Detroit Style Pizza Spokane: A Crispy, Cheesy Pan Recipe

Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular, airy-crusted pan pizza with tomato sauce, generous cheese, and crisp, browned edges. This home version uses a well-oiled 9-by-13-inch pan and a slow, cool rise for flavor; it’s a practical way to make the Motor City classic in Spokane without special equipment.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (300 g) bread flour, plus a little for handling
1 cup (240 ml) warm water, about 100°F (38°C)
1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (6 g) fine salt
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil, for the dough
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, for the pan
8 ounces (225 g) low-moisture mozzarella, shredded or cut into small cubes
4 ounces (115 g) brick cheese, shredded; substitute more low-moisture mozzarella if unavailable (the edges will be a little less rich and crisp)
½ cup (120 ml) pizza sauce, preferably thick
½ teaspoon (1 g) dried oregano
¼ teaspoon (1 g) garlic powder
2 tablespoons (10 g) finely grated Parmesan
12–16 slices (about 55 g) pepperoni, optional

Instructions

Mix the dough. Stir the warm water, yeast, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil. Mix with a sturdy spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky; avoid adding much extra flour, which can make the crust dense.
Rest and fold. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. With a damp hand, lift one edge of the dough and fold it over the center; turn the bowl and repeat three more times. Cover and let it rise at room temperature until puffy and roughly doubled, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on room temperature.
Oil the pan and stretch. Pour 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil into a metal 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) pan, coating the bottom and corners. Transfer the dough to the pan and gently press it toward the edges. If it springs back, cover and rest 10 minutes, then press again. Cover and rise until airy, about 30–45 minutes.
Heat the oven and prepare toppings. Near the end of the rise, put a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 500°F (260°C), or the highest setting your oven allows. Stir together the pizza sauce, oregano, and garlic powder. Keep the cheese ready; a mix of cubes and shreds helps fill the corners evenly.
Top the pizza. Scatter the mozzarella and brick cheese all the way to the edges so some cheese touches the pan. Add pepperoni, if using. Spoon three narrow stripes of sauce lengthwise over the top rather than covering the cheese completely. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake until deeply golden. Bake for 18–25 minutes, rotating the pan once if your oven browns unevenly. The edges should be dark golden and crisp, and the center should be bubbling. If the top is ready before the bottom, move the pan to the lowest rack for the final few minutes. Take care with the hot oil and pan.
Release and serve. Run a thin spatula around the edges and loosen the pizza from the pan promptly, before the cheese cools and sticks. Transfer it to a cutting board, rest for 5 minutes, then cut into six portions. No meat temperature target is needed for the optional pepperoni, which is ready-to-eat and heated through during baking.

Tips

Use a metal pan if possible: it conducts heat well and helps the underside crisp. A dark pan may brown faster, so check a few minutes early.
Keep the dough tacky rather than stiff. Wet or lightly oiled hands make it easier to fold and press without working in extra flour.
Brick cheese is traditional in Detroit-style pizza but can be difficult to find. Low-moisture mozzarella is a reliable substitute; avoid fresh mozzarella, which releases more water and can leave the center soggy.
Do not leave the baked pizza sitting in the pan. The melted cheese at the edge can harden against the metal, making the slices difficult to remove.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the pizza hot, cut into rectangular pieces, with a simple green salad or crunchy vegetables to balance the rich cheese. Add extra warm pizza sauce at the table for dipping, or offer red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan. For a Spokane evening, it also makes an easy shareable meal alongside a bowl of soup; let the pizza remain the centerpiece rather than adding several heavy sides.

Variations

For a meat-free pie, leave off the pepperoni and add sliced mushrooms, olives, or thinly sliced bell pepper. Pat wet vegetables dry and use them sparingly so they do not weigh down the airy crust. For a spicier version, add sliced pickled jalapeños after baking or scatter a few red pepper flakes over the sauce.

You can change the cheese blend while keeping the total amount close to 12 ounces (340 g). Provolone adds a sharper note, while using only mozzarella gives a milder, stretchy topping. If you like more tomato flavor, serve extra sauce on the side instead of increasing the amount on the pizza, which can make the center wet.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of baking, in a covered container or wrapped well. Keep them refrigerated for 3–4 days. For longer storage, freeze individual slices in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator for the best texture.

For crisp edges, reheat slices in a skillet over medium-low heat, covered, for about 5–8 minutes, until hot throughout. Alternatively, bake on a tray at 375°F (190°C) for about 8–12 minutes. USDA FSIS guidance is to reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C); check the center with a food thermometer. Do not reheat pizza that has been left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. After mixing and folding, cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30–45 minutes before pressing it into the oiled pan, then allow it to rise until visibly puffy. A cold rise adds time to the schedule but can deepen the dough’s flavor.

Do I need a special Detroit-style pizza pan?
No. A sturdy metal 9-by-13-inch pan works well for this recipe. Traditional pans are often rectangular steel, but a standard baking pan can produce a crisp crust if it is generously oiled and preheated only as directed; do not put an empty oiled pan into a very hot oven.

Why didn’t my crust get crispy?
Common causes are too little oil, a pan that is too small or thick, excess sauce, or an oven that was not fully heated. Use low-moisture cheese, keep toppings moderate, and bake on the lower third rack. If the top browns early, finish the pizza lower in the oven to give the base more heat.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes. Use the same weight, 300 g (about 2 ½ cups), but expect a slightly less chewy crust. Flour brands and measuring methods vary, so rely on the dough’s texture: it should be sticky and soft, not pourable and not firm like pasta dough.

Can I freeze the unbaked pizza?
For best results, bake the pizza first and freeze the cooled slices. Freezing raw dough already stretched in the pan can weaken its rise and make the crust uneven after thawing. If you want to prepare ahead, refrigerate the dough and bake it the next day.

What makes this different from ordinary pan pizza?
Detroit-style pizza is known for its rectangular shape, airy interior, crisp fried-cheese edges, and sauce traditionally placed in stripes over the cheese. This recipe follows those hallmarks while adapting the cheese blend and pan to ingredients and equipment commonly available at home.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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