Brooklyn Bridge Detroit Style Pizza Recipes

DETROIT-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Combine the bread flour, semolina (or additional bread flour), yeast, sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in a large bowl. Stir together the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon then make a well in the center. Pour in the water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes until a stretchy, wet dough forms.
• Grease a large clean bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and transfer in the dough. Lift and stretch the dough onto itself, bringing the edges into the center to form a tight-skinned ball. Flip the dough over, seam side down, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Once the dough has doubled, grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Punch down the dough and turn it out into the prepared pan, stretching the dough so that it covers the bottom of the pan and reaches into the corners. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place your oven rack in the lowest position and preheat your oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Prepare the sauce by combining the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, oregano and Italian seasoning in a bowl and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Prepare the cheese by grating half and cutting the rest into 1-centimeter (1/2-inch) cubes.
• When the dough has risen, evenly scatter any toppings you're using straight onto the crust followed by the grated cheese, making sure to coat the whole crust including the very edges. Scatter the cubed mozzarella over top, again, paying particular attention to the very edges of the crust. Finally, dot the sauce over the cheese in a 4-by-3 grid. (You can also spoon the sauce onto the pizza in three long lines - the main thing is that you don't cover all of the cheese or crust with the sauce.)
• Bake the pizza for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, is golden brown all over and is super crispy around the edges. Allow the pizza to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting into twelve squares and serving.

DETROIT-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Put the pizza dough in a large bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until the dough is slightly puffy, 30 minutes.
• Spread the butter all over the inside of a metal 9-by-13-inch pan and put the dough in the middle. Starting from the middle of the dough and using your fingertips, push the dough out to the corners of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until puffy and doubled in thickness, about 1 hour. Push the dough all the way to the edges, recover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Place a baking sheet on the rack to preheat.
• Combine the tomatoes and tomato paste in a blender and blend until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and soft but not brown. Add the tomato mixture, oregano, chile flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low and cook until thick, about 15 minutes.
• Uncover the dough and cover evenly with the pepperoni. Sprinkle about 2 cups of the Cheddar evenly along the edges of the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar over the rest of the pizza, then top the entire pizza with the Havarti and scallions.
• Put the pan on the preheated baking sheet and bake the pizza until the edges are golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
• Loosen the sides and bottom of the pizza with a metal spatula and slide onto a cutting board. Spoon the sauce in 4 thick crosswise lines over the pizza. Cut into squares and serve.

BRICK-OVEN PIZZA (BROOKLYN STYLE)

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes to proof. Stir in salt and cold water, then stir in the flour about 1 cup at a time. When the dough is together enough to remove from the bowl, knead on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes. Divide into two pieces, and form each one into a tight ball. Coat the dough balls with olive oil, and refrigerate in a sealed container for at least 16 hours. Be sure to use a big enough container to allow the dough to rise. Remove the dough from the refrigerator one hour prior to using.
• Preheat the oven, with a pizza stone on the lowest rack, to 550 degrees F. Lightly dust a pizza peel with flour.
• Using one ball of dough at a time, lightly dust the dough with flour, and stretch gradually until it is about 14 inches in diameter, or about as big around as the pizza stone. Place on the floured peel. Place thin slices of mozzarella over the crust, then grind a liberal amount of black pepper over it. Sprinkle with dried oregano. Randomly arrange crushed tomatoes, leaving some empty areas. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
• With a quick back and forth jerk, make sure the dough will release from the peel easily. Place the tip of the peel at the back of the preheated pizza stone, and remove peel so that the pizza is left on the stone.
• Bake for 4 to 6 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust begins to brown. Remove from the oven by sliding the peel beneath the pizza. Sprinkle a few basil leaves randomly over the pizza. Cut into wedges and serve.

DETROIT-STYLE PEPPERONI PIZZA

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the bottom of the oven and preheat to the highest temperature setting, 500 to 550 degrees F.
• Pour the oil in a large, square metal cake pan (or, ideally, an authentic Detroit-style pizza pan). Put the Pizza Dough in the pan and gently stretch it out to fit so the dough reaches the corners. If the dough is being temperamental, set it aside for another 10 minutes to relax and try again.
• Layer the pepperoni on the dough. Then lay the cheese cubes all over, especially around the perimeter up to the edge of the pan (this creates the coveted crispy cheese crust). Dollop the pizza sauce on top in 3 lines.
• Bake in the ultra-hot oven until bubbly and golden and a crispy cheese crust has formed, 10 to 15 minutes. Using a fish spatula, loosen up the edges and place on a cutting board. Slice into squares and serve!
• Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a food processor with a metal blade attachment and pulse to combine. Add 1 cup warm water, then process until a ball forms, about 30 seconds (if a ball does not form, add a bit more flour). Process for another 30 seconds, then roll into a tight ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Proof in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.
• Heat a small saucepot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the Italian seasoning and garlic and saute until fragrant; do not let the garlic burn. Add the tomatoes and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer until concentrated, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

DETROIT-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Pour warm water into the bowl of stand mixer; mix in yeast and sugar and let dissolve. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and bread flour. Knead mixture together with a dough hook attachment until dough is very smooth, soft, and elastic.
• Drizzle remaining olive oil over the bottom of a 10x14-inch Detroit-style pizza pan and spread around with your fingers. Place dough in the center; pull and stretch into a roughly rectangular shape with oiled fingers. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Prepare sauce and cheese in the meantime.
• Combine marinara sauce, oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer to fully hydrate the oregano and garlic, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 500 to 550 degrees F (260 to 288 degrees C).
• Dice Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese into small cubes. Toss lightly to mix together.
• Rub fingertips with some olive oil from the pan. Press out air from the dough while stretching and pushing into a rectangle that goes all the way to the edges of the pan. Stretch up the sides about 1/2 inch or so.
• Lay most of the pepperoni onto the dough. Scatter cheese cubes evenly on top, making sure to fully cover all the edges where dough meets the pan. Ladle sauce on top in 3 long strips. Arrange remaining pepperoni over the sauce.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pizza is somewhere between golden brown and golden black, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Very carefully slide pizza onto a cutting board using a spatula. Cut into individual pieces using the lines of sauce as a guide.