Classic Detroit
Cheese to the edges, sauce on top, crispy caramelized cheese crust. The pizza that put Detroit on the map.
Recipe by Priya Patel · Published · Updated
Detroit pizza is upside-down everything: cheese to the edges (not just the middle), sauce on top (not under), bake long and dark (not fast and pale). The signature is the frico — caramelized cheese fused to the pan walls that you have to peel away with a spoon. The first time you do this right you'll be tempted to under-bake out of fear. Don't. The pizza isn't done until the edges are dark mahogany and crackle when you tap them. Brick cheese is hard to find; a 50/50 mozz/Muenster mix is the substitute we landed on after testing five variations.
Ingredients
Dough
- •1 batch (10×14 pan) Detroit-style pizza dough
Cheese
- •300g, cubed Brick cheese or mozz/Muenster mix
Sauce
- •200g Crushed tomatoes
- •2 cloves Garlic
- •1 tsp Oregano
- •1/2 tsp Sugar
Toppings
- •100g, optional Pepperoni
How to Make Classic Detroit
Video coming soon
Instructions
- 1
Oil a 10×14 Detroit-style pan generously.
- 2
Press dough into pan, pushing to all corners. If it springs back, wait 10 min.
- 3
Cover and let rise 30-45 min until puffy.
- 4
Push cheese cubes into dough and all the way to the edges — this creates the frico crust.
- 5
Add pepperoni if using.
- 6
Bake at 500-550°F for 12-15 minutes until edges are deeply caramelized.
💡 Don't pull early — the dark edges are the frico.
- 7
Add sauce in racing stripes on top after baking.
Tips
- →Cheese pushed to the edges creates the signature frico crust
- →Sauce goes ON TOP after baking
- →50/50 low-moisture mozz and Muenster is a great brick cheese substitute
- →Don't fear the dark edges — that's the whole point
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