Detroit-Style Pan Pizza

About

Detroit-Style Pan Pizza by J. Kenji López-Alt. A same-day pan pizza built in reverse — brick cheese to the edges, then sauce, then pepperoni — for a lacy, crispy cheese crust all the way around. Makes one 10×14-inch pie (serves 4).

Ingredients

Dough

• bread flour — 300 g (10.5 oz; ~2 generous cups)
• instant yeast — 5 g (~1 tsp), e.g. SAF
• kosher salt — 9 g (1 Tbsp)
• water — 220 g (7.75 oz; ~1 cup minus 1 1/2 tsp)
• extra-virgin olive oil — as needed

Sauce (2 pies’ worth)

• extra-virgin olive oil — 2 Tbsp (30 ml)
• garlic — 3 medium cloves, minced
• dried oregano — 2 tsp (~5 g)
• red pepper flakes — dash
• crushed tomatoes — 1 can (28 oz; 800 g)
• granulated garlic powder — 1 tsp (~6 g)
• granulated onion powder — 1 tsp (~6 g)
• sugar — 1 Tbsp (~15 g)
• kosher salt — to taste

Toppings

• brick cheese — 12 oz (340 g), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• natural-casing pepperoni — 12 oz (340 g), cut into 1/8-inch slices (optional)

Make the dough

• Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor; pulse to mix.
• Add water and run until the dough forms a ball that rides around the bowl, about 30 seconds.
• Process 30 seconds longer.
• Transfer to a bowl and form a tight ball.
• Cover tightly with plastic and set in a warm place until roughly doubled, ~2 hours.
• Pour olive oil into the bottom of the pan.
• Add the dough and turn to coat.
• Press and spread the dough toward the edges — it won’t reach all the way yet; spread as far as you can without tearing.
• Cover and rest 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
• Stretch again to the edges; to hold the corners, stretch the dough up past them so it pulls back into place.
• Cover and set aside while you make the sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 550°F (290°C) — or as hot as it gets — with a rack in the lowest position.

Make the sauce

• Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
• Add tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar.
• Simmer until reduced to ~3 cups, about 30 minutes.
• Season with salt to taste.

Assemble & bake

• Press down on the dough to knock out big air bubbles.
• Lay half the pepperoni over the dough.
• Top with cheese, spreading it all the way to the very edges of the pan.
• Spoon about half the sauce over the cheese in 3 even rows (you only need about half; save the rest for another pie).
• Scatter the remaining pepperoni on top, so it cups and crisps in the oven.
• Bake 12–15 minutes, until the edges are black and bubbly and the exposed cheese on top is lightly browned. (If your oven runs cool on the bottom, set the pan directly on the oven floor.)
• Rest on a trivet or folded towel.
• Run a thin metal spatula around the edges to loosen.
• Lift out onto a cutting board.
• Cut and serve.

Notes

• Cheese. Brick cheese (high-fat, buttery, browns beautifully) is the real thing. No brick? A 50/50 mix of low-moisture mozzarella + Jack (or young cheddar) gets close. Other good melters worth trying: butterkäse, Toma (what Cellarmaker uses), or Vella soft Jack.
• The sauce makes about two pies’ worth — use roughly half per pizza and save the rest.
• Pepperoni goes on top of the sauce here so it cups and crisps; Kenji’s original tucks the second layer under the sauce.
• Best in a Detroit-style anodized aluminum pan; two 8×8-inch cake pans work in a pinch (split the dough).