A Sicilian-style pizza, brought to Detroit in the 1940’s. The inventor of this style of pizza cooked the first pizza in a rectangle-shaped blue steel pan left over from Detroit car factories originally used to hold oil and scrap metal. Lucky for us, they found a way to turn that deep pan into a vessel to create a focaccia-like crust that is both light and airy on the inside while also chewy and crispy around the cheesy edge.

Detroit-Inspired Pan Pizza

For crust, combine flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add warm water; beat on low until shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add 2 tsp. salt; beat on low for 2 to 3 minutes until dough forms a ball. Shape dough into a ball.

Brush the inside of a large bowl with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Place dough in bowl; turn to grease surface. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Place 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a 13x9x2-in. baking pan; tilt pan to coat bottom and sides. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Press dough in bottom to the edge of the pan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tsp. olive oil; sprinkle with 2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in warm place for 1 hour. Uncover dough and make small indentations into dough with your fingers.

For pizza, preheat oven to 475 degrees. Layer dough with half each of sausage, pepperoni, green pepper and white onion. Place pizza cheese and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl; toss to combine.

Sprinkle pizza with farmer cheese and pizza cheese mixture. Push about half of the cheese to edges of dough to touch sides of pan. Top with remaining sausage, pepperoni, green pepper and white onion. Pour sauce in 3 equal rows lengthwise on top pizza.

Bake pizza for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and edges are crisp. Cool slightly. To serve, cut into 12 pieces. Season to taste with additional salt and Italian herb seasoning.