There was a Detroit-style pizza place down the street from where I used to live in Chicago and it had the fluffiest crust with the most delicious cheesy crisp edges. I haven’t been back in four years so it was only right that I made my own! This version is made in a skillet with a super fluffy crust, puddles of marinara, thick cut pepperoni, and a drizzle of hot honey. Its spicy, sweet, savory, and so addicting. I’ve also included a gluten free version!
What is Detroit-style pizza?
Detroit-style pizza is another variation of the many many mays to make pizza. There’s deep dish Chicago-style, thick and giant New York-style, or a more rustic Tuscan wood-fired style.
What makes Detroit-style pizza stand out is its signature fluffy focaccia-like crust and thick cut pepperoni.
It starts off with a very wet and sticky dough, very similar to focaccia, which rises to create tiny air bubbles all throughout. The end result is a pillowy crust that leans more towards bread than thin crust.
Detroit-style pizza is also known for its pepperoni. It uses thick cut slices that bake into little cups. They basically hold all the grease that runs off the pepperoni, but in the best way. It’s much more flavorful and savory this way!
Another key factor is the cheese. It’s the first ingredient to go on the crust and it’s sprinkled all the way out to the edges. As the pizza bakes, the cheese crisps up and creates this ring of crunchy burnt cheese all around the edge. It’s….incredible.
All together, the pizza has a fluffy crust, thick cut pepperoni cups, and crispy golden cheese edges. What’s not to love?
How to make Detroit-style pizza
The dough is very simple to make, but does take some time. In this case, it’s important to start making the dough 2 hours before you’re ready to eat. Trust me, it’s well worth the wait.
Here are my top tips for making the dough:
- Flour – Make sure to gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup and rake off any excess with a flat edge. If too much flour is used, the dough will struggle to fully rise and the crust will likely be a bit too dense and chewy.
- Water – The water should be warm to the touch, but not too hot. Warm water will activate the yeast which allows the dough to rise. If the water is too cold or too hot, it will either kill or not activate the yeast.
- Kneading – Using a stand mixer makes this part really easy, especially because the dough is very sticky. It’s important to really work the dough for a full 5 minutes. This encourages gluten formation, leading to a strong and sturdy crust.
- Plop – After kneading, just plop the dough right into the center of a well-greased skillet. No need to fuss with it as it’s loose enough to spread out on its own. As the dough rises, it will naturally fill the pan.
- Pressing – When the dough has risen, it’s time to add focaccia-like imprints. Lightly drizzle the dough with olive oil and lightly coat your fingers with some as well. Gently press into the crust, but don’t press all the way down to the bottom. Just press enough to nudge and spread out any uneven spots in the dough.
- Resting – After pressing, do not wait more than 30 minutes before topping and placing the pizza in the oven. It will continue to rise during this period, so if it rests too long the dough can become unstable. That’s why it’s important to start assembling the pizza 20 minutes after the second rise, that way it can be ready to bake in those following 10 minutes.
Detroit-style pizza toppings
The Cheese – Mozzarella cheese is best, specifically low-moisture mozzarella that’s freshly grated. This will melt and brown the best, but will not add any unnecessary moisture to the crust. So go with a hunk of mozzarella that you can grate yourself. It makes a world of a difference!
The Sauce – I find most jarred pizza sauce falls pretty flat in flavor. I prefer a hearty marinara for this recipe, Rao’s being my personal favorite. It’s not too smooth but it is FULL of flavor.
The Pepperoni – Don’t buy the pre-sliced packages of pepperoni. They just don’t cut it here! Pepperoni in natural casing comes in a sausage packaging that needs to be sliced. This allows full control over the thickness of the pepperoni, and this pizza requires about 1/8 inch slices. Any thinner and they’ll easily burn.
Hot Honey – If hot honey isn’t available, drizzle regular honey and add a few extra sprinkles of crushed red pepper. But for the best spice payoff, hot honey really takes this pizza over the edge.
Can this pizza be made in a different pan?
Yes, in fact traditional Detroit-style pizza is baked in an alloy steel 9×13 dish. To bake in this type of pan, follow these instructions:
- Pressing – When pressing into the dough after the 90 minute rise, really work the dough out to the edges of the pan.
- Assembly – Follow all of the same instructions for the topping, but more pepperoni may be required as there is more surface area to cover.
- Bake – Bake at 500F in the lower third of the oven for about 16-18 minutes. If making it gluten free, par bake the crust for about 5 minutes, then add toppings and continue to bake for about 12 minutes.
Can the dough be made overnight?
Yes, after the dough has been pressed like focaccia, cover the pan and chill the dough overnight. Then remove the pan from the refrigerator right when the oven starts to preheat. This will give it some time to warm up.
Then top and bake just as instructed.
Have fun with the toppings
Pepperoni is the classic and only topping for Detroit-style pizza, but feel free to add your favorites. Really anything goes! But when it comes to sliced veggies, try slicing a bit thicker as the high oven temp could burn them to a crisp if sliced too thin.
- Olives
- Sliced bell pepper
- Sliced red onion
- Mushrooms
- Crumbled cooked sausage (these would get extra crispy and so delicious)
- Giardiniera (after baking)
- Banana peppers (after baking)
For more savory recipes, check out my:
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make this Detroit-style pizza. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
PrintSpicy Detroit-Style Pizza
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices
Description
This Detroit-style pizza is made with a super fluffy crust, thick-cut pepperoni, and a drizzle of hot honey for added spice. It’s so easy to make and yields the BEST homemade pizza. I’ve also included a gluten free option as well!
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 1/3 cups (292g) all purpose or gluten free flour*, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp honey
Toppings
- 8 oz low moisture mozzarella cheese, hand shredded
- 3/4 cup pizza sauce (I prefer Rao’s marinara)
- 3 oz pepperoni in natural casing**, sliced to 1/8″ thick
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- Hot honey, to drizzle on top
- Parmesan cheese, to grate on top
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- Note: Start making the dough 2 hours before serving.
- In the bowl of stand mixer using the paddle attachment, add 1 cup flour, salt, garlic powder, and yeast. Mix to combine.
- Combine the lukewarm water, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp honey. With the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly pour in the water mixture.
- Once combined, add in the remaining 1 1/3 cup of flour and mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes. It should start to form into a sticky and smooth mass.
- While that’s mixing, drizzle a 12″ cast iron skillet with about 2 tbsp of oil. Use your hand to coat the entire pan, including the bottom and sides.
- When the dough is done mixing, scoop it into the center of the greased skillet.
- Lightly spray a sheet of plastic wrap and lay it on top of the skillet, greased side down to prevent it from sticking to the dough. Place the pan in a warm place and let it rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes. *See notes for overnight instructions.
- After 90 minutes, the dough should double in size and nearly cover the entire skillet. Lightly drizzle the dough with olive oil and stamp your fingers down into the dough to spread and even it out (see photo in post for reference).
- Leave the dough uncovered and let it rest for 20 minutes. During that time, adjust the oven rack to be on the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500F.
Pizza Toppings
- Grate the cheese and slice the pepperoni. Then combine the herbs and spices in a small dish.
- After 20 minutes, assemble the pizza. Coat the entire surface of the dough with 2/3 of the cheese, sprinkling it all the way out to the edges.
- Next, dollop spoonfuls of the sauce all over the surface of the cheese. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top along with 1/3 of the herb and spice blend.
- Scatter the slices of pepperoni on top.
- To bake, the GF pizza requires different instructions. See notes for details. For regular crust, bake on the lower third of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Allow the pizza to cool for about 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the skillet and lift the pizza out of the pan and onto a serving dish.
- Sprinkle with the remaining herbs and spices, drizzle with honey, and grate some fresh parmesan on top. Let the pizza rest for another 10 minutes.
- To slice, I suggest using kitchen scissors to cut through the crispy cheese crust, and then use a large knife to make the slices. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
GLUTEN FREE – Follow all the same instructions up until baking. Bake the crust by itself at 500F in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pizza and let it cool for about 10 minutes, then add the toppings as instructed and bake on the lower third of the oven for another 15 minutes. Allow it to cool and then slice and enjoy!
PEPPERONI – Pepperoni in natural casing comes in a sausage link that needs to be sliced. This is preferred because regular pepperoni is too thin and will burn quickly. This type of pepperoni is typically found near the deli section of the grocery store.
OVERNIGHT DOUGH – After the dough rests for 90 minutes, press into the dough as instructed but then cover the pan and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Follow all the same instructions for baking, but pull the dough out of the refrigerator right when you set the oven temperature. That way it can warm up as the oven preheats.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Yeasted
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pan pizza, detroit style pizza, skillet pizza, pepperoni pizza, homemade pepperoni pizza
Just tried this recipe this weekend and it turned out great. I followed the recipe exactly and was worried that the dough wouldn’t rise properly but it did. The combination of the herbs, thick cut pepperoni Hot Honey and crispy crust were amazing . I made the dough , let it rise, dimpled it and then put it in the fridge until dinner time…turned out perfect and I can’t wait to make it again!
So glad to hear!!
Just to clarify, I can substitute Bobs GF one for one flour and the only difference is to precook the crust?
Mixing process, same? I’ll be happy if that’s all! 😊 Sounds like it can be dinner tonight!! ♥️
Yep it just bakes different!
Hi Jenna, do you think this would work in a 10 inch cast iron skillet?
Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Probably! It might just have to bake for a bit longer.
Help! I’m making gluten free and it’s not rising. I think I used too much flour. It’s dry. Can I fix it or is it too late?
★★★★★
It sounds like it could be too much flour and the yeast didn’t activate! Make sure to use lukewarm water next time. It sounds like you may have to start over 🙁
20 minutes at 500 was too long and the cheese burned. Otherwise great recipe and it still tasted great!!
★★★★
wow, wow, wow. Made this for dinner last night and it turned out amazing!!
I can bake just about anything, but breads have never been my friend so I was a little nervous attempting this but it came out perfect!
Some notes about my experience:
To mix the dough, I first had it at on a level 4 on my kitchenaid and mixed it for the recommended 4 minutes. The dough was still sticking to the sides of the bowl pretty well so I increased the speed to a 6 and mixed for another 2 minutes. I think if I had started out on a 6, the time really would have been 4 mins. I was nervous I had overmixed with this extra time, but it still turned out so I guess I was safe there.
I used a 10″ cast iron, and baked for about 26-28 minutes and it was done in the middle. The top got a little overdone but still tasted good!
I skipped the pepperoni and just stuck with cheese. I did add diced raw yellow onion with the first layer of cheese since I had some left over from the night before and they cooked up perfectly and added a little extra texture.
Overall I am so stoked on this recipe – it was so easy to make, was so tasty, and just overall a major winner in my book. Also, its delish the next day. Thank you x 1,000,000!
★★★★★
Made this with my boyfriend this weekend! Added mushrooms, shallots, and green onions after cooking. It was sooo yummy! Spicy and crispy, will be making again!
★★★★★
Jenna, I am Detroit born and raised…and all I have to say…is this is LEGIT. My family lives in Montana now, and we desperately miss our Detroit pizza (shout out to Jet’s our family favorite)! This is so spot on…and honestly pretty quick and easy with just a little advance prep!
★★★★★
Oh wow so glad to hear!! Thank you!
20 minutes was too long on 500 for us, the top was completely burned! The crust was delicious though. Also would recommend MUCH less resting time afterwards, no need to eat cold pizza.
★★★★
I’m giving this five stars because I’m determined to make it work. I see where another reader had problems with GF flour rising. Which I’m also experiencing. I believe the problem may be using GF one to one flour instead of GF all purpose, if the temperature of the water is ok. I followed the water temp directions on my yeast (110 degrees) and warmed a bit more to allow time mix in honey and still retain proper heat. I was planning to make this for my husband’s birthday today – should have done a trial run or read the super fine print on the back of my GF one to one flour before today. LOL. I already have Instacart on the way with GF AP flour so fingers crossed I still have time to make this happen today.
★★★★★
Oh no! Also just make sure to gradually mix in the flour as gf flour is more dense than regular flour.
This pizza was so easy to make I made this yesterday on Valentine’s Day because my husband love’s pizza. I want to tag you in it but I forgot. Next time I make it again I will tag you in it. I love all your recipes! 🍕
★★★★★