Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza with Herb Brown Butter

Making pizza at home is surprisingly a lot more simple than it may seem. The most time-consuming part is making the pizza dough and waiting for it to rest. If you’re in a time crunch, you could definitely use a store-bought dough for this recipe, however, I highly recommend using the one provided here. The dough from this Detroit-style pepperoni pizza will give you a buttery, golden bottom and caramelized edges that really make this pizza what it is. Coming from a girl who usually throws out the crust on a pizza, the crust on this one is my favorite part. The key here is bringing the toppings all the way to the edge of the pan. This allows the cheese to get caramelized and crispy where it meets the pan.

There are a couple really key components to this Detroit-style pepperoni pizza. The first is the herb brown butter. I pretty much want to put brown butter on everything so I knew it had to go in this pizza. Brown butter adds warm, nutty aromas to really deepen the flavor profile. We infuse it with Italian dry herbs to make it perfect for this pizza. We’ll add some right to the pizza before baking, then we’ll drizzle more on top. The second is layering the pepperoni. The layers will go like this:

• We start with the dough,
• then the herb brown butter,
• a layer of pepperoni,
• marinara sauce,
• shredded cheese,
• more herbs,
• and lastly another layer of pepperoni. This allows us to get more pepperoni into each bite and flavors of pepperoni to absorb into the crust.

What is Detroit-style pizza?

The Detroit-style pizza – the first known square pizza in the U.S. – originated with Gus Guerra at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria in Detroit in 1946. The reason behind it’s square shape? The bakers borrowed forged-steel pans from local automotive plants for the pizzas!

Aside from the square/rectangular shape, there are a few other characteristics that make a Detroit-style pizza. Unlike most pizza, the cheese spreads all the way to the edges of the pan. This gives the signature  crispy, cheesy, golden edges. The corners are the best part. Other characteristics are a double proof method for the dough, layers of pepperoni, and Wisconsin brick cheese. I had difficulty finding Wisconsin brick cheese, but you can still make a delicious Detroit-style pepperoni pizza without it. We’re only going to do a single proof for this recipe to make it more manageable.

Traditionally, Detroit-style pizza features the tomato sauce on the top, even over the cheese. Similar to a Chicago-style pizza. However, I chose to keep the cheese on top, allowing it to get slightly charred and crispy. For pizza recipes that require more time in the oven, putting the sauce on the very top is a great way to prevent the cheese from burning. We won’t have that problem with this recipe.

What type of cheese to use for Detroit-style pizza?

As previously mentioned, Buddy’s Rendezvous made their pizza with Wisconsin brick cheese. This is a pale-yellow, semi-hard cheese. It slices and melts well, making it perfect for grilled cheeses, mac and cheese, and pizzas. Unfortunately, brick cheese can be hard to find outside of the Midwest. Great substitutes include sharp cheddar, mozzarella, fontina, Monterey jack, and Muenster.

What type of pan to use for Detroit-style pizza?

I have tested this recipe using a glass Pyrex dish, a round aluminized steel cake pan, and a 9″ x 13″ aluminized steel pan. The results with the glass dish weren’t great. It didn’t allow for the bottom of the crust to crisp up. I also don’t recommend ceramic. The aluminized steel pans will provide you with the best results. The darker and heavier the pan, the better. Cast iron will also work well but can change the cook times so monitor closely.

Side note: you can actually buy a special Detroit-style pizza pan but it’s more expensive, so probably not worth it unless you plan on making pizza frequently. If the automotive pans were good enough for Gus Guerra back in 1946, the steel pan you likely already have in your kitchen will work just fine. 

Kitchen essentials

• A mixing bowl
• A large wooden spoon
• Plastic wrap
• A small saucepan
• A 9″ x 13″ steel pan, at least 2 inches deep
• A pastry brush (optional)

Substitutions

• Mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese: can be substituted with other cheeses that melt well: fontina, Monterey jack, or Muenster. Of course, changing the cheese will change the flavor profile.
• Dry Italian seasoning: can be substituted with a combination of dry herbs like thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary and sage.
• Brown butter: you could also just use plain melted butter.

Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza with Herb Brown Butter

Recipe by Slow Down Company Course: Main DishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

8

minutes

Resting time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

33

minutes

Ingredients

• Pizza dough

• 2.25 cups bread flour

• 1 tsp instant yeast

• 1.5 tsp salt

• 1 cup warm water

• 2 tbsp white sugar

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

• Herb Brown Butter

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter

• 0.5 tbsp dry Italian seasoning

• Toppings

• 40 pepperoni slices

• 0.75 cup marinara

• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 tbsp dry Italian seasoning

Directions

• Begin by preparing your 9 inch x 13 inch deep steel pan. Add about 2 tbsp of olive oil and use a pastry brush to evenly spread it around the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, make the dough by adding all the dough ingredients: bread flour, instant yeast, salt, warm water, sugar and the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Mix with a large wooden spoon until combined, then knead by hand 10 to 15 times.
• Stretch the dough by hand into a rectangular shape and place it into your prepared steel pan. At this point, the dough won’t cover the bottom of the pan, probably closer to half (see photo). Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for one hour.
• Once there’s about 20 minutes remaining in the rest period, we’ll preheat the oven to 525 F. Place an oven rack in the lowest position.
• Make the brown butter (optionally, you could skip this part and just use plain melted butter). Add all the butter to a small saucepan on medium heat. It will begin to melt and eventually sizzle and foam. Keep a close eye and stir frequently. You’ll notice brown bits start to form and the butter takes on a nutty, toasted aroma. This will only take about 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and immediately transfer to a small bowl. Use a rubber spatula to get all the brown bits.
• Once the rest period is over, uncover the pan and stretch out the dough so it is touching on all sides. There should be no part of the bottom of the pan showing.
• Layer on the toppings. Start by pouring half of the brown butter over the dough. You can use a pastry brush to spread it evenly. Layer on half the pepperoni, then the marinara sauce, then the cheese. Make sure to evenly spread the cheese all the way to the edges of the pan. Then top with another tbsp of Italian seasonings and the rest of the pepperoni.
• Bake on the bottom rack for 8 minutes. The time will vary depending on the type of pan used, so monitor closely. The edges should be crisped and the cheese starting to turn golden brown. Drizzle the rest of the brown butter over the pizza. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into squares. Enjoy!

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