Homemade Sicilian-Style or Detroit-Style Pizza
Choose whether you’d like cheese on top or below the sauce. Detroit-style has the sauce on top of the cheese and Sicilian the opposite. With the exception of onions, cook your water-rich vegetables before topping your pizza, and do NOT reach for wet fresh mozzarella. Save it for your Neapolitan-style pizza. Too much water on top will boil your dough, and you won’t get the crisp caramelized crust for which these pizzas are known. Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough - recipe link below
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to drizzle
- 14 ounces of grated cheese, a mix of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella. Do not use fresh mozzarella as it is too wet
- 1 generous cup thick tomato sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano leaves
- Red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in olive oil, seasoned well with salt and pepper
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes sliced in thirds, optional
- 6 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni, use more if you love pepperoni
- ½ cup roasted sweet peppers
Directions
1. Make pizza dough 18-48 hours ahead of time. Note: Plan on another 3 to 5 hours of shaping and resting the dough prior to baking, as explained in the following steps.
2. Grease a Detroit/Sicilian style pizza pan or 12” x 18” sheet pan generously with butter. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the center of the pan. The butter gives a nice crunch and adds extra flavor to the crust.
3. Remove the dough from the fridge. Use a scraper or lightly oiled hands to shape the dough into a rough ball at the center of the bowl.
4. Turn the dough ball with the help of the scraper out into the center of the prepared pizza pan. Flip the dough ball over to coat well on both sides with the olive oil. Let rest for 3 hours. If the dough is well-oiled it doesn’t need to be covered but if you’re worried cover lightly with plastic wrap.
5. After the dough has rested use lightly oiled hands, to gently stretch the dough to fit the pan. Use your fingers to dimple and stretch. If you’re not able to get the dough to stretch all the way to the edges, let it rest for another 30 minutes, then stretch it again using the same technique. The dough can rest in the pan for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours if your kitchen is on the cool side. Cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.
To Bake the Pizza
1. If you have a pizza stone, place it on a rack in the middle or lower third of your oven, and heat it to 500 degrees F.
2. Use oiled fingers to dimple only the center of the dough one last time and press deeply. It will help the dough bake more evenly.
3. Place the pan in the preheated oven on the pizza stone for 10 to 11 minutes or until golden. Remove the pan from the oven and lower the oven to 475 degrees F. Note: This par-bake can be done hours or even a day ahead of time.
4. Spread the sauce evenly over the dough. Top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle with oregano, and then chili flakes and salt to taste. Top with any or all of the toppings then drizzle with olive oil. Note: For Detroit-style pizza, sprinkle the cheese over the crust all the way to the edges. Top with the toppings and dollop the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with oregano and chili flakes and season with salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown in spots. Note: For Detroit-style pizza, bake until the cheese is browned on the edges for about 15 to 18 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and let the pizza rest for 5 minutes in the pan. Run a knife or spatula around the pan’s edges. Then, carefully remove the entire pizza from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut the pizza into your desired number of squares using a serrated knife.The dough can rest in the pan for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours if your kitchen is on the cool side. Cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.