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Detroit Style Pizza
Based on Kenji Lopez-Alt’s foolproof pan pizza dough.
Ingredients
- 400 grams (14 ounces, about 2 1/2 cups) bread flour
- 10 grams (.35 ounces, about 2 teaspoons) kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 4 grams (.15 ounces, about 1/2 teaspoon) instant yeast
- 275 grams (9.5 ounces, about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) water
- 8 grams (.25 ounces, about 2 teaspoons) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
- crisco
- 1 can of san marzano crushed tomatoes
- 12 ounces grated full-fat, dry mozzarella cheese
- one whole pepperoni stick (pref. Boar’s Head brand)
- 2 ounces grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese (optional)
Directions
- 3-4 days before you want to cook the pizza, combine flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil in a large bowl. Mix with hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The bowl should be at least 4 to 6 times to volume of the dough to account for rising.
- Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, making sure that edges are well-sealed, then let rest on the countertop for at least 8 hours and up to 24. Dough should rise dramatically and fill bowl.
- Transfer dough to well-oiled bowl, and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
- Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of crisco in the bottom of a rectangular pan, being sure to work it into the corners and edges. Place dough in the pan and lightly oil it. Using a flat palm, press the dough around the pan, being sure to spread it into the corners; this may require some lifting and flapping to stretch the dough at the corner. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
- An hour before you want to cook, adjust an oven rack to between 1/3 from the bottom and the middle and preheat oven to 550°F. (Because the cheese will cook and brown relatively quickly, positioning the pan at the middle or closer to the bottom will allow the radiant heat from the bottom of the oven to thoroughly cook and brown the bottom before the cheese gets burnt from convection currents.)
- After the rest period, use your fingertips to press the dough around until it fills in every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of the dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape and repeat, moving around the dough until there are no air bubbles left underneath and the dough is evenly spread around the pan. Slice the pepperoni into 2-3mm thick rounds.
- Top the pie with cheese (being sure to go all the way to the edge!), then sauce in three wide lines lengthwise, then sliced pepperoni on top.
- Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is golden brown and bubbly and bottom is golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 12 to 18 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese. Using a thin spatula, loosen pizza and peek underneath. If bottom is not as crisp as desired, place back in the oven, on the floor of the oven, until it is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the pizza and transfer to to a cutting board. Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes, then cut into 8 slices and serve.
Note: Although mozzarella is standard, any good melting cheese such as cheddar, jack, or young provolone will work for this recipe. This recipe is intended to be made with dry (aged) mozzarella cheese, the yellowish variety that comes in firm blocks. Do not use fresh mozzarella, as it it too moist.
Reference