Mini Detroit Style Pizza

4.75 from 16 votes

Mini Detroit-style pizza with a thick, airy crust, crisp cheese edges, and rich tomato sauce, baked in a small pan and perfectly portioned for one or two.

Prep Time3

Cook Time15

Total Time3 15

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: deep dish pizza, detroit pizza, Detroit style pizza, pizza

Servings: servings

Author: Joanie Zisk

Equipment

6.5-inch cast iron skillet or 5x7-inch baking dish

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough

½ cup bread flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
¼ cup warm water
½ teaspoon olive oil plus more for the bowl and baking pan

For the Pizza

⅓ cup pizza sauce or tomato sauce, plus more for topping
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese or 4-ounces of cubed cheese
6-8 slices pepperoni

US - Metric

Instructions

Make the Pizza Dough

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread flour, salt, instant yeast, warm water, and olive oil until a sticky dough forms. Instant yeast does not need to be dissolved first, and no kneading is required.
Lightly oil a clean bowl, transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Coat a 5×7-inch baking dish or a 6.5-inch cast iron skillet with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pan. Lightly oil your fingers and gently press the dough toward the edges.
Cover the pan and let the dough rise again for 1 hour.

Assemble and Bake

Position a rack on the lowest level and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). If your baking dish can’t handle this heat, use the highest temperature it allows.
Spoon the pizza sauce evenly over the dough.
Arrange the pepperoni over the sauce.
Add the mozzarella. Spoon a few small dollops of sauce over the cheese, if desired.
Place the pan on the bottom rack of a preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the edges are crisp.
Remove the pizza from the oven, run a spatula or knife around the edges to loosen it, then transfer to a cutting board. Slice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Yeast Choice: This recipe uses instant yeast, which can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients. If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in warm water before adding it to the dough.
Handling Sticky Dough: Lightly oil your fingers with olive oil when pressing the dough into the pan to prevent sticking.
Encouraging the Rise: If the dough is slow to rise, the room may be too cool or the yeast may be inactive. Preheat the oven for 1 minute, turn it off, and place the covered dough inside. Sometimes the oven light alone provides enough warmth.
Oven Temperature: A very hot oven creates the crisp edges Detroit-style pizza is known for. Preheat to 500°F or the highest temperature your bakeware allows.

Bakeware Note: Detroit-style pizza is traditionally baked in a rectangular pan. For this mini version, I’ve found that a 5×7-inch baking dish works beautifully and keeps the classic shape. A 6.5-inch cast iron skillet is also a great option and produces crisp edges and well-browned cheese.

Nutrition

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