Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza

Name: Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza
Prep time: 1 h 50 min
Cook time: 2 h 35 min
Total time: 4 h 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 cups Bread flour; 2 tsp Instant yeast; 2 cups Warm water; 2 tsp Granulated sugar; 2 tsp Kosher salt; 4 tbsp Olive oil; 32 oz Brick cheese or mild cheddar, shredded; 16 oz Cup-and-char pepperoni; 2 cups Crushed tomatoes; 2 tsp Dried oregano; 1 tsp Garlic powder; 4 tbsp Unsalted butter

Crispy cheese edges, thick crust

Prep: 110 min
Cook: 155 min
Serves 8
Difficulty: medium

Crispy cheese edges, thick crust. Sized for a full crew, with timing that still works when the kitchen gets interrupted.

Why crews like it: A hall pick for regular dinner nights — one line, real portions, no drama at the stove.

0Cal

0gProtein

0gCarbs

0gFat

Ingredients

5 cups Bread flour
2 tsp Instant yeast
2 cups Warm water
2 tsp Granulated sugar
2 tsp Kosher salt
4 tbsp Olive oil
32 oz Brick cheese or mild cheddar, shredded
16 oz Cup-and-char pepperoni
2 cups Crushed tomatoes
2 tsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Garlic powder
4 tbsp Unsalted butter

Instructions

Mix and rise the dough: Stir yeast into warm water with sugar; rest 5 minutes until foamy. Mix flour, salt, oil, and yeast water until a sticky dough forms. Knead 8 minutes. Rise covered 1–1½ hours until doubled — Detroit crust needs an airy, relaxed dough.
Press into oiled pans: Generously butter and oil two 9x13 steel or dark cake pans — not a round stone. Press dough into corners and up sides slightly. Do not stretch thin; Detroit is thick and airy.
Cheese to the edges: Scatter cheese edge-to-edge so it touches the pan walls — this creates the frico crispy cheese skirt. Top with pepperoni if using. Rest 15–20 minutes while the oven preheats to 550°F or your oven max on the bottom rack.
First bake: Bake on the bottom rack 12–14 minutes until cheese caramelizes at the edges and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Edges should look fried, not pale.
Sauce stripes on top: Whisk crushed tomatoes with oregano and garlic powder. Remove pizza from oven and spoon sauce in two or three lengthwise stripes ON TOP of the baked cheese — Detroit puts sauce after the bake. Return to oven 5–7 minutes.
Rest and cut rectangles: Rest 5 minutes, then cut into rectangular slices with a bench scraper. Serve on sheet trays — crispy cheese edges face out so the crew sees the Detroit signature.

Tonight's spread

Cut Detroit pies into rectangles so crispy cheese edges face out — that is the signature.
Serve from sheet trays, not round pie servers — these are 9x13 pan pizzas.

Hall tips

Keep a backup tray warm in the oven for late calls — nothing worse than cold plates after a run.
Taste for salt at the end — hall palates run salty after long shifts.

Leftovers

Cool leftovers in shallow containers within two hours — deep pots stay hot too long.
Label trays with date and reheat to 165°F minimum before second shift.

Two 9x13 steel or dark cake pans
Stand mixer or large bowl
Large sheet trays
Instant-read thermometer
Aluminum foil