MAKES ONE 10-BY-14-INCH PIZZA
Once a year, my wife—who is from the Detroit area—and I take a trip to Michigan, and we always make sure to eat Detroit-style pizza while we’re there. This type of pie might sound odd to the uninitiated: the cheese and toppings are baked atop the crust in a special rimmed steel baking pan, and the sauce is spooned over the finished pie after baking. This means that the cheese creates a protective seal between the crust and the sauce, so the crust remains fluffy and light. The cheese is also spread all the way to the edges of the pie, which gives a tantalizing caramelized effect to the edges once baked. If you have a mandoline, use it to quickly julienne your peppers and onions.
Your Baking Steel gives your Detroit-style pizza an effect that’s similar to specialized pans, which means that you’ll get those perfectly crispy edges.
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan
1 ball Seventy-Two-Hour Pizza Dough or your favorite pizza dough
85 grams (½ cup) julienned green pepper
85 grams (½ cup) julienned red pepper
1 large or 2 small yellow onions, julienned
225 grams (8 ounces) uncooked Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
280 grams (10 ounces) low-moisture mozzarella, diced into ¼-inch cubes
280 grams (10 ounces) fontina, diced into ¼-inch cubes
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, strained
1 clove garlic, minced
16 grams (1 tablespoon) fine sea salt
Fine sea salt and pepper (optional)
1. Preheat the Baking Steel in your oven (here).
2. Generously oil a 10-by-14-inch rimmed baking sheet and place the dough ball on top. Gently roll the ball around the pan to lightly coat with oil, then cover the pan with plastic wrap. Allow to rest on the counter for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the 4 tablespoons olive oil, peppers, and onions. Set over low heat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened but not yet begun to brown. Let cool.
4. Using your fingers, gently press and stretch the dough to fill the pan. When you’ve stretched it about as much as you can without tearing it, let the dough rest, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Then get back in there and press and stretch the dough again, doing your best to get the dough in the corners. It’s going to shrink back on you a bit, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
5. Evenly distribute the sausage, peppers, and onions across the dough. Spread the mozzarella and fontina cubes on top, going all the way to the edges of the pan.
6. Use a pizza peel or oven mitts to launch the sheet pan on top of your Baking Steel. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the edges are nice and crispy.
7. While the pizza bakes or right after it comes out of the oven, combine the crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, and salt to taste in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-low heat and keep warm until ready to serve the pizza.
8. Remove the pizza from the oven and spoon the sauce over the finished pie. Add salt and pepper if desired. Cut into rectangles and serve.