Detroit Style Pizza Techniques

[Sid P]

Thanks, Ron! I’ve made lots of good pizzas on the Roccbox, but that one was almost perfect.

[RonB]

That looks great Sid! And the crust loos super.

[Sid P]

CaptainMike coreyo No worries, they went on sale shortly after this and I took the plunge. I’ve also made some excellent Detroit style pizza using info from this thread and "The Pizza Bible". Behold!

[CaptainMike]

I have the Roccbox, Sid, and it's a pizza making machine. They're very portable as well. I haven't done a Detroit in it yet, but based on Corey's testimony I'm going to give it a go. There is a little learning curve with it, but it's not steep and getting the right hydration for your dough is the key.

[coreyo]

I definitely go higher on the hydration for detroit style pizza than is traditional for other styles. It allows the dough to proof higher in the pan (it should appear overproofed) and makes for a lighter, softer interior.

[coreyo]

I'm sorry for the late response. I have also purchased a gozney dome. It is great for neapolitan and new york style pizza, but I have found that I'm going back to the roccbox more and more for my detroit pizza. If you don't need anything bigger, the roccbox is an excellent little oven. It's even cheaper than the Ooni Pro now. I wish I hade some Ooni's for comparison, but I suspect the roccbox would win that comparison.

[au4stree]

I can confirm, this dough ratio is spot on, just enough hydration to give it that stretch and spongy-ness. But firm enough for pizza. Chef Tom cranks out some really good content/recipes

[BBryans3]

https://youtu.be/2-Y57Pvkrkk

I like this guy here and this may be a similar but different take on Detroit style pizza as well!

[Sid P]

coreyo Hey, thanks for this amazing write up. Are you still using and enjoying your Roccbox? I’m very interested in getting one, but no one else in The Pit seems to be using one. Thanks.

[coreyo]

I typically use extra light olive oil. Grape seed oil is another good choice with higher smoking point. I generally find that the darker brown you can get the crust, the better, as long as it's not black. I recommend getting a really big, thick pizza stone and placing it on the bottom rack and placing the pan directly on that pizza stone. Lloyd pans conduct heat a little too well directly from the heating element. The Roccbox is what took mine to a whole new level.

[CowboyScott]

Great write up and suggestions.

I have now made ~20 DSPs, and have now (mostly) settled on my ingredients and techniques. However, I am still struggling with the crust becoming too dark and a lot of smoke (from the pizza pan, not spilt food in the oven). I believe both items are related but would like some feedback. First, some info...

To oil the pan (Lloyds 10x14" from Amazon), I use EVOO over butter (recommended by The Pizza Bible) and have tried just EVOO (I like the EVOO over butter as the raw dough stretches easier in the pan). I typically bake at 550° in my electric kitchen oven for ~7 minutes then rotate 180° and bake for another ~7 minutes. I have put the pan on baking steel and directly on the oven rack. Directly on the oven rack produces better results for me.

The dough (I use Loui Loui's DSP dough which uses 30% semolina four and 70% all purpose flour at 75% hydration plus some salt and diastatic malt- for DSP, I like this more than the traditional NY style pizza dough which I initially used) rises nicely and has great texture, but the bottom is typically darker than I would like. However, it doesn't have any of that burnt bread taste at all so I believe it's dark due to the butter/olive oil burning. This would also explain the smoke coming from the pizza because at 550° I've exceed the smoke point of butter and EVOO.

I've searched for this issue and don't see other people experiencing the dark crust or smoke and pretty much every DSP recipe uses EVOO and/or butter to oil the pan, so I am curious if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions.

Thanks.

[coreyo]

I use nothing but 8" square pans to cook my Detroit style pizza. I have found that 8oz of cheese is just about perfect. I measure it out on a scale and place about 2/3rds of the cheese around (and up against) the edges of the pan to ensure that we get a nice cheez-it crust, and then the remaining third goes in the middle. Once the cheese becomes molten, it tends to self-level and evenly distribute.

[coreyo]

Hi Evil Swine, I have not tried their dough, but this thread includes a review on those pans, and they are absolutely terrible. I really wanted them to be good, and despite all of the negative reviews I ordered one because they claimed to be "authentic". They are not authentic, nor are they worth the money that they charge. I have to agree with all of reviews that I found online. If you want a high-end, industrial detroit style pizza pan that will last for a long time, go with the Lloyd pans.

[coreyo]

add a bit of Boar's Head 3 pepper colby jack. That stuff is fantastic! Whenever I go to the store, I make them cut me off a half pound chunk of it. I usually have to motion my thumb and forefinger to about an inch's width to demonstrate how much is half a pound.

[Evil Swine BBQ]

Native Detroiter here, this was a great read. I admire you passion and dedication to producing a top notch Detroit Style pizza.

Here is a link to a Detroit pizzeria that sells authentic seasoned Detroit Style Pizza pans. They also sell there dough mix which it doesn't seem like you need looking at the pizzas you have turned out. But something that might interest you is they also sell blocks of brick cheese.

https://detroitstylepizza.com/collections/featured-products/products/10-x-14-steel-dsp-pan