Kitchen Staple Cooking Vol 2: Detroit Style Pizza

Hi Everyone!

We could all use a bit of comfort food right now. From a city who loves through a plate, we have Detroit Style Pizza. Yes, it's a thing. A cheesy, hand tossed crust, saucy thing, and it's the perfect comfort food right now. Easy enough to make for one or two, and mess-less enough to make with the whole family. Follow the steps below to make this delicious thing right at home. 

The Pan

The traditional pan for this is a Detroit Style pizza pan. It's a special dark 9×13in anodized baking pan that creates a delicious caramelized cheese edge. We decided to experiment with the recipe by using a large cast-iron pan. Don’t worry, we had backups!

The Ingredients

Dough

2 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon dough seasoning, optional; for added flavor

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup lukewarm water

olive oil, for greasing the pan

Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ tablespoon dried oregano

½ tablespoon dried rosemary 

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon sugar, optional

Toppings

8 to 12 ounces turkey pepperoni*, sliced 1/8" thick, optional

6 ounces (170g) mozzarella cheese**, cut into 1/2" cubes

6 ounces (170g) cheddar cheese**, cut into 1/2" cubes

*Vegan or vegetarian pepperoni 

**Or your favorite vegan cheese, shredded 

Making The Dough

Gently measure the flour, spooning it into a cup and sweeping off the excess. Mix and knead all the dough ingredients by hand or mixer until a shaggy dough forms. 

Cover dough and rest for 10 minutes, then knead it again until it becomes smooth and elastic. Form dough into a ball, place it into a lightly-greased bowl, cover, and allow to rest until doubled. Plan for about 2 hours.

The Sauce

Heat olive oil in a saucepan at medium heat. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and rosemary. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and sugar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the juices have reduced significantly and you have about 3 cups of sauce, about 20 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside. Alternatively, you can use sauce from the jar and add your own meat and sauteed veggies to it.

Topping The Pie

Preheat the oven to 500°F. 475°F will work, you will just need an extra 5 minutes or so. Add a few drops of olive oil to your pan. If you use cast iron, add about a half tablespoon and grease the pan. Add dough. If it becomes unable to stretch, let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before stretching it again. Repeat then allow to rest one more time, if necessary, until the dough fills the bottom of the pan.

Top the dough with an even layer of pepperoni, if using, followed by the cubed cheeses making sure to spread them to the edges of the pan, and spread evenly around the dough. Spread the sauce evenly around the dough after.

Transfer the pizza to the bottom rack of the oven, and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the edges have turned dark. 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, run a spatula around the edges to loosen it from the pan, and let it rest for 10 minutes, or until you can handle it. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, cut, and serve.

Store leftover pizza in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the freezer for up to 2 months. If eating from the freezer, reheat in a 350°F oven until warm throughout, so 10 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Fennigan’s Farms