Detroit Pan Pizza
A rectangular pan pizza using bread flour, semolina, and a small sugar dose.
Detroit pizza dates to 1946, when Gus and Anna Guerra began baking a Sicilian-style pan pizza at Buddy's Rendezvous in Detroit. The pans were blue steel trays from the city's car industry. The cheese goes right to the edge, where it caramelises against the pan, and the sauce goes on last.
The formula in numbers
- Hydration
- 70.4%
- Salt
- 2%
- Olive Oil
- none
- Portion
- 2 × 500 g, about 27 × 27 cm
- Fermentation source
- Instant Yeast
- Bulk at room temperature
- 30 min
- Final proof
- 3 h
- Flour strength
- W 260–320
- Flour protein
- 11.5–14%
How to prepare it
- Flour575 g
- Water405 g
- Salt12 g
- Instant Yeast1.16 g
- Sugar8 g
The yeast is dosed for the fermentation times of this formula. The calculator adjusts it to your flour, your kitchen and your schedule.
- W 260–320
The dough
Bread flour with a share of semolina, water, salt, yeast and 1.4% sugar. Use a strong flour, W 260 to 320.
This dough is pressed into a pan, not stretched in the air, so it can be wet.
- 70.4% water
Mixing
At 70.4% hydration the dough is sticky. Mix until it is smooth and holds together.
Oil your hands instead of adding flour.
- 30 min
Fermentation
Rest the dough, covered, for 30 min and fold it once halfway through. This is a same-day dough: there is no fridge in the plan.
The fold builds strength without more kneading.
- 3 h
Into the pan
Oil the pan well and press 500 g of dough towards the corners. If it pulls back, wait a few minutes and press again. Then let it proof in the pan for 3 h.
500 g fills a pan of about 27 × 27 cm.
- 14.5 min
Shaping and baking
Spread the cheese right to the edge, so it melts down the sides and caramelises against the pan. Add the sauce last, on top. Bake at around 275°C (527°F) for about 14.5 min.
If the bottom comes out soft, take the pizza out of the pan and put it back in the oven on a hot steel for a few minutes.
The most common mistakes
Wrong:Forcing the dough into the corners
Right:Let it relax for a few minutes and press again. It reaches the corners without tearing.
Wrong:Keeping the cheese away from the edge
Right:Take it right to the pan wall. That is where the crisp cheese crust forms.
Wrong:Baking before the dough has risen in the pan
Right:Give it the full 3 h in the pan, until it looks puffy.
Wrong:A pan that is barely oiled
Right:Oil it well, so the pizza comes out of the pan in one piece.
Recommended flours
Flour for this formula: W 260–320, 11.5–14% protein. Ranked by fit, then by availability in your country, then by popularity.
