I grew up in New York City so I am no stranger to world class pizza. Whereas a NY-style slice of cheese is my favorite, a look around at the 48 pizza recipes on I Sing In The Kitchen shows that I really, really love all sorts of pizza.

The current issue of Cook’s Country magazine has a recipe for Detroit-Style Pizza which immediately grabbed my interest. First, I did not know that Detroit had its own pizza style and second, the photo of the pizza looked fab.

You MUST give this pizza a try. The dough is super easy to work with and bakes up crisp with a buttery flavor. The Jack cheese melts like a dream and any bits that touch the edges of the pan transform into crunchy, caramelized bits. The herbed tomato sauce in its trademark stripey pattern gives the pie a fun look.

Detroit-Style Pizza

Ingredients:

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Spray a 13 x 9-inch nonstick baking pan with cooking spray. Brush bottom and sides of pan with the tablespoon of olive oil.

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix flour, yeast and sugar on low speed for 10 seconds. With mixer running, slowly add the water and mix until dough forms and no dry flour remains. about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Add salt to the mixing bowl and knead dough on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Transfer dough to the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Press dough into corners of pan (Oil your fingers to make it easier, if necessary) and let rest until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

5. Preheat oven to 500℉.

6. Sprinkle cheese over dough evenly to the sides of the pan.

7. Spoon three (1 inch wide) strips of sauce over cheese evenly down the length of the pan.

8. Bake until cheese is melted and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.

9. Let pizza cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes.

10. Run a knife around edges of pan. Use large spatulas to loosen the whole pizza from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.

Serves 4

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours)

Recipe from Cook’s Country

We’re going to rock out with a new song from Detroit-based band Protomartyr. Eerie spoken word lyrics, crashing drums and soothing guitar build up and down. As satisfying as a tasty slice of za in the motor city.

Check out Protomartyr on Facebook where you can learn of upcoming world tour dates. You can buy their music on Bandcamp.

Cheers!