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Detroit-style Pizza “Around the World”
Detroit-style pizza, the Michigan-born fluffy pan pizza, is one of the most exciting and interesting pizza styles on the scene right now. The Detroit-style legacy began at Buddy's Rendezvous Pizzeria on Six Mile and Conant Street on Detroit's east side in 1946 when Gus Guerra and his team started making the pizza. Cloverleaf and Loui’s followed in the years after, and the style's popularity grew, but largely just in Detroit.
The national (and international) awareness kicked off in the 2010s when World Pizza Cup Champion Tony Gemignani put it on his menu at his San Francisco flagship restaurant, Austin, TX-based Via 313 opened, and Emmy Squared started cutting square slices in Brooklyn, NY. It’s easy to see why it took off. This pizza style is robust, decadently cheesy and covered in Instagram-friendly sauce stripes and cheesy “frico” crowns.
A Distinctive Shape to Pay Tribute to Sicilian Roots
The pizza’s distinctive square shape and thick, airy crust pay homage to its Italian roots in the rectangular Sicilian-style pizza, while the caramelized cheese “frico” edge and distinctive sauce stripes make it distinctly American. But it’s become more than simply Italian-American; this pizza has global appeal. Shops in cities around the world, from Toronto to Edinburgh to Sydney, all go to show that this Midwestern pizza has become a worldwide phenomenon.
We wanted to help you get in on the action, which is why we created two world-class, non-stick Detroit-style pizza pans so you can make this style in your home oven or your Ooni oven.
Europe, Australia, Canada... Detroit pizzas from all over the world
To celebrate the product launch, we asked some of our favourite pizza makers to take the classic Detroit pizza and make it their own, infusing the flavours and techniques of their home countries.
These chefs came from across Europe, Australia and North America, and their pizza recipes showcase a wide range of influences, from classic French pastry to humble breakfast beans. Whether you’re new to Detroit-style pizza or you’ve been shouting about cheesy “frico” for years, you’ll find something inspiring on this list.
If you’ve never tried making the original version before and would prefer to start classic, check out our suite of easy recipes: Detroit-style Pizza How-To Video, Detroit-style Pizza, Detroit-style Hawaiian Pizza with Banana Peppers, and Detroit-style Pizza on the Ooni Pizza Steel 13.
1. Italian Detroit-style Pizza: Peperoni (with just one P!) by Vuoi Assaggiare
One of the more traditional ways to top a Detroit-style pizza is with lots of spicy pepperoni. Italian chefs and content creators Vuoi Assaggiare decided to play on this classic combination by topping their pizza with a cream made from peperoni (one p!), which means peppers in Italian. Their fluffy base is covered in dollops of red pepper cream to mimic the circular pepperonis you might expect. Creamy, rich, and visually stunning, this is a pizza you’re going to want to try at home.
2. French Detroit-style Dessert Pizza: Tarte Tatin by Guillaume Marinette
Based on the famous French pastry-covered apple dessert, this pizza is smothered in caramelized apples and cinnamon. While a traditional Detroit-style pizza is cooked with the dough beneath the toppings, this recipe from recipe writer and photographer Guillaume Marinette takes its cues from the classic tarte tatin technique of cooking pastry on top of the apples. A fluffy, lightly sweetened dough is cooked on top of a layer of apples, ensuring the apples are moist and delicious when the pizza is removed from the oven and flipped out of the pan.
3. Scandinavian Detroit-style Pizza: Lørdagspizza by Tore Trangmyr
Lørdagspizza, which can be translated to “Saturday Pizza,” is a staple in Norway and when it comes to pizza, they know what they’re talking about. In a country of only 5.3 million people, they eat roughly 50 million frozen pizzas a year. One of their favourite kinds to get into is a pan pizza covered in tomato sauce or ketchup (yes, ketchup), minced beef, oregano and a mix of cheeses and they generally eat it on, you guessed it, Saturday. Though you probably can’t eat 50 million frozen pizzas this weekend, you can try Ooni ambassador Tore Trangmyr’s recipe—he adds chorizo and red pepper to the mix—for a taste of that Norwegian lifestyle. 
4. German Detroit-style Pizza: Currywurst by Jelena Lozo
You can’t overstate the popularity of currywurst in Germany. Bratwurst covered in curry-spiced ketchup and served alongside French fries can be found everywhere from fast food restaurants to street festivals, from city centers to rural towns. Recipe creator Jelena Lozo used this popular national dish as the inspiration for her take on Detroit-style pizza, topping an airy dough with coins of sausage in curried tomato sauce and smothering them in soft cheeses for a rich slice of pizza that will make you feel like you’re in Berlin. 
5. Canadian Detroit-style Pizza: Bloody Caesar by Slowhand Sourdough
If you know a Bloody Mary—the spicy tomato and vodka-based drink—then you need to know about Canada’s national cocktail, the Clamato-based cousin to the Bloody Mary, the Bloody Caesar. The team behind Toronto pizza joint Slowhand Sourdough took their love of the umami-laden cocktail and turned it into a pizza. The sauce is made with clam juice, tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce to create a flavour profile that hits all the bass notes. Mozzarella and bacon round out the pizza, while the post-bake addition of pepperoncini, celery ribbons, and grated horseradish bring a zesty, spicy kick to each slice. 
6. British Detroit-style Pizza: Cheesy Beans on Toast by Gill Meller
This Detroit-style concoction is comfort food to the extreme. Chef and food writer Gill Meller took the homey classic British snack, beans on toast, and remixed it as a pizza. While beans on toast is usually made with minimal effort —supermarket loaf, canned Heinz beans—in his pizza version, Gill makes things a little fancier. He makes his own spiced sauce for his beans, opts for homemade crust, and covers the whole thing in mature cheddar. While this pizza doesn’t have traditional DSP flavors, it has the hallmarks of a Motor City pie: just look at those saucy bean racing stripes! 
7. Australian Detroit-style Pizza: Deep End Pizza’s “The New Aussie”
Paul Kasten, owner and head chef of Deep End Pizza in Fitzroy (Melbourne), Australia, has long been a fan (and champion of) Detroit-style pizza. When asked to reimagine this Motor City icon for an Australian audience, Paul wanted to create a funky new spin on a beloved local pizza, “The Aussie,” that’s usually covered in ham, bacon and egg. Kasten’s version captures the essence of the original with a few modern twists: streaky bacon instead of ham, chipotle peppers in the tomato sauce, roasted onions and velvety egg yolk. Chimichurri, cheesy frico edges and post-bake spring onions make this pizza something altogether new. Inspired by Detroit, with the heart of Australia, this fresh Aussie pizza will take your taste buds to the delicious deep end.
