Detroit Red Top Pizza

Detroit-style pizza was invented in the 1940s by Gus Guerra, the owner of Buddy’s Rendezvous. It’s rectangular, thick, and fluffy like a Sicilian pizza and is framed by a border of crispy golden brown cheese that tastes like the best part of a grilled cheese sandwich — the stuff that leaks out of the edge and gets toasted in the pan. What makes this style unique are the two cheeses, white cheddar and brick, which are piled extra high up the sides of the pan to encourage that charred effect; the butter used to grease the pan; and the pan itself. Legend has it that Gus came up with the idea of using heavy, square blue-steel pans originally designed to clean the oil from tools in high-pressure gas ovens in factories. How Motor City is that?

INGREDIENTS

Crust
22	-ounce/625-gram ball Master Dough Without Starter
2	tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2	tablespoons (28 grams) extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Sauce
13	ounces (360 grams/generous 1-1/2 cups) ground tomatoes
4.5	ounces (125 grams/1/2 cup) tomato paste
1 1/2	teaspoons (7 grams) extra virgin olive oil
	pinch of fine sea salt
	pinch of dried oregano
1/2	teaspoon pizza seasoning
1	teaspoons molasses
1	teaspoons red wine vinegar
Pizza
7	ounces (200 grams) brick cheese, shredded (2 cups)
7	ounces (200 grams) white cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1	lb total desired meat/veggie toppings
	Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for dusting
	Dried Oregano, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Day 3, Crust
1.	Remove the dough ball from the refrigerator and leave wrapped at room temperature until the dough warms to 50°F to 55°F. This should take about 1 hour.
2.	Smear the butter in a 9 by 13-inch pan. Spread the oil over the butter.
3.	Transfer the dough to the pan and flip the dough to coat both sides with the oil. Using your fingertips, push the dough outward into an even layer. Try to reach the corners, but don’t worry if the dough does not fill the pan.
4.	Put the pan in a warm spot for 30 minutes, then push the dough again to fill the corners and to degas it.
5.	Let the dough rest for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until it has risen (the timing depends on the temperature of the room). It will not have doubled. If the dough shrinks away from the edges of the pan, do not press on the dough again or it may not rise properly.
6.	Meanwhile, preheat to 500°F.
Tomato Sauce
1.	To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and puree with an immersion blender. Simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
Pizza
1.	Place the pizza pan on the top shelf and bake for 6 minutes (the dough will set and be lightly colored). Remove from the oven, sprinkle the brick cheese evenly over the dough, covering to the edges. Stack 1-3/4 cups (170 grams) of the cheddar cheese around the edges of the dough; you want it to rise slightly up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar evenly over the top.
2.	Return the pan to the top shelf to bake for about 7 minutes. The pizza will be lightly colored and the cheese will be bubbling on the sides.
3.	Add the pepperoni and bacon. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and transfer it to the bottom shelf. Continue to bake for another 8 to 9 minutes, until the cheese around the edges of the pan is charred.
4.	Remove the pan from the oven. Use a long metal spatula to chisel and loosen the sides of the pizza, then remove from the pan and place on a cutting board.
5.	Cut into eights. Ladle 2 vertical racing strips of tomato sauce down the length of the pizza and spread it out slightly with the bottom of the ladle. Finish with a dusting of pecorino.