Detroit-Style Pizza

Description

Detroit-style pizza is another regional pizza variation that is based off of a Sicilian-style preparation. What differentiates Detroit-style pizza from a regular Sicilian are several traits: a crispy cheese “crust” around the edges of the pizza, the use of Wisconsin brick cheese and the stripes of sweet tomato sauce on top of the cheese. This history style of pizza can be traced back to 1946 when Gus Guerra, the owner of a bar called Buddy’s Rendezvous (now named Budd'y’s Pizza), decided to add a new item to the menu. The dough that Gus used for his pizza was a contribution from his wife, Anna, who got the recipe from her Sicilian mother. The original batch of pans that Gus used to make pizza was acquired from a nearby factory (Detroit was once the car manufacturing capital of America), and it is these pans that give Detroit-style pizza its characteristic crispy cheese crust. Today, this style of pizza has spread far beyond its original home of Detroit, and is a frequent feature on menus in bars, restaurants and pizza chains across the country.

Ingredients

(Makes one 10x14” pizza)

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (200 g)

• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (200 g)

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1 tsp olive oil

Dough

• 3 cups (375 g) bread flour

• 1 cup + 2 ½ tbsp (280 ml) water

• 1 ¼ tsp (7.5 g) sugar

• 1 ¼ tsp (7.5 g) salt

• ¼ tsp (1.5 g) dry yeast or 3.75g fresh yeast

• 1 ¼ (7.5 ml) olive oil

Sauce

• 1 cup tomato purée (240 g)

• 2 tbsp tomato paste (30 g)

• ½ tsp dried oregano (3 g)

• ¼ tsp garlic powder (1.5 g)

• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1.5 g)

• Salt

Preparation

Mix all dough ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Using wet hands, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Rest 30 minutes, repeat, and rest another 30 minutes. Perform one last stretch & fold and allow dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour at room temperature. Place dough ball in a container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours. 2 hours before making pizza, leave dough at room temperature to warm up.

To make sauce, mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low, and cook for around 20 minutes, stirring often. The final result should be about ½ of the volume that you started with. Season to taste with salt.

Grease a 10 x 16 inch (25 x 40 cm) baking pan with the butter, then drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over the bottom of the pan. Use your hands to stretch out the dough in the pan, stretching it into the corners of the pan. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes, then press it again with your hands to fit in the pan. Allow the dough to proof another 30 minutes.

Mix together the mozzarella and Monterrey Jack cheeses in a bowl. Sprinkle cheese over dough all the way to the edges of the pizza pan. Bake at 500 degrees (285 C) for 20 minutes until the bottom and edges of the pizza are crispy. After removing the pizza from the oven, heat up the tomato sauce. Spoon two stripes of tomato sauce vertically across the length of the pizza. Serve immediately.

Notes

• If you decide to include toppings, such as pepperoni, place a layer directly on the dough (before adding the cheese), then place another layer on top of the cheese and bake according to the recipe directions. Make sure to leave space for the sauce when placing the toppings.