Detroit-Style Pizza: Discover the 2021 Pizza Trend

Detroit-style pizza is having a moment. The iconic caramelised pizza, which was once a local speciality in its hometown of Detroit, Michigan, was catapulted into fame earlier this year after hitting Pizza Hut menus across the US. And the rest, as they say, is history.

What is Detroit-Style Pizza?

Think rectangular, thick-crust, crispy and chewy pizza, baked with edge-to-edge Wisconsin brick cheese with tomato sauce on top, and other toppings added last - kind of like an offshoot of the Sicilian pizza. According to the Detroit News the pie style dates back 75years when Gus Guerra first began selling square pizza at Buddy’s Rendezvous bar in Detroit.

Historically, the pizzas were baked in blue steel pans designed for use as automotive drip pans, or to hold small industrial parts in Detroit's factories. This gave the pizzas their characteristic crispy crusts and lacy cheese edges, and made them a Motor City icon.

Pizza Hut Detroit-Style Pizza

Pizza Hut released their new Detroit-style pizza earlier this year to mixed reviews. It's a rectangular deep-dish pizza with a crispy, cheesy crust edge, layered with toppings and cheese all the way to the edge, and finished with a diced tomato sauce on top.

The chain says they trialled 500 iterations of the new pizza style before sticking with four options, the Detroit Double Pepperoni, which includes 80 pepperoni slices, the Double Cheesy, the Meaty Deluxe, and the Supremo with Italian sausage, red onions and green bell peppers. 

“Detroit-style pizza is the fastest-growing trend in pizza,” David Graves, chief brand officer of Pizza Hut U.S. told CNBC. “It’s no longer a Midwest-only thing.”

Detroit-Style Pizza vs New York-Style Pizza

New York may be home to the thin-crust pizza slice, but there are several restaurants serving Detroit-style pizza, including the ever-popular Emmy Squared pizza restaurant. Take a closer look at how a pepperoni-loaded Detroit-style pizza fares up against a slice of New York-style pizza.

How to Make Detroit-Style Pizza

Test cook Bryan Roof and host Julia Collin Davison talk pizza pans, before making a Detroit-style pizza from scratch.

How to Make Easy Detroit-Style Pizza at Home

Matt Hyland, chef and owner of Emmy Squared, shows how to make one of their signature Detroit-style pies, the Colony2 - a crunchy squared pie combines cheeses with perfectly cupped pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and a drizzle of honey. 

Must Have Tools to Make Detroit-Style Pizza from Emmy

Finally Matt Hyland, Emmy Square restaurant chef shares his favourite pizza tools. First, invest in a genuine Detroit-style pizza pan from Michigan, a sauce ladle for portion control, a clamp to pick up the hot trays and finally, of course, last but not least, a pizza cutter.