Detroit-Style Pizza - Food Wishes

[colinbattershell]

I know I'm late to this video, but as someone who is Detroit born and bred, raised on Loui's and Buddy's, and worked for Shawn Randazzo who won the 2012 International Pizza Expo "Best Pan Pizza" competition with a Detroit-style pizza recipe, I wanted to make a few suggestions to improve it.
1) Let your dough proof longer. 2 hours was really the minimum for Detroit Style Pizza Company, and that's what I would recommend.
2) Less oil! When I make this pizza at home, I use melted butter to just barely coat my pan bottom and the bottom half of the sides. The cheese will caramelize too quickly if it latches on to greased blue steel, and too much oil reduces the eventual crispness of the crust and adds a little grease that you may or may not want.
3) Save the sauce for last! This is really important, because if you cooked your sauce just right on the stove, if you turn around and put it on the pizza during baking, you're adding more moisture to the dough and further reducing the sauce. Instead, once you've baked the pizza, pull it out and ladle the fresh, still simmering sauce onto the surface. Let the whole thing rest for a few minutes to allow temps to normalize, and then cut and serve.
4) Pepperoni has 2 schools of thought regarding how it goes onto the pizza. Originally, Buddy's would put the pepperoni directly onto the dough along with some oregano, before adding the rest of the toppings and baking. This kept the pepperoni from charring and added that savory flavor to the dough, but people kept complaining that they didn't get the pepp they ordered. So now, Buddy's will do the pepp on top. Loui's still does it on the dough, and when I was at DSPC, I still put the slices directly on the dough. Either way is considered authentic, but I would hope people would try both and form their own opinion.
With all that being said, nice work! Thanks for trying out Detroit-style pizza. :)

[joannemcmillan]

Detroit born and raised. We hardly ever get represented in the pizza debate. Thanks Chef John!!

[Spectre]

New York: "We have thin crust!"
Chicago: "We have thick crust!"
Detroit: "We have crust deep fried in olive oil, pepperoni grease, and rendered cheese fat"

"When two people are arguing you should probably interrupt them and tell them they're both wrong", wise words indeed.

[destt]

Ive been watching this channel for about two years now. At first i was intrigued with you voice, then your jokes, then just fell in love with how simple and amazing the video actually is. You get to the point and i love that. Youve really inspired me to stretch my culinary wings n fly 🤪🤤🤗 thank you chef john.
You one of the only chefs ill watch.

[insertclevername]

"That fat will disappear somewhere...nobody quite knows where, exactly."

Having witnessed this phenomenon up close many times over the years, I'm pretty sure the main destinations are the butt and arteries.

[star]

We call it a square pizza in Detroit. Chef John nailed it, that's exactly what it looks like, it's so delicious!

[cgh]

I'm from detroit, and I literally didn't realize that other places didn't have this kind of pizza until like a few months ago lol

[trace]

Psst... if you use two smaller square pans, you can make every slice a corner.

[bizunc]

Chef John killing it. My favorite style of pizza, coming from a long time Detroiter. You nailed it. If you're ever in Detroit, I'd love to take you to Buddy's!

[sarad]

I had to make this, it looked amazing. I happened to be in Wisconsin so I picked up brick cheese. Cutting it up I wasn't crazy about it, very little taste, I almost didn't put it on the pizza. I took it out of the oven and still the cheese looked terrible, almost soupy even though it was browned. Took a bite and OMG so good. The cheese complements the sauce perfectly, the crispiness of the cheese edges and the crust was to die for. I've converted, best pizza recipe in the US.

[genkiniko]

I live in metro-detroit and work at one of the founding chains of detroit-style square pizza. Get to eat this delicacy every day. 😆
Never gets old.

[mcopado]

I'm impressed you non Detroiter you!!!! The secret really is the pan. In fact there is a distinct difference between the suburban Buddy's in the chain, and the Original Buddy's just down the road from me. Decades of seasoning on the pans at the Detroit one really makes a difference. The suburban pies are not that good.
Chef John, if you make it to Detroit, I'll take you on an historical Detroit Style pizza tour, showing you the "evolution" from Gus' Guerrera's Buddy's two a couple other pizza places he started, through some of his "disciples" people who worked for him who later opened their own places- two the newest generation of pizza makers, including one who was the big winner of the world pizza competition a few years back.
(I'm an armchair Detroit Style Pizza "scholar"- I compiled a history tour for a food reporter a few years back.)

[trevorlafalce]

You're making people like me from Michigan proud with this recipe Chef

[michaelmcdermott]

Being originally from Detroit I always add fresh parmesan to the sauce as well. This looks authentic and amazing. Detroit style is the best!

[vestibulate]

"Our friends from Detroit can kind of fill in the blanks."

This just in: our friends from Detroit don't use blanks. Just so you know.

[ryanmarquez]

"This pizza is to die for, possibly literally if you eat this too often."

[BrianAmbrozy]

I made pizzas in Detroit for a year; for a first-timer, you did great! I'm pretty sure what you made was a Buddy's pizza through and through; this is almost certainly their recipe except maybe the pan was a little thin and you didn't use quite enough oil. You really should come to Detroit! Buddy's is one definitive style of Detroit pizza (and an excellent representative), but other classic restaurants all have their own take: Loui's, Cloverleaf, Green Lantern, and even Jets the chain place all make distinctive pizzas even though they are all "Detroit style". The real Detroit style pans are much heavier, thicker blue steel. The "used automotive parts trays" bit is not just romantic drivel; it's real. Man I'd love to see the pans they use at the original Buddy's. I bet those are from the 40s. Anyways, if you're ever in Detroit, it's worth exploring the other progenitors of the style!

[tkraus]

I made this today, and it was the best homemade pizza I've ever made! I will continue to use this recipe from now on because it tasted just like pizza we've ordered out, delicious! - from ohio

[sugarpucks]

SO GLAD you love our pizza! It's seriously so amazing compared to other regional specialities! I'm a Detroit expat in Chicago, and no one ever listens to me about the superior quality of pizza with fried edges!