You’ve had the New York slice with the chewy and thin crust. You’ve had Chicago deep dish that is piled high with melty cheese and a sauce. Neapolitan with dollops of cheese and a simple tomato sauce on a sourdoughesque crust. Maybe you’ve even had New Haven pizza from Connecticut. So, you’ve had all these pizzas, but have you tried the Detroit style yet?!?
What is Detroit style pizza you might be asking? Well. It’s basically all the great things about pizza but better. It’s also, in my opinion, the best pizza for using vegan cheese on because the sauce and dough sandwich in the cheese which melts it without drying it out. I’ve tried just about every vegan cheese and they all fail on high heat pizzas, but I’ve had consistent success using my Detroit pizza method! Okay. So. Detroit pizza.
Dough goes into a pan, preferably a Lloyd’s pan which honestly makes a huge difference, then cheese on the dough, then dollops of sauce, then toppings. You bake it on the bottom rack of the oven at 500 F. The bottom and sides get crisp, the cheese on the sides get all crunchy, and the thick crust is bready and delicious. Cut it into squares and dig in. It has become my favorite pizza to make because it works so well in a conventional oven. Any blogger who lauds all about their oven baked Neapolitan or New York pizza is a liar. I said it. It’s fact. They are lying and should not be trusted for any recipe in the future. A Neapolitan pizza is meant to cook in about 90 seconds at the minimum of 700 F. A conventional oven struggles to stay at 500 F. That’s besides the point. Make the Detroit pizza and thank me later. Now. Pizza cooked on an outdoor grill. That’s a different story and I approve of that.
Another benefit of the Detroit style pizza is that you can load it up with literally every topping you can think of. You’re baking it in a metal or glass dish and you don’t have to worry about transfer from pizza peel to stone or pan.
*Disclaimer: I’m not in any way sponsored by Lloyd’s Detroit Style Pans, I just really love their pans and advocate for them because it makes a huge difference.
For this recipe the only kitchen tool you’ll need is a 9×13 glass baking dish or a 10×13 Lloyd’s Detroit pizza pan. The results from the glass dish are great but the Lloyd’s pan makes pizza epic. Why? The Lloyd’s pan is made with 14 gauge aluminum and is a permanent non-stick that is also metal utensil safe! They are made for commercial production but sold online for only $30 and will last you until you die. On their website they have lots of options.
Vegan Detroit Pizza
Equipment
- 9×13 glass baking dish or a Llyods pizza pan
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (can be omitted )
- 1 cup warm water (baby bath temp, no more than 105°F)
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Using a heavy spoon, mix in the water. Once the dough comes together dump out onto a work surface and knead for 5 min until the dough is smooth. Add more flour as needed so it doesn't stick.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 500°F. While oven is heating spread 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 9×13" glass baking dish (or Lloyds). Place dough into the dish and press it to the edges. Cover the dish and let rest for 15 min. Lightly oil your hands and press the dough to the edges of the pan again and use your finger tips to dimple the dough. Cover and let rest 15 min more.
- Layer of cheese on top of dough (about 2 cups) getting it all the way to the edges. Spread about a cup of pizza sauce on top of the cheese. But don’t worry about evenly covering the top. Then add the toppings. I cooked my Beyond sausage for about 5 min first to get rid of some of the oil.
- Bake on the lowest rack (uncovered) for 20-25 min. Should be plenty of bubbling action. Remove from oven and let rest in the dish for 10 min. Run a spatula along the edge to separate cheese from the dish. Pry an end up and carefully transfer the pizza to a cutting board by letting it slide out of the dish.
- Cut and serve!!! If you have a lot of toppings I've found the best way to cut is to use kitchen scissors.
Notes
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Been eating Detroit style pizza my whole life being from metro Detroit. Not many vegan Detroit pizzas out there. This looks awesome!