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Detroit Style Pizza is what a Trueborn warrior craves

If you have not tried it, you do not know what you are missing.

By Jaded Falconer, Published here first, July 12, 2024

Read or Listen to the backstory here: LINK


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Can you smell it through your monitor?




Essentials for Making Detroit Style Pizza:


Equipment needed / suggested:

Ingredients: This is just a list of the basics of what you will need, the actual recipe go over quantities and steps.


Recipe:

Measurements
Dough
Item Percent (%) Weight (g) Weight (lb) Volume
Flour (all purpose) 100% 275 g 9.7 oz 2 cup + 3 TBSP
Water 75% 207 g 7.3 oz 3/4 cup + 1 1/2 TBSP + 1 TSP
Salt 1.5% 4.1 g 0.14 oz 3/4 TSP
IDY 0.55% 1.5 g 0.05 oz 1/2 TSP
Lube (for pan)
Butter 50% 14 g 0.5 oz 1 TBSP
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 50% 14 g 0.5 oz 1 TBSP
Cheese
Wisconsin Brick Cheese 100% 425 g 15 oz 3 3/4 cup
Sauce
Crushed Tomatoes 95% 794 g 28 oz 1 Can
Tomato paste 2% 15 g 0.53 oz 1 TBSP
Dried Oregano 0.25% 1.8 g 0.06 oz 1 TSP
Sugar 0.5% 4 g 0.14 oz 1 TSP
Salt 0.35% 3 g 0.11 oz 1/2 TSP
Toppings
Pepperoni 100% 40 g 1.4 oz 1/3 Cup

Notes About the Sauce:


Optional Ingredient:


Step: Dough

Pictures Steps

1. Equip the Mixer: Attach the "C" or Spiral dough hook to your mixer.

2. Add Flour: Place 275 grams of flour into the mixer's bowl.

3. Prepare Water and Salt: In a separate bowl, combine 207 grams of cold water and 4.1 grams of salt until it dissolves..

4. Mix Ingredients: Pour the water and salt mixture into the flour in the mixer's bowl. Begin mixing on the lowest speed for 2 minutes.

5. Add Yeast: Stop the mixer and sprinkle 1.5 grams of Instant Dry Yeast (IDY) into the mixture. Continue kneading on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes.

6. Rest the Dough: Let the dough rest for 60 minutes with a cloth over the bowl (not touching the dough). You can transfer the dough to a separate container if you want to free up the mixer's bowl..

Step: Pan Preparation

Pictures Steps

1. Grease the Pan: Melt 1 ounce of butter in the microwave and add it to the 10 x 14 pan. Then add 1 ounce of extra virgin olive oil. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to spread it evenly.

2. Transfer the Dough: After the 60 minutes of rest, transfer the dough to the pan using a combination of a plastic scraper and gravity.

3. Spread the Dough: Wet your fingers with water or oil and gently press on the dough with your fingertips to spread it around the entire pan.

4. Initial Rest: If the dough retracts and doesn't stay in the corners, don't worry; this is normal. Cover the pan and let it rest for 30 minutes.

5. Final Spread: After 30 minutes, wet your fingers again and try to spread the dough so it reaches the corners.

6. Final Rest: Cover the pan and let the dough rest for 60 minutes.

Step: Oven Preparation

Pictures Steps

1. Preheat the Oven: Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position. If your oven has convection heating, select it. Preheat to 475ºF. This will be the baking temperature.

2. You can begin making the toppings and sauce.

Step: Toppings

Pictures Steps

1. Prepare the Cheese: Shred 15 ounces of cheese using a grater. If you don't have a grater, cube the cheese; the smaller the cubes, the better it will melt and cover the pizza.

2. Prepare the toppings: If using pepperoni, have it ready. For additional toppings, prepare them during this step.

Step: Dressing the Pizza

Pictures Steps

There are a couple of ways to do it, I will go over three.

A.) Traditional Detroit Style: Lay down the pepperoni over the dough. Add the cheese over the pepperoni, from edge to edge. The sauce is added after baking.

B.) Detroit Style + Toppings: Follow the same steps as traditional Detroit Style, but add additional toppings over the cheese. The sauce is added after baking.

C.) Traditional method: Add the sauce over the dough, then the cheese, and finally your toppings.


In this example, I did a traditional Detroit Style but with many toppings. Next time I make a traditional Detroit Style Pizza, I will take more pictures and reupload.

1. Dough.

2. All toppings added.

3. Cheese added. I stacked the perimeter first, and then filled in the center. (Note: some was cubed, some was shredded).

Step: Making the Pizza Sauce

Pictures Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Combine all the ingredients and mix well (if you have a blender, do it in the blender).

3. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

While this is being done, you will be baking the pizza and bake it.

Step: Baking, Removal, Adding Sauce, Cutting, and Serving

Pictures Steps

1. Place in Oven: Once the oven has preheated and heat-soaked for 10 minutes, place the pizza on the lowest rack.

2. Bake Time: Bake for approximately 15 minutes. This may vary by a minute depending on your oven. Fine-tune the baking time in future attempts.

3. Remove from Oven: Remove the pizza from the oven. Loosen the sides with a metal dough scraper/cutter to free the caramelized cheese edges.

4. Transfer to Cooling Rack: Tilt the pan to lower one short end and use the metal dough cutter/scraper to lift and wobble the pizza onto a cooling rack.

5. Add Sauce: Once on the cooling rack, use a ladle to add the sauce. Traditionally, make three racing stripes across the length of the pizza. Alternatively, add chunks of sauce randomly or spread it to cover the entire pizza for a Detroit "Red Top."

6. Cool and Cut: Let the pizza cool slightly before cutting. You can transfer it to a wood cutting board for easier cutting, then back to the cooling rack.

Note: You could first transfer it to a wood cutting board, cut it, and then to the cooling rack. The reason for this would be if you have difficulties cutting it on the cooling rack.

7. Finishing Touch: Optionally, sprinkle a bit of pecorino romano cheese on top.

Conserving the Dough or Sauce for Future Use:

Lessons Learned:

Shopping Choices and Their Cost:

Equipment and Tools:

This is the equipment and tools I have and use. You do not need these same ones, but maybe find them online and consider them or similar products as you see fit.

Pizza Combinations Tried and Loved, Suggestions, and Ideas:

Measurements
Item Percent (%) Weight (g) Weight (lb) Volume
Cheese substitute 1 - easy to find, a good blend that is not overpowering.
Sharp White Cheddar 50% 212.5 g 7.5 oz ~ 1 3/4 cup + 2 TBSP
Mozarella 50% 212.5 g 7.5 oz ~ 1 3/4 cup + 2 TBSP
Cheese substitute 2 - also easy to find, good blend of flavors.
Mild White Cheddar 33% 142 g 5 oz 1 1/4 cup
Muenster 33% 142 g 5 oz 1 1/4 cup
Monterey Jack 33% 142 g 5 oz 1 1/4 cup
A fancier sauce
Tomatoes 93% 794 g 28 oz 1 Can
Tomato paste 1.8% 15 g 0.53 oz 1 TBSP
Garlic powder 0.7% 6 g 0.2 oz 1/4 TSP
Dried oregano 0.1% 0.9 g 0.03 oz 1/2 TSP
Dried basil 0.2% 1.8 g 0.06 oz 1 TSP
Sugar 0.5% 4 g 0.14 oz 1 TSP
Salt 0.35% 3 g 0.11 oz 1/2 TSP
Red pepper flakes 0.07% 0.6 g 0.02 oz 1/4 TSP
Olive Oil 3.4% 28 g 1 oz 2 TBSP
Whole Grain Wheat - substitute 5% to 10% of the all-purpose flour with whole grain wheat flour for a more rustic chew and slightly denser crumb.
Whole Grain Wheat 5% to 10% 13.75 to 27.5 g 0.5 to 1 oz 1 to 2 TBSP