It took me about ten years on and off trying to perfect this recipe. There’s a section of Detroit called Greek Town, and in and around that area there is a pizza that is special to Detroit. It’s not really Greek, it’s not a typical deep dish, but it’s a combination and once you move out of Michigan it’s impossible to find. I’ve been in 49 states and many European countries including Italy, and there isn’t another pizza like it.
If you never had Detroit Greek-style pizza, then you may not like it compared to your Chicago, New York, Rome, or other pizzas. But it you grew up eating Niki’s, Shield’s, Buddy’s, Buscemi’s, and then moved and have been killing yourself trying to recreate it, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Niki’s sells partially-baked pizzas, and once when I flew to Michigan for a visit, I actually ordered one and drove out of my way to Greektown before the airport, picked up the pizza and put it in my carry-on, then finished baking it when I got to Maryland.
Many people on the internet were asking each other how to make this pizza, so I tried a lot of tips. Once person said you have to use a special porous baking pan. I called Niki’s and asked the woman who answered if she could tell me anything about the recipe or the pan, and she said she didn’t know the recipe but they definitely use a regular pizza pan. I was happy to not invest in a special pan. I do have a steel pan that I bought long ago in a kitchen store that is not lined with a dark anti-stick coating, and I use that for pizza so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. I didn’t specify toppings besides the cheese and sauce, but sometimes I put sautéed or thawed frozen spinach, anchovies on half, fresh tomato slices (thawed are fine if you’re making this during the winter ad have tomato slices in a freezer bag), and chopped mushrooms. Here are pictures of the dough before adding the cheese, and one of the bottom of the crust so you can see how the oil gives a beautiful variegated golden color.
Detroit Greek-Style Pizza
1 ¾ C hot water
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
2 t organic light brown sugar
1 T dry active yeast
5 C flour
3/8 C extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ t sea salt
1 t baking powder
¼ avocado oil
16-oz (2 cups) shredded fresh mozzarella or Greek brick cheese
1 jar organic pizza sauce (unless you make your own)
Preheat oven to 425. Mix the water, garlic, brown sugar, and yeast until the sugar and yeast dissolve. Cover and wait ten minutes for a foam to bubble across the top. Stir in the remaining ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. Make a ball with the dough and spread a little olive oil on it and cover with a cloth. Let the dough double in size (45-60 min). Meanwhile put ¼ C avocado oil in a rectangular pizza pan and spread it evenly.
Punch down the dough after it rises and remove from the bowl. Gently stretch it into a rectangular shape in your hands or on counter until it becomes unwieldy and then set it on the oiled pan. Continue pressing it toward the edges and stop when it becomes resistant. Cover with the cloth again and let it rise another half hour or until there’s enough to cover the rest of the pan to the edges. Do not push the dough up the sides of the pan or make a crust edge, just keep it flat. Cover the dough with the shredded cheese first. Put three rows of pizza sauce lengthwise; you can smooth the rows with a spoon but don’t spread it. Bake 15 minutes – a little more if you need the edges crispier. Let it rest a few minutes before cutting if you added a lot of toppings.
