan and in the fridge for 48-72 hours?
Is this correct? Or do you need to let it set out longer after the first cold ferment?
Hi Kelly! Yes, you can place the dough in the fridge for 48 hours (even longer if need be … I’ve done it for 3 days), and then at room temperature for at least 3 hours — I’d say more like 4 to 6 to ensure the dough is properly proofed (but if your kitchen is warm, 3 to 4 hours may be fine).
Or: 10-12 hours at room temperature, then you can either deflate the dough and place it in a storage vessel in the fridge for 48 – 72 hours or you can get it into its prepared pan, which will require some room temperature resting first: let the dough rest for 3 to 4 hours, stretch it into the pan, cover the pan with plastic wrap to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out, then place the pan in the fridge for 48 hours.
The room temperature proof after the dough is in the pan, will always take at least 3 hours, but more like 4 to 6 if time permits.
Let me know if you need more clarification.
Thank you!!
So excited to try this as a Detroit born girl and on our beloved Friday pizza night, but could you help with guidance to help with timing for working pizza chefs? I’ve read the recipe and trying to figure out the timing. 👩🏻🍳❤️🍕
Hi Katey! There are a couple of ways to do it. I would suggest doing something like this:
Mix the dough on Tuesday evening and let it rise overnight. On Wednesday morning, deflate it and transfer it to the fridge (in a lidded vessel). Whenever you have a 3-hour window on Thursday, remove the dough from the fridge and get it into its prepared pan — after 3 hours, you should be able to stretch it to fit. Cover the dough with a layer of plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge. On pizza night, remove the pan from the fridge a few hours before proceeding with either the parbake method or orginal method, which is linked in the notes in the recipe box.
Good morning Alexandra, do you think curds, mozerralla and cheddar cheese would work
Hi! I’m not sure. Do they melt well? Have you used them on pizza with success?