I received a lot of feedback on Instagram about teaching you how to make Detroit Style pizza (DSP). Ordering pizza from your local pizzeria is a better option right now - it is an important time to support them. That said, many of you are stuck at home bored, and I hope this post offers you a reprieve and a chance to learn something new.
This post is a step by step guide to making awesome DSP, including the tools and techniques needed to make great pizza at home.
Day 1: mix 150 grams (g) flour (wheat flour is best) with 150g water (~90 degrees F) until it is one consistency. Leave uncovered for 1-2 hours, then cover and maintain at room temperature (~70 F or higher). I use a Cambro 1 Quart with Lid
for mixing and storing my starter. If you don't have this or want to buy it, a mason jar with an airtight lid works fine.
Day 2: in the morning, discard ~75% of your initial mix. Add 150g flour and 150g water. Mix together until one consistency. This is 100% hydration, you are not aiming for the same consistency as dough. Keep in the same airtight container at room temperature.
Day 3: repeat day 2 instructions. You will begin to notice a sour smell, air bubbles, and your starter rise in the container. You now have your very own sourdough starter! Don't forget to name your starter. Mine is "Billy". I have kept him alive for ~4 years.
Ongoing feeding: a sourdough starter is a living yeast. Its survival requires ongoing feeding.
Yes! There are many uses for this. Share with a friend for them to begin sourdough baking. I typically use my discarded starter to make sourdough waffles or pancakes. Message me for a recipe.
Formula: always measure your ingredients by weight. If you don't have a baker's scale, it is worth investing in one. This is the one I have: basic Ozeri bakers scale
- it is inexpensive and works great.
Disclosure:
This post is a step by step guide to making awesome DSP, including the tools and techniques needed to make great pizza at home.
Sourdough Starter:
This is a naturally leavened (aka sourdough starter) dough recipe, meaning you don't need any commercial yeast. If you haven't built a starter, I will teach you how to make your very own.Day 1: mix 150 grams (g) flour (wheat flour is best) with 150g water (~90 degrees F) until it is one consistency. Leave uncovered for 1-2 hours, then cover and maintain at room temperature (~70 F or higher). I use a Cambro 1 Quart with Lid
for mixing and storing my starter. If you don't have this or want to buy it, a mason jar with an airtight lid works fine.
Day 2: in the morning, discard ~75% of your initial mix. Add 150g flour and 150g water. Mix together until one consistency. This is 100% hydration, you are not aiming for the same consistency as dough. Keep in the same airtight container at room temperature.
Day 3: repeat day 2 instructions. You will begin to notice a sour smell, air bubbles, and your starter rise in the container. You now have your very own sourdough starter! Don't forget to name your starter. Mine is "Billy". I have kept him alive for ~4 years.
Ongoing feeding: a sourdough starter is a living yeast. Its survival requires ongoing feeding.
- Daily Feeding: if you are baking regularly, leave your starter in your airtight container at room temperature, and feed your starter in the morning and the evening. To feed your starter, discard (pitch) ~75% of your starter, then mix 150g flour and 150g water to your starter.
- Weekly Feeding: if you are not baking regularly, leave your starter in the refrigerator, and feed your starter once a week following the same instructions as one daily feeding.
Yes! There are many uses for this. Share with a friend for them to begin sourdough baking. I typically use my discarded starter to make sourdough waffles or pancakes. Message me for a recipe.Dough Recipe:
The most important part of any pizza...making the dough. Before making your dough, make sure your starter has received a feeding ~4 hours prior. You starter needs to be lively. I feed my starter twice a day for at least 3 days leading up to the day I bake.
Flour Choice: if this is your first time making naturally leavened pizza, I recommend keeping it simple by using a solid All Purpose flour like King Arthur. You can find this at most grocery stores. When you are comfortable with this recipe, you can make tweaks of your own by trying new flour combinations.
Flour Choice: if this is your first time making naturally leavened pizza, I recommend keeping it simple by using a solid All Purpose flour like King Arthur. You can find this at most grocery stores. When you are comfortable with this recipe, you can make tweaks of your own by trying new flour combinations.
Formula: always measure your ingredients by weight. If you don't have a baker's scale, it is worth investing in one. This is the one I have: basic Ozeri bakers scale
- it is inexpensive and works great.
Ingredients
|
Weight
|
Baker’s Percentage
|
All Purpose Flour
|
500g
|
100%
|
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
|
10g
|
2%
|
Water
|
400g
|
80%
|
Sea Salt
|
10g
|
2%
|
Sourdough Starter
|
90g
|
18%
|
Final Dough Steps:
The process takes 7 hours from beginning to end of baking. Most of this time is for the dough to ferment unattended, making it easy to multitask. I generally start this process at ~9:30 am, to be on schedule to have pizza ready for dinner.- Step 1: in a 5-8 quart container (I use a Cambro 6-Quart Container with Lid
), mix your flour and water. I always mix by hand, but feel free to use a mixer. Mix for about 5 minutes into one consistency, cover, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This is called autolysing, which is a process that will help your dough be less elastic and easier to handle when you transfer to the pan.
), mix your flour and water. I always mix by hand, but feel free to use a mixer. Mix for about 5 minutes into one consistency, cover, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This is called autolysing, which is a process that will help your dough be less elastic and easier to handle when you transfer to the pan. - Step 2: add your sourdough starter, then mix until fully incorporated into the dough. Your starter will be much more loose and wet than the rest of your dough. Tip: if mixing by hand, use your thumb and pointer finger to pinch and separate golf ball sized chunks of dough. Do this repeatedly for ~3-5 minutes until you feel the dough consistency being similar to what it was before you added your starter. Your dough will be tacky and sticking to your fingers, wet your hands, which will help you work with the dough. Next sprinkle in your sea salt. Mix the dough for another ~3-5 minutes to incorporate the salt. Stretch and fold the dough in the bottom of your container to create a single dough ball.
- Step 3: add your EVOO and mix as you did in the prior step until the olive oil is fully incorporated. Cover and leave at room temperature (preferably ~70 F) to bulk ferment.
- Folds: fold your dough 30 minutes after you finished Step 3. Folding requires you to grab the bottom of the dough stretch it vertically (without tearing or separating the dough) in the container (let gravity stretch it), then fold it onto itself. Do this 3 times, rotating the dough slightly each time. This completes your first "fold". Complete three more folds every ~30 minutes.
Transferring to Pan:
The best pan you can buy for Detroit Style Pizza is a Lloyd's pan. I use their 10 by 14 pan, which is perfect for this recipe. If you don't have a Lloyd's pan, a cake pan or baking sheet will have to do.
pan. I use their 10 by 14 pan, which is perfect for this recipe. If you don't have a Lloyd's pan, a cake pan or baking sheet will have to do. 
- Step 1: coat your pan with olive oil. Drizzle the oil on the pan then spread the excess with a paper towel to make it thinly coated and even. Add olive oil to your hands, then transfer your dough to the pan. Stretch your dough gently to cover the pan evenly - see example in picture below. The goal is not to cover the whole pan with dough at this point, but if you do, that is ok. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Step 2: your dough will be more relaxed now. This will allow you to easily stretch the dough to cover the entire pan evenly - see example picture below. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof for 1-2 hours. If you need to delay baking it until later, put it it the fridge, then leave out at room temp an hour before bake.
Toppings:
This is up to you, but for your first DSP I recommend a simple red sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Here are the specific ingredients I typically top my DSP with:
- Sauce: I use a 28 oz can of crushed Bianco-Dinapoli tomatoes. Specialty food stores carry this. I buy mine from Market of Choice here in Portland. If you can't find this, any San Marzano canned tomatoes or equivalent will do the job. See sauce recipe at the bottom of this post.
- Cheese: One pound of low moisture mozzarella cheese. Most grocery store deli counters sell this. I cut the block of cheese into 1/4" cubes. Note: traditional DSP has Wisconsin Brick Cheese
. This is hard to find and expensive - just a FYI. Muenster is another alternative cheese option.
- Pepperoni: any pepperoni in a casing will do the job. I prefer Boar's Head
because it is reasonably priced and cups well. You can find this at most grocery stores. Slice to 1/16" thickness.
Bake:
- Step 1: parbake your dough for 7 minutes at 475 F. This means you will bake your dough without any toppings.
- Step 2: remove from oven, spread sauce evenly over the pie. Add one pound of low moisture mozzarella cheese evenly across the pie all the way to the edges. Finish by covering with pepperoni.
- Step 3: place back in the oven and bake for ~17 to 20 minutes. Rotate the pan in the oven every ~10 minutes. When the cheese begins to turn a bit orange and the pepperoni curls, the pie is done.
- Step 4: if you are using a Lloyd's pan, the pie will slide right out. Place on a cookie rack for 5-10 minutes, then slice into squares and enjoy!
Sauce Recipe:
My favorite sauce is based on Portland's own Ken Forkish's Smooth Red Sauce. You can find his recipe and a wealth of other baking knowledge is his book: Flour Water Salt Yeast
Here is my modified recipe:
Here is my modified recipe:
- Step 1: add one 28oz can of crushed Bianco-Dinapoli tomatoes to a pot. Begin heating on low-medium.
- Step 2: add 3 tablespoons of EVOO, 1 tablespoon sea salt, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon chili flakes. Simmer for ~10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This is the best sauce I have ever made. Feel free to tweak the ingredients to suite your tastes. I prefer cooking this sauce down, but it also is very good without simmering it.
I hope this recipe helpful. Tag or DM me on Instagram @pdxdoughboy with any questions or feedback.
Cheers!
-Blaine
Cheers!
-Blaine
Disclosure:
PDX Doughboy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affliliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
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