Featured Recipe for Pizzeria Operators: Detroit-Style

Looking for a recipe that’ll add pizzazz to your pizzeria? We’ve got the latest trend for you — the Detroit-style pie! This “upside down” pizza will keep your menu fresh and interesting, and give your waitstaff a great upsell opportunity.

Originating in Detroit, this rectangular pie reverses the “sauce-cheese-toppings” order of prep — it’s “toppings-cheese-sauce” for this unique pie. One of the most appealing things about this pizza is the crust: it’s usually baked in a well-oiled pan to a chewy medium-well-done state that gives the bottom and edges of the crust an almost fried texture.

Detroit-Style Pizza

• 8 oz. Dough Shop® by A&K dough ball
  
• 20 slices pepperoni
  
• 2 cups cubed brick cheese
  
• Pinch dried oregano
  
• 1 cup pizza sauce
  

1. Lightly oil or butter the inside of a 9-by-13” baking pan

2. Place just-thawed dough ball into the middle of the pan, brush lightly with butter to prevent dryness and add flavor

3. Use your fingers to press dough ball evenly into pan, making sure to get into corners

4. Let proof in pan for at least 6-8 hours

5. Place pepperoni slices in rows, directly on top of the dough

6. Sprinkle brick cheese over the surface of the pizza, spreading it all the way to the edges where the dough meets the sides of the pan; this will help create the crispy, caramelized edge

7. Top with sauce, ladled in evenly spaced diagonal rows

8. Season the top of the pizza with a pinch of oregano

9. Place pizza in the oven and bake until edges are crispy and cheese is golden

Serve with…

Its thick crust makes this a hearty pizza, so serve with a light-and-simple salad made with mixed unique greens, like arugula and radicchio.

Invigorate your menu and improve margins with Detroit-style pizza — a hearty, chewy/crunchy pizza customers will pay more for. Want to learn more about what’s hot (and what’s not) when it comes to pizzas? Download our Fully Loaded: The State of Pizza Nation infographic — there’s plenty of useful information you can use to keep customers coming back!