Detroit Style Pizza with Pepperoni
Three characteristics make Detroit style pizza stand out from its cousins, Sicilian pizza and Grandma pizza: It’s baked in a rectangular metal pan; the cheese is scattered on all the way to the edges so it creates a crispy, caramelized crust; and the sauce goes on top, usually in long, thick lines.
Makes: 1 (10 x 14-inch) pizza
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Box grater
- Metal (10 x 14-inch) Detroit-style pizza pan or other 9 x 13-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Sheet Pan Pizza Dough (Follow the dough recipe through step 3, let it rise until doubled, and then divide it in half. If you're only making one pizza, store the other half of dough in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, mild cheddar, Havarti, brick, Monterey Jack, or other semi-firm cheese (I prefer a mix of two different cheeses, such as low-moisture mozzarella and mild cheddar or Monterey Jack), shredded or cubed*
- 6 ounces pepperoni**, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
- 1½ cups Super-Easy Marinara Sauce (or your favorite pizza sauce)
- ¼ to ½ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F with a rack in the bottom position.
- Grease a metal (10 x 14-inch) Detroit-style pizza pan or 9 x 13-inch dark metal baking pan with the olive oil. Place the dough in the pan, then press it out with your fingertips until it fills the pan all the way to the edges. If it keeps shrinking back, let the dough rest for another 15 to 20 minutes and try again. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until it puffs up a bit and you see a few small bubbles on the surface.
- Using your fingertips, press dimples all over the surface of the dough to release any large air bubbles. Arrange the pepperoni slices in a grid on the dough, then scatter on the mozzarella or other semi-firm cheese(s), making sure to get it all the way to the edges, touching the sides of the pan. (This will give your Detroit style pizza that characteristic dark-brown caramelized crust.) Pour the pizza sauce into a spouted measuring cup and pour it in three long lines on top of the cheese. Finish with the parmesan, if using.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turning once at the halfway mark, until the cheese is golden and the edges of the pizza are almost black. To double check for doneness, use a long spatula to carefully lift the pizza from the pan; it's finished cooking when the crust is evenly browned on the bottom.
- Remove the pizza from the oven. Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then slide the pizza out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
*If you want a taller frico crust, use shredded cheese, rather than cubed, and mound it around the inside edges of the pan. Cubed cheese will still create a nicely browned crust, but it won't get as high.
**You can add other toppings, too! In addition to the pepperoni, try 1 to 2 cups of thinly sliced mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, etc. Or make it a meat lover's pizza with pepperoni, cooked sausage, and bacon or cubed ham.