The Motor City Recipe
Serves 2 to 4. Traditional Detroit pizza cooked in a blue steel pan with white Cheddar, Wisconsin brick cheese and butter toasted corners. Topped with two racing stripes of marinara, garlic oil, romano, and oregano. Red Top with Pepperoni, Salami, Mushrooms, Bacon, Sausage, Ricotta and Basil
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Ingredients
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Dough
Pan finishing & cooking fats
Cheeses (Detroit style blend)
Sauce & toppings
Method
Dough
- 1
Mix
In a large bowl, combine warm water (about 105–110°F), instant yeast and sugar. Let sit 2–3 minutes until foamy. Add flour, salt, and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
- 2
Knead
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and slightly elastic (or mix/knead in a stand mixer 4–5 minutes on medium-low with dough hook). Dough should be tacky but not sticky; add up to 1 tablespoon additional flour only if excessively sticky.
- 3
Pan finishing & cooking fats
- 4
Prepare pan and garlic oil
If using a blue steel or Detroit-style rectangular pan (approx 10 x 14 inches), melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and gently infuse for 2–3 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and discard garlic. Reserve the garlic oil for brushing the crust later. Brush remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan.
- 5
Assemble Cheese & Toppings
- 6
- 7
Layer cheeses
Distribute shredded Wisconsin brick cheese evenly across the pan, pushing cheese to the edges so some cheese melts up against the sides to create the characteristic caramelized, crispy border. Scatter white cheddar evenly over the top of the brick cheese. Lightly sprinkle 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper over the cheese layer.
- 8
Add meats and mushrooms
Arrange pepperoni and salami slices across the cheese surface, leaving spaces for other toppings. Scatter cooked crumbled sausage, chopped cooked bacon, and sliced mushrooms evenly. Do not press toppings down — they should sit on the cheese so the cheese melts around them.
Bake & Finish
- 9
Preheat oven
Position a rack in the upper-middle third of the oven. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes with a baking steel or pizza stone if available; if using only the pan, preheat 20 minutes to ensure even heat.
- 10
- 11
Finish with buttered corners and stripes
When pizza is nearly done, remove from oven. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the pan edges/corners with the reserved garlic butter mixture to enhance the toasted corners. Spoon two parallel racing stripes of marinara sauce down the length of the pizza (each stripe about 1–1.5 tablespoons wide), running from one short side to the other. Sprinkle grated Romano evenly over the marinara stripes and lightly dust the entire pizza with dried oregano.
- 12
Add ricotta and basil
Drop small dollops of fresh ricotta between and around the marinara stripes (about 8–10 dollops). Scatter torn basil leaves over the pizza after baking to preserve fresh aroma.
- 13
Rest and serve
Let the pizza rest in the pan 3–5 minutes so cheese settles. Using a heatproof spatula or offset spatula, loosen the edges and slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Cut into 6–8 square or rectangular pieces (typical Detroit-style). Serve hot.