Detroit-style Pizza

Discover the Deliciousness of Detroit-Style Pizza: Crispy, Cheesy Perfection

If you’ve never tried Detroit-style pizza, you’re in for a treat! This uniquely delicious pizza style combines the best of light, airy dough with a crunchy, crispy outer crust and loads of gooey, cheesy goodness. It's a bite that’s crispy, cheesy, and utterly irresistible.

Detroit-style pizza is a square, deep-dish variety that boasts a thicker crust than traditional pizza, with a focus on cheese and toppings. The beauty of Detroit-style pizza lies in its careful construction, creating a perfect balance of crispy edges, tender dough, and melty cheese, all topped with flavorful sauce.

What Makes Detroit-Style Pizza Special?

The magic of Detroit-style pizza lies in its technique and ingredients. It's built around a deep-dish pan and a specific way of layering the toppings that ensures each bite is a perfect combination of textures and flavors. The pizza features:

• A Light and Airy Dough: Despite being a "deep-dish" pizza, Detroit-style pizza dough isn’t heavy or doughy. Instead, it’s light, airy, and soft in the center, providing a beautiful contrast to the crispy edges.
• A Crunchy, Crispy Crust: The edges of the pizza get golden and crispy, thanks to the cheese that melts into the dough. The crust is always perfectly crunchy and satisfying.
• Generous Gooey Cheese: Detroit-style pizza uses a unique cheese blend to get that signature gooey, stretchy texture. The key is to use a mix of high-fat cheeses, like brick cheese (often a sharp cheddar), paired with mozzarella. This gives the pizza a rich, flavorful cheese experience with the perfect balance of oiliness and stringiness.

How to Make Your Own Detroit-Style Pizza at Home

Making Detroit-style pizza at home is easier than you might think, especially if you have the right tools. You’ll need a deep-dish pan—specifically, one that’s designed for Detroit-style pizza. We offer two different-sized Ooni pans that are perfect for this style of pizza. and pick the one that fits your needs!

But don’t worry if you don’t have a specialized pan; you can still make Detroit-style pizza in any standard pizza oven. The key is in how you layer your toppings, and of course, the dough you use.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Detroit-Style Pizza

1. Make the Dough: Start by preparing your dough. Detroit-style pizza dough is often made with a high-hydration formula, meaning it’s a bit stickier and more moist than regular pizza dough. This helps it rise beautifully in the pan, creating that fluffy interior with a crispy edge. 

2. Prepare Your Deep-Dish Pan: Next, grease your deep-dish pan well, especially if you’re using a steel or cast iron version. This will help the crust develop that signature crispy, golden finish as it bakes. 

3. Layer the Cheese Directly on the Dough: Here’s where Detroit-style pizza truly stands out. Unlike other pizzas, where cheese is added on top, Detroit-style pizza is made by placing cubes of cheese directly on the dough. You’ll want to use high-fat cheese like brick cheese—a traditional choice in Detroit-style pizza. Combining it with mozzarella (a 50/50 mix) is ideal because the mozzarella gives the pizza the perfect stretchiness, while the brick cheese imparts a rich, sharp flavor and melts beautifully into the dough.

4. Add Your Toppings: Once the cheese is layered down, it’s time to add your favorite toppings. Detroit-style pizza can handle a variety of toppings, from pepperoni to veggies to sausage. Be sure not to overload it, as the dough needs some space to rise and cook through.

5. Top with Tomato Sauce (after Baking!): Now for the final difference—Detroit-style pizza doesn’t have the tomato sauce spread underneath the cheese. Instead, the sauce is added on top of the pizza after it has been baked. This allows the cheese to melt and cook directly into the dough, creating that beautifully crispy, cheesy base.

6. Bake Your Pizza: Bake your pizza at a high temperature in your pizza oven (around 475°F to 500°F). If you’re using a standard home oven, a pizza stone can help you get a crispier crust. The key is to bake the pizza until the edges are golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling and melted. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

7. Serve and Enjoy: Once your pizza is out of the oven, let it cool for a minute or two before slicing. The cheese will be incredibly hot and melty, so be careful not to burn yourself. Cut it into squares (that’s traditional for Detroit-style) and enjoy every cheesy, crispy bite.

Why Use the Ooni Deep-Dish Pan?

The Ooni pans are a great investment for making Detroit-style pizza at home. They are made of durable, high-quality materials that can withstand the high temperatures of a pizza oven. Our Ooni pans come in two sizes, so whether you're cooking for a small family or a larger group, we have a pan that will suit your needs.

By using the Ooni pan, you’ll get that perfect crispy crust and even heat distribution that’s essential for making Detroit-style pizza. Plus, they’re easy to clean and maintain, so you’ll get years of use out of them.

Final Thoughts

Detroit-style pizza is one of those pizzas that once you try it, you’ll crave it again and again. It’s the perfect combination of a fluffy, airy interior with a crispy, cheesy exterior, and it’s a fun twist on traditional pizza-making. Whether you’re using our Ooni deep-dish pans or just a regular pizza oven, you can easily recreate this incredible pizza at home. So grab your ingredients, preheat your oven, and get ready for the ultimate pizza experience.

Happy cooking—and happy eating!

Equipment
Summix mixer with dough hook (optional)
Ooni Detroit-style Pizza Pan (Medium - 10 by 13-inch / 24 by 32-centimetre)
Ooni Pizza Oven