Detroit-Style Pizza
Dough Calculator
The ultimate recipe — rooted in the tradition of Buddy's, Cloverleaf & Loui's
Calculator
| Bread Flour | -- | g |
| Semolina Flour | -- | g |
| Water | -- | g |
| Salt | -- | g |
| Sugar | -- | g |
| Olive Oil | -- | g |
| Instant Dry Yeast | -- | g |
| Total | -- | g |
Recipe
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Mix the Dough
Combine flour, water (80-90°F), instant dry yeast, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer with dough hook. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated and you have a shaggy, sticky mass — about 2-3 minutes. The traditional dough is lean: no oil, no sugar. If using semolina flour, whisk it with the bread flour before adding wet ingredients.
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Knead
Knead on low speed for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and slightly tacky but not excessively wet — the traditional hydration is lower than what most internet recipes call for.
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First Proof (Bulk Rise)
Form the dough into a ball, place it back in the bowl, and cover. Let it rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours until roughly doubled in size. This is same-day dough — no overnight refrigeration in the original method.
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Prep the Pan & Press
Generously oil your pan — the fat in the pan (not in the dough) is what creates the fried bottom crust. Place the dough in the pan and press it out with 8-10 firm presses toward the edges. It will resist and spring back. That's fine — let it rest 15-20 minutes, then press again until it reaches all four corners and edges.
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Second Proof (The Double Proof)
This is the signature Buddy's technique. Cover the pan and let the dough rise again for 1.5-2.5 hours at room temperature. You want it to rise about a third of the way up the pan walls. The double proof is what gives Detroit pizza its light, airy interior. Don't skip it.
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Top & Bake (Single Bake)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Sprinkle dried oregano directly on the dough. Add cubed or shredded brick cheese across the entire surface, making sure cheese touches and climbs up the pan edges. Add toppings, then lay down two thick racing stripes of sauce lengthwise. Bake on the bottom rack for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling, the edges are deeply caramelized, and the bottom is golden and crisp.
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Rest & Serve
Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 3-5 minutes. Run a thin metal spatula around the edges to release. Slide the pizza out onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve immediately.
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Mix the Dough
Combine water (80-90°F) with instant dry yeast and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer. Stir and let sit 5 minutes. Add bread flour (and semolina if using) and olive oil. Mix with dough hook on low until incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. The dough will be wetter than the traditional version due to higher hydration.
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Autolyse Rest
Cover the bowl and rest for 20-30 minutes. This lets the flour fully hydrate and starts gluten development without kneading.
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Add Salt & Knead
Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Mix on low for 3-5 minutes until the salt is incorporated and the dough is smoother. It will still be tacky — that's expected with higher hydration.
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Bulk Rise with Stretch & Folds
Cover and rise at room temperature for 1 hour. Perform 2-3 sets of stretch-and-folds at 20-minute intervals. Wet your hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, fold it over center. Rotate 90° and repeat.
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Cold Ferment (24-72 Hours)
Transfer to a lightly oiled airtight container. Refrigerate for 24-72 hours. The sweet spot is 48 hours — this develops deeper, more complex flavor than the same-day approach. This is the main reason to use the modern method.
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Prep Pan & Shape
Generously grease the pan with butter, olive oil, or shortening. Remove dough from fridge, place in pan. Press with oiled fingers toward corners — the dough will resist. Let rest 15 minutes, stretch again. Repeat 2-3 times. Cover and proof 2-3 hours until puffy and nearly doubled.
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Par-Bake
Preheat oven to 500-550°F (as hot as it goes) with rack on the lowest position. Par-bake the naked dough for 5-6 minutes until the top is just set and the bottom starts to get golden. This ensures a crispy bottom even with the wetter, higher-hydration dough.
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Top & Bake
Pull the pan out. Add cheese across the entire surface, making sure it touches the pan edges for frico. Add toppings, then two thick racing stripes of sauce. Bake on the bottom rack for 8-12 more minutes at 475°F until cheese is bubbling and edges are deeply golden-brown.
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Rest & Serve
Rest in the pan 3-5 minutes. Run a spatula around the edges. Slide out, cut into squares, serve.
Cheese & Sauce
The Authentic Cheese
Wisconsin brick cheese is the real deal — buttery, mild, high-fat, and it creates the caramelized frico crust that defines Detroit pizza. The OG shops use it almost exclusively. Brick cheese handles high heat without burning the way mozzarella does.
- Brick cheese: the gold standard — cubed into ~1/2" pieces, spread edge-to-edge
- Shawn Randazzo's blend: 50/50 brick cheese and low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
- Best substitute: 50/50 low-moisture whole milk mozzarella + Monterey Jack
- Other stand-ins: Muenster, Butterkäse (Boar's Head), Fontina, or white cheddar
- Budget option: 2/3 mozzarella + 1/3 mild cheddar
The Sauce (Racing Stripes)
Detroit sauce goes on top of the cheese in two thick stripes — the signature "racing stripes." It's thicker and more boldly seasoned than Neapolitan or NY sauce.
- 28 oz crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp sugar, kosher salt to taste
- Simmer uncovered 30 min, blend to desired consistency
Assembly Order
Detroit-style goes: dough → cheese → toppings → sauce. The cheese is a moisture barrier that keeps the crust crispy. Sauce on top prevents cheese from burning and creates the iconic look. Some places add sauce after baking for a brighter tomato flavor — both approaches are legit.
Fermentation & Tips
Traditional Timeline (Same Day)
Modern Timeline (Cold Ferment)
Traditional vs. Modern — Which to Choose?
- Traditional: simpler, faster (done in ~4.5 hours), leaner dough, lighter crumb, what the OG Detroit shops do. Baked from raw in one shot at 450°F.
- Modern: more complex flavor from cold ferment, more open crumb from higher hydration, par-bake prevents soggy center with wet dough. Takes 2-3 days.
- The double proof in the pan is non-negotiable in either method — it's what makes the crust light and airy.
- Buddy's reportedly uses fresh yeast, AP flour, low hydration (~60%), no fat in the dough, same-day process. As simple as it gets.
Pro Tips
- The traditional dough uses all-purpose or mid-protein flour. Bread flour (12-14% protein) gives more chew and structure — better for higher-hydration modern recipes.
- Semolina flour (durum) adds a slightly nutty flavor and golden color. Randazzo used ~12% semolina in his award-winning recipe.
- No oil/sugar in the dough is traditional. Oil adds chew and extends freshness; sugar aids browning. Both are modern additions.
- Water temp: 80-90°F for active dry yeast. Room temp is fine for instant yeast.
- The dough should be sticky at higher hydrations. Keep a bowl of water nearby for your hands — don't add more flour.
- The "bowl loss" factor accounts for dough left on bowl and hook. High-hydration dough loses more.
- Don't panic at dark edges — deeply caramelized cheese is the hallmark of great Detroit pizza. It's not burnt.
Recommended Equipment
- Blue steel pan (authentic): Detroit Style Pizza Co. sells steel pans modeled after the original automotive parts pans. Conducts heat differently, requires seasoning, can rust if not maintained.
- LloydPans 10x14" (practical): hard anodized aluminum, pre-seasoned Tuff-Kote finish. Most popular home option. Produces excellent results — just not identical to steel.
- Either pan works well. Steel is for purists, aluminum is more forgiving.
- Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong hands and patience)
- Kitchen scale — volume measurements are unreliable for dough
- Instant-read thermometer for water temperature
- Thin metal spatula for releasing the pizza
Baker's Math Reference
Baker's Percentages
Every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of total flour weight (bread flour + semolina combined = 100%). If hydration is 65%, that means for every 100g of total flour, you use 65g of water.
Thickness Coefficient (TC)
The TC determines grams of dough per square inch of pan. Multiply pan area by TC to get dough weight.
- Lighter: TC 2.70 — crispier, more focaccia-like
- Classic: TC 2.95 — the traditional Detroit thickness
- Extra Pillowy: TC 3.20 — bread-like, maximum chew
Default Formula (Traditional)
The calculator defaults to the traditional lean dough: 65% hydration, 2% salt, 0.5% IDY, no sugar, no oil. This is as close to the original Detroit formula as publicly available information allows. Open Advanced Settings to switch to a modern profile or customize any percentage.
The Math
- Pan area (sq in) × TC = base dough weight per pizza
- Base weight × bowl loss factor = target dough weight
- Target × number of pizzas = total dough needed
- Total flour = total dough ÷ (1 + hydration% + salt% + sugar% + oil% + yeast%)
- Bread flour = total flour × (1 - semolina%), Semolina = total flour × semolina%
- Each other ingredient = total flour × its baker's percentage
The Detroit Pizza Trail
Every Detroit-style pizzeria worth its frico traces a direct line back to one man, one corner, and one repurposed automotive parts tray. In 1946, Gus Guerra slid the first square pie into the oven at Buddy’s Rendezvous on Six Mile and Conant — and launched a style that would take 70 years to conquer the country. Here’s the family tree.
The Lineage
The Spots
The birthplace. Gus Guerra baked the first square pie in blue steel automotive parts trays. The building was a former speakeasy called Buddy’s Rendezvous. Now ~20 locations across Michigan, but this original corner at Six Mile & Conant is where it all started.
DirectionsGus Guerra sold Buddy’s and took the original recipe here. His daughter Marie Guerra Easterby still runs it. Claims to carry on the exact original recipe — the one Buddy’s later modified. Nine franchise locations today.
DirectionsFounded by Louis Tourtois, a former Buddy’s chef who also worked at Shield’s. Now run by his grandson Nykolas Sulkiwskyj. Ranked #1 on Yelp’s Top 100 Midwest Pizzas. The checkered tablecloths and Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling haven’t changed in decades.
DirectionsThe bar opened at Davison & Shields St in Detroit in 1937. Louis Tourtois (Loui’s founder) worked here between his time at Buddy’s and opening his own place. Now owned by the Andoni brothers since 1992. Locations in Southfield, Troy, and Macomb Township.
DirectionsThomas and Irene Vettraino started with a tavern in an old farmhouse — the green lantern out front was a Prohibition-era signal that you could buy alcohol inside. Pizza became the main attraction by 1955. Known for their Original Round, but their Detroit square is excellent. Now 7+ locations across Metro Detroit.
DirectionsEugene Jetts was about to buy a house, changed his mind, and leased a space for a pizza shop instead. Now 400+ franchise locations across ~20 states. The chain that took Detroit style national.
DirectionsDetroit natives Nathan Peck and Kristen Calverley couldn’t find Detroit-style pizza in Pittsburgh, so they started making it. Returned to Detroit in 2020. Won “Best Detroit-Style Pizza” in the 2024 Vote 4 The Best. Named in 2026 Midwest Living Best of the Midwest awards. The new wave.
DirectionsLocated in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood. Fresh ingredients on slow-fermented dough. A neighborhood pizza joint with a curated bar program. Represents the modern craft approach to Detroit style.
DirectionsCo-founded by Shawn Randazzo and his mother Linda Michaels. Randazzo was a 2x World Pizza Champion who ran a Cloverleaf location for 16 years before branching out. Also sells pans, mixes, and supplies online. Randazzo passed away in 2020 at age 44, but the legacy continues.
DirectionsGear
The same equipment and ingredients referenced throughout this calculator. Nothing fancy, nothing you don't need — just the stuff that actually matters for making great Detroit-style pizza at home.
Pans
The industry standard. Hard-anodized aluminum with LloydPans' PSTK coating — nothing sticks, and it conducts heat evenly for a crispy bottom crust. This is the pan most serious home bakers and many pizzerias use. The 10x14 is the classic Detroit size.
View on AmazonThe traditional choice. Blue steel, just like the original automotive parts trays Gus Guerra used at Buddy's in 1946. Steel holds more heat than aluminum, producing a crunchier bottom and more aggressive frico. Requires seasoning and maintenance — these are heirloom pans. Available in 8x10 and 10x14.
View on Detroit Style Pizza Co. Search on AmazonTools
This calculator gives you weights in grams — a scale is non-negotiable for consistent results. The OXO has a pull-out display (so you can actually read it under a big mixing bowl) and was named best overall by America's Test Kitchen. If you want to spend less, the Escali Primo (~$25) is a solid budget pick.
View on AmazonA thick steel plate that goes on the bottom rack of your oven. Stores way more thermal energy than a baking sheet or pizza stone, which translates directly to a crispier bottom crust. Place your Detroit pan on top of it. Serious upgrade for home ovens that can't hit 500°F+.
View on AmazonEssential for pulling a screaming hot Detroit pan out of a 450°F+ oven. Aluminum construction, fits snugly on pan edges, and gives you way more control than oven mitts. Once you use one of these, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.
View on AmazonIngredients
The real deal. High-fat, buttery Wisconsin brick cheese is what creates the caramelized frico crust that defines Detroit pizza. Widmer's in Theresa, WI is the gold standard. Available online — search for "Wisconsin brick cheese" on Amazon or try Widmer's directly. If you can't find it, a 50/50 blend of whole-milk mozzarella and Monterey Jack gets close.
View on Amazon12.7% protein — right in the sweet spot for Detroit dough. High enough for good gluten development and chew, but not so high that the crust turns tough. King Arthur is consistent batch to batch, which matters when you're dialing in baker's percentages. Available at most grocery stores and online.
View on AmazonProfessional-grade instant dry yeast that outperforms the packets at the grocery store. One pound lasts forever — store it in the freezer and it stays active for a year+. This is what the calculator's 0.5% IDY default is calibrated for. No proofing required — mix it straight into the flour.
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Merch
Rep the culture. Every design ships through Amazon — no hassle, easy returns, and we never touch your order. Just good shirts for people who care about square pizza.
Est. 1946 — the year Buddy's started it all. For those who know that real pizza comes in squares.
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Detroit pride meets pizza culture. Built tough, baked right — just like the city itself.
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