The Pizza Today team have launched an immersive and interactive experience to explore America’s most popular pizza styles. ‘Pizza Today’s Guide to the Top 10 Pizza Styles in the United States’ showcases the Top 10 most popular styles served in U.S. pizzerias.

Special thanks to our Style Guide Sponsor: King Arthur Baking Company

Explore what makes each pizza style unique. Get a breakdown of components of the pizza style, including, dough, crust, slice, sauce, cheese, toppings and its signature attribute. Play videos and listen to podcast episodes relating to specific styles. Dive deep into each pizza style with links to features, recipes and how to guides from the foremost pizza making and pizza dough experts, from John Arena, Tony Gemignani, Audrey Kelly to Laura Meyer, the late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann and more.

Thanks to Senior Creative Director Josh Keown for designing the Pizza Styles Guide Experience!

Our style rankings are based on Pizza Today’s 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report. We surveyed pizzeria owners from across the country to see what’s happening in America’s pizzerias. We combed through surveys, national reports and key industry indicators to produce the 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report.

America’s Top 10 Pizza Styles of 2025

The Pizza Industry Trends Report ranked the Top 10 Pizza Styles served in America’s pizzerias. They include:

1. New York
2. Traditional American
3. Deep Dish
4. Sicilian
5. Chicago Thin
6. Neapolitan
7. Detroit
8. California/American Artisan
9. Grandma
10. NEOpolitan

Other prominent pizza styles in America include New Haven, Roman, Trenton Tomato, Chicago Stuffed, Tavern, St. Louis and Old Forge.

Explore Pizza Today’s engaging guide to America’s top pizza styles. To learn more about pizza making and the pizzeria industry, visit pizzatoday.com.

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The new trend of thin and cracker crusted pizzas has arrived and the options to integrate thin crusts into your menu-mix are everywhere.

When you do a deep dive into thin crust pizzas in the country, you find that these pies were initially ordained to accommodate both the pizza customers and the pizza makers alike. Like all craftsmen, these pizza pioneers of the 40s, 50s and 60s used their pragmatism to achieve a thin crust goal while also thinking about their own history, the limits of their physical plant, and what pizza items were available. Many of the “Tavern Style” or “Bar Pizzas” were designed to keep customers in their seats, ordering another drink. Other thin-crust pizzas originated in working class neighborhoods to give workers a quick, hot slice and enable them to get back to work quickly. Thin crusts are not all cracker-thin with that audible crunch. This is because some of the makers wanted their customers to be able to fold the small slices with toppings into this mini pizza taco.

There are now many “Experts” online to tell you how to make the “Perfect” thin-crust pizza. Here are some things for a professional pizza maker to think about when designing your own thin crust pizzas. Warning: this is going to get geekza fast. Let’s just start with a formula you can remember.

FOHLPB (Flop):

F (flour) + O (oil) + H (hydration) +/- L (leaven) + P (Proofing) + B (Baking) = Thin for the win!

Flour:

The base of any thin-crust pizza starts with the grind and gluten contained in your flour. If you are sheeting your thin crusts to an ultra-thin skin, you may need a higher protein level of between 12-14% and high W rating. (Note: A “W” index rating is a measurement of a flour’s strength- high W between 220-330 is used for breads and pizzas, low W is for cakes and pastries.) Italian 00 flour is between 250-280 with a few exceptions. Higher protein or W gluten strands will absorb more water, negating the dry effects that produce crispness. This will produce a stronger dough which, if baked at a lower oven temperature, may produce a taffy-like and chewy crust. Commercial cracker protein content is usually a low 8% to 11.7%, or a W content of as low as 180, just strong enough to keep the dough manageable but low enough to reach the desired texture and crispness. Whatever flour you think may work best, there are other items, like cornmeal, you can add for crispness. As with all pizza, other variables can change any hard-line flour decision in your thin-crust pizza plan, including the following.

Hydration:

This is the double-edged sword of thin-crust pizza dough. To roll out dough into a thin and manageable crust, you’ll need the hydrated effects of water, but water produces swelling in any gluten scaffolding and if you are using higher protein flours, warm water soaks gluten strands quicker and more fully than lower protein flours. Some pizzerias use a super low hydration level of 40% which makes for a tough time in the dough room and becomes a training issue. I’ve had a wonderfully crisp Kernza crust at 20% hydration, but my dough staff slowly bumped the hydration up behind my back because it was easier to handle. There are some pizzerias that circumvent worrying about hydration by par-baking pizza crusts or use a simple little trick with oil below.

Oil:

It can be used with higher gluten flours in thin-crust pizzas to produce a nice crispy pie. Oil can also be used to coat the gluten strands to counteract the gluten being soaked with water. Some pizzerias use 10-15% oil in their mix, pouring it in before any hydration is added. (See recipe).

Leaven:

The separation of yeasted dough and leavening agents, like baking powder, can set the pace of how your thin crust reacts to being fired up in your ovens. In a strange paradox, yeasted doughs, when made, fermented, proofed and baked like thicker pizzas, are not good for a thin crunchy crust as they will be too airy. Even when less dough is used and you’ve rolled or sheeted it enough to read the newspaper through it, parts of the dough will give off carbon dioxide and separate like a thin pita bread. I’ve tested many thin-style doughs and added a small amount of yeast, aging it for up to 6 days and then curing it and docking it to produce a great, crispy thin crust. You may also opt to not use any yeast in your mix. This makes for a chewier crust, but it holds heavy toppings better.

Proofing:

I am finding a new method that works great in my pizzeria. I age my 50% hydrated, thin-crust dough ball for 3-5 days in cold fermentation, (something like a drier Pain l’ Ancienne method,) this cold entices the yeasties to take a little nap and thus allows the enzymes in the dough to break down the complex carbohydrates into simple sugars which evolve into a rich flavor with optimum caramelization. I take this further by rolling or sheeting the skin out and placing them on uncovered sheet pans in the walk in for another four to five days to dry off more hydration. We add plenty of residual flour to the skins and separate them with pizza liners. The whole process (which sounds crazy, unhealthy, and downright criminal) creates a leathery dough skin leading to a delicious and magical crunchy thin crust when baked. Some people call this curing, I just call it aging. As it ages the yeasties slowly die off and this overfermentation weakens the gluten scaffolding, leading to the perfect “anti-crust”, thin, crispy and flavorful.

Baking:

Let’s face it, there is no better crust to embrace an extremely hot oven than a thin crust. But you don’t have to do a 1100 F, coal-fired bake to get a crisp crust. I’ve found that a good 500-600 F makes a wonderful crust when your dough skin is properly un-hydrated, cured, aged, and docked. In a conveyor oven, the use of a pizza screen is a must because a pan captures too much steam between the crust and steel. 

Thin-Crust Pizza Dough

Here is a thin-crust pizza recipe that incorporates more oil and cornmeal into the mix with a mixable 50 percent hydration. It calls for a direct mix and no bulk fermentation and getting it into the refrigerator fast is very important to increase flavor.

Get the Thin-Crust Pizza Dough Recipe.

A History of the Thin Crust Pizza: On Thins and Needles

The sordid history of thin crusts goes back to 522 AD, when Darius the Great’s nervous soldiers were said to bake thin, flattened bread on their shields with cheese and dates the day before battle. The Berbers in Tunisia mixed wheat, flour, water, and oil to create a very thin pastry called Borek which was the beginning of unleavened Bric dough used by many modern chefs as a flatbread for items like famous French Brick a l’oeuf, and Daniel Boulud’s Wild Mushroom Tarte Flambee’. In 1925, New Haven style pizza originated by Frank Pepe and originally sold from a cart were called “Tomato pies.” Now this style is baked in coal-fired ovens and finishes with a wonderful crunchy char.

JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post Tackling the New Craze of Thin Crusted Pizzas appeared first on Pizza Today.

This summer, Pizza Hut rolled out its tavern-style pizza, marking several of the largest pizza companies to offer the style. We’ve noticed the rise of tavern style pizza for the last several years. Also known as Chicago Thin, tavern pizza continues its growth across America. In the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report, American pizzeria owners indicated that Tavern was among the Top 5 Emerging Pizza Styles. Let’s first look at what’s happening with tavern pizza at Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars.

Pizza Hut unveiled its Chicago Tavern Style Pizza this Year

In June, Pizza Hut announced its latest style drop: Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza. According to a release, Pizza Hut’s take on the tavern-style pizza offers a trendsetting, modern experience that delivers a deliciously crispy bite with its thin-crust and innovative, contemporary flavors available in four recipes: Pesto Margherita, The Ultimate, Spicy Chicken Sausage, and Double Pepperoni. Read the full release. 

Domino’s, a Tavern Veteran with its Crunchy Thin

Domino’s rolled out its Crunch Thin in 1993, back when the style was only known in Chicago and the Midwest region. It’s received a fresh look after a viral article.

In Praise of… Domino’s?

In an op ed piece by John Kessler, he did a side-by-side comparison of Domino’s Crunchy Thin Crust and other beloved tavern style pies. His take is interesting and worth a read. Go to Kessler’s article.

Little Caesars Also an Early Adopter of Tavern Style

Back in 2018, Little Caesars rolled out its Thin Crust Pepperoni with a $6 promotion making the HOT-N-READY Brand the second of the largest pizza chains to offer a tavern style pizza. It’s marketed as a crispy, flaky, thin crust pizza. You can read a release on that launch now.

What is Tavern Style Pizza?

Tavern pizza is known by many names: Chicago thin, cracker thin, party cut, just to name a few. The hallmark of a tavern style pizza is a light, cracker thin crust that is cut into squares. The origin of Tavern dates back to the 1930s in Chicago’s bars that essentially created a pizza style that was easier eat with beer.

How do I make Tavern Style Pizza?

Making a good party cut pizza like tavern style comes down to the dough. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann always said, “This cracker-like pizza is less about the toppings and more about the dough.” When it comes to Chicago Thin, “any good, patent grade bread flour with 10.5- to 11.5-percent protein content should work well.” There are also a couple specifics he discusses. “A planetary type mixer will work best for mixing this dough. You will need to use a dough sheeter/roller to form the dough into skins. You could roll the dough by hand.” The Dough Doctor provided his dough formula for Chicago Thin with step-by-step instructions. Follow Tom Lehmann’s Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe.

Dough expert Laura Meyer offers advice for those looking for a super crispy Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in her article Tavern Style Pizza is Sweeping the Nation. “Par baking the dough is another way to add crispiness to a thin-crust pie. As much as I love crispy thin-crust pizzas, they lose that crunch very quickly as the pizza cools down. Maintaining that crispiness is one of the hardest traits to keep. Utilizing cornmeal and a par bake or double bake method helps ensure your pizza stays crispy for a longer period of time.”

Check out more on Tavern Pizza and other Pizza Style Dough Recipes.

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We’re predict which pizza style will be the year’s trending pizza style. During our recent pizzeria operator survey, we asked which pizza styles pizzeria owners looked to add in the next year. We included those pizza style findings in our 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report. You can see more of this year’s biggest trends in the report.

Let’s dive a little deeper into the five most popular trending pizza styles and get into the pizza dough formula and pizza dough recipes so you can test a new pizza style in your restaurant.

Top 5 Trending Pizza Styles Dough Recipes

Detroit Style Pizza is proving it has staying power as the hot pizza style to add. A mover and shaker is New York-style pizza making its debut in the Top 5 Pizza Styles to add. Pushed out of the Top 5 by a paper-thin margin is Roman style. Here are the Top 5 Pizza Style trending this year:

1. Detroit
2. Grandma
3. Sicilian
4. New York
5. Chicago Thin

Now let’s explore each dough style and find out how to make Detroit, New York, Grandma, Sicilian and Chicago Thin pizzas with tips and advices from the pizza industry’s top pizza masters and dough experts.

Pepperoni Detroit-style Pizza, Via 313, Austin, TX

Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe

Detroit-style pizza is the top pizza style on the rise two years in a row. Detroit pizza came on the national scene a decade ago and growing to mainstream status within the past few years. The square pizza is distinctively unique down to how its dough is proofed, the baking process down to ingredients used and how to apply toppings.

Detroit-style pizza features a medium-thick crust that’s light and airy on the inside, yet crispy on the outside, a signature of authenticity that’s achieved by a high moisture content (between a 68- and 72-percent hydration level) and the proofing process. Preparing your Detroit-style pizza dough takes care and attention to detail. Other identifying characteristics include: Pizzas is baked in square steel pans. Cheese is spread evenly across the entire pizza, edge to edge. Brick cheese is commonly used. Sauce goes on the top. Check out a complete Guide to Detroit Style Pizza.

Now to the Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe. We have three recipes for you to try from some of the biggest names in the pizza business. They are:

Smoke’s Detroit-Style Pizza Dough Recipe. Jeff Smokevitch is a World Pizza Champion who brought Detroit Style Pizza to Colorado — first to Telluride at Brown Dog Pizza, then to Denver and beyond with Blue Pan Pizza. Follow this Detroit pizza recipe. Jeff Smokevitch leads a demonstration at Pizza Expo to teach how to make a Detroit-style pizza. You can also watch him as he created a Detroit pizza in his home kitchen.

Detroit-Style Pizza Dough by John Arena. Co-owner of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, John Arena is a go-to pizza dough expert. He shares his Detroit pizza recipe that includes a Poolish for Detroit-Style Pizza Dough. His recipe walks you through the dough process, dough fermentation and room temperature proof.

Tony’s Trending Recipe: Detroit Pizza. Tony Gemignani is a world-famous pizza master and restaurateur with over 30 restaurants, most notably Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. His recipe pays tribute to Shawn Randazzo.

Grandpa Pie, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Franciso, California

Grandma Pizza Dough Recipe

Grandma Pizza (aka Grandma Pie) is New York’s famous other pizza style. In a 2015 Respecting the Craft Column, Tony Gemignani made this prediction about the grandma pie that has come to fruition: “this unique style will soon gain momentum in the Midwest and on the West Coast.” What made the style gain momentum? He went on to say, “They are cooked in a half-black reinforced sheet pan, are heavily oiled and feature sliced mozzarella (sometimes shredded or fresh mozz). These pizzas are topped with tomato sauce and cooked in a gas brick oven. You could finish it with Grana Padano, herbs, pecorino, olive oil, Parmigiano and chopped garlic. Sometimes the dry cheese can go on before. This pizza is typically shorter/thinner than your typical Sicilian. It’s great for delivery, dine in and by the slice. Typically, this pizza is slightly fried more than a Sicilian because of the excess oil and thinness.

“Some of these pizzas have a very simple tomato sauce comprised of puréed or hand crushed tomatoes. Others have a super-sweet sauce or are a bit over-spiced. For example, you could use sugar, onions, onion powder, oregano and other dry or fresh herbs in the sauce. I’ve seen it several ways. Italian families always remember their grandma or mother making pizzas at home. It was always pushed out in some well-oiled pan, and they would add ingredients like anchovies, olive, crushed tomato, onions or cheese. The name literally originated from our collective grandma. It was simple, memorable and fun.”

Now, let’s get into the Grandma Pie pizza dough recipe. Tony Gemignani shares a recipe can be made from your pizza dough. Try the Grandma Pizza Dough Recipe.

Sicilian Pizza by John Gutekanst, Avalanche Pizza, Athens, Ohio

Sicilian Pizza Dough Recipe

To get to know this pizza style, let’s turn to our dough expert Laura Meyer in her Knead to Know: Sicilian Style Pizza. “Nowadays when you see Sicilian-style pizza on a menu, it generally means a thick-crust pizza made in a rectangular pan cut into square slices. Besides that, the range of toppings and application of toppings varies just as much as any other style of pizza. In addition, like other styles the line between bread and Sicilian “pizza” has blurred tremendously with techniques associated with other styles blended into it. But Sicilian pizza traces its inception back to sfincione.”

The dough is where the differentiation shines for Audrey Kelly, owner of Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado in an article exploring the difference between Grandma and Sicilian pizzas. “They are risen for hours and then par baked. The bottom should always be crispy, providing a nice crunch to contrast the pillowy, light middle. They are rectangular in shape as opposed to the traditional square shape of a grandma. All of our pizza is naturally leavened, AKA sourdough. The Sicilian is where you can truly taste the beauty of this method. The long rise and fermentation really accentuate the flavor and strengthens the texture. I think of Sicilians as a cloud that carries a light amount of toppings. Some people might think that since the Sicilian is thicker in structure it can hold up to more toppings.

Dough Expert Laura Meyer, owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, California, expands further. “Sicilians land between focaccia and the Roman pan style in that focaccia is very closely related to the Sicilian in its original form. Roman techniques and flours have begun to creep into the Sicilian style turning it into a sort of hybrid. Roman can take upwards of three days and have a high hydration leading to a very thin, crispy crust with a very large and airy open crumb structure. Since a lot of toppings are put on after the cooking process in Roman pans, it makes sense to have a large, open crumb structure as it does. The Sicilian style is meant to carry a heavier, wetter ingredient load so having a spongier texture that can hold everything without deflating it is ideal. Using long and controlled fermentation times, like Chris and John do, give the Sicilian a lightness to the interior. Hydrations into the 70s and above are more common with Roman styles and breads although can be found with some Sicilians. When it comes to higher hydrations, cook temps and whether doughs are topped and baked from raw or par baked then topped and cooked lends to very different finished products. The debate over par bakes or cooked form raw extends into Sicilians. For those looking for a slight crisp and a very soft interior, cooking from raw will give you that texture albeit a longer cook time. Par baking is going to give you a soft interior but the double bake is going to cook out more of the moisture giving you a firmer outer crust.”

Check out a basic Sicilian Style Pizza Dough Recipe to test in your kitchen.

New York Style Pizza, Joe’s Pizza, West Village, New York City

New York Style Pizza Dough Recipe

New York Style Pizza is the No 1. most popular pizza in America. The first licensed pizzeria to open in the U.S. was Lombari’s, which opened in New York City in 1905. Dough uses flour, water, yeast, salt, olive oil. Typically, it requires a two- to three-day cold ferment. The crust is crispy, yet light and foldable. Crust should be about 1/8-inch thick through the middle with a raised edge. Slices should be cut into triangles. The signature way to eat a New York pizza slice is to fold it in half from crust edge to edge. Toppings are dispersed evenly and not too heavy to weigh down the pliable slice.

International Pizza Consultant Anthony Falco contributed a Knead to Know Column all about NY pizza. In the article, he says, “a NY-style pizza is big, it’s thin but not paper thin, crispy but still flexible enough to fold without cracking, and the toppings should be a cohesive amalgamation and applied with restraint and simplicity. It shouldn’t be too fancy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use quality ingredients. It should always be cooked directly on the stones of the oven floor, be that gas, wood, electric or coal.” Falco also provided his New York Pizza dough recipe. Try Anthony Falco’s New York Style Pizza recipe.

In John Arena’s Knead to Know column, he conducted a Q&A with 2017’s NY-style Caputo Cup winner Dr. Derek Sanchez, who owns MiaMarcos in San Antonio, Texas. Derek provided a New York Pizza Dough formula using Baker’s Percentage. Check out Derek Sanchez’s New York Style Pizza dough formula.

For a traditional, basic New York style recipe, try this New York Style pizza dough recipe.

Chicago Thin Crust Pizza, Eno’s Pizza Tavern, Dallas, Texas

Chicago Thin Style Pizza Dough Recipe

Notice all the super thin crust pizza that many are referring to as Tavern style lately? The original tavern style is from Chicago, a city also known for its Deep Dish. Chicago Thin Crust Style Pizza is far from its thick sibling. It has recently experienced an explosion in popularity. It’s something that the late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann saw coming in the early 2010s. He said, when it comes to Chicago Thin, “any good, patent grade bread flour with 10.5- to 11.5-percent protein content should work well.” There are also a couple specifics he discusses. “A planetary type mixer will work best for mixing this dough. You will need to use a dough sheeter/roller to form the dough into skins. You could roll the dough by hand, but you will soon find this to be a lot of work. Hot and cold presses are just not suited to this production method.”
The Dough Doctor provided his dough formula for Chicago Thin with step-by-step instructions. Follow Tom Lehmann’s Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe.

Dough expert Laura Meyer offers advice for those looking for a super crispy Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in her article Tavern Style Pizza is Sweeping the Nation. “Par baking the dough is another way to add crispiness to a thin-crust pie. As much as I love crispy thin-crust pizzas, they lose that crunch very quickly as the pizza cools down. Maintaining that crispiness is one of the hardest traits to keep. Utilizing cornmeal and a par bake or double bake method helps ensure your pizza stays crispy for a longer period of time. How would you do this?

Coat your dough ball in cornmeal and roll it out with a rolling pin or use a sheeter. Once you’ve reached your desired size or thickness, dock it, place it on a peel and slide it into the oven. Without any sauce, cheese or toppings, par bake it just for two minutes or just until it’s no longer raw and the bottom is just beginning to show some spots of color. Remove it from the oven and stack them until ready to use. When an order comes in, top it as you normally would and then finish the bake until it’s crispy and the toppings are cooked.”

Want to go even crispier, Tony Gemignani says in a Respecting the Craft column, “You can actually achieve a crispier crust by cooking in a well-seasoned pan. And doing so also is great for texture and flavor. Different types of oils can be used if you settle on this method. Play around with olive oil, cottonseed oil, canola or fats such as Crisco, butter or lard.”

Let’s not forget a Chicago Deep Dish Dough Recipe

Often thought of as the Windy City’s only pizza style. Deep Dish, joins Chicago Thin and Stuffed Pizzas as region’s pizza styles. Particularly popular in the Midwest, this style of pizza speaks for itself. It’s a close cousin to the Chicago-stuffed pie — the obvious difference being that all the toppings are placed on top and there is only one layer of dough. This unique pie stands out with a crisp, biscuit-like crust that comes up the sides of a three-inch pan. It’s thick with cheese and other ingredients, and then topped with a chunky tomato sauce and baked for 30 to 45 minutes.

Here’s a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Dough Recipe.

This should get you started testing a new trending pizza style. Have fun and let us know what you learn in your test kitchen.

The post Pizza Dough Recipes for Top Trending Pizza Styles appeared first on Pizza Today.

If you feel like you’ve been experiencing Regional Pizza Style Fatigue lately, you’re not alone. Not long ago, the vast majority of Americans categorized all pizza into just a few broad categories: New York Style, Chicago Style and Other. Thanks to the Food Network, social media and various pizza competitions, we’ve been exposed to a wide array of global variations. Some are legitimate regional specialties while others are mere mirages used for marketing. How do we tell the difference and when is it important to ignore such classification? Let’s find out by diving into the history of regional style nomenclature.

What defines a food as regional in the first place?

The original pizza of Naples was itself a regional distinction. Well into the 17th century, the term pizza was used to describe cookies and cakes. The famous Renaissance chef Bartolomeo Scappi’s 1570 recipe collection, Opera, includes several recipes for biscuits and cinnamon buns that he portrays as different types of pizza. When the savory pizzas we now love appeared in Naples around the mid-18th century, the modifier Napoletana specified the dish based on its point of origin. Geography is certainly the most important element of a regional style’s definition.

There are strong parallels between pizza and BBQ, particularly in the case of provenance. BBQ expert and New York Times best-selling author Meathead Goldwyn explains that “South Carolina [currently] has many different styles of BBQ but the one that’s unique has a mustard-based sauce. Germans brought that in through Charleston.” In the same way, Texas style BBQ is often beef-focused because cattle were more common than pigs by the time the regional designation was made. The connection between place and food is integral to the legitimacy of a regional style.

Differentiation is another important step in determining a regional style’s definition.

Karen Dybis, author of Detroit Style Pizza: A Doughtown History, relied on that concept for clarity in her research for the book. “Detroit style pizza is not round, isn’t baked in a standard pan, does not only use mozzarella, and the sauce is not below the cheese.” The fact that Detroit’s deep square pizza isn’t identical to any other city’s indigenous style is what defines its identity.

This explains why Chicago’s deep-dish pizza has long defined its hometown despite being far less popular locally than thin, square-cut pizzas. By the early 1980s, it was seen as the antithesis of New York City’s thin slices. Chicago Pizza Tours founder Jon Porter points out the contrast between the Chicago deep-dish and NYC slice dining experience. “There weren’t many places that did [deep-dish] pizza. You had to go downtown, find a parking spot, and wait 40 minutes for your pizza. It was a special occasion restaurant, unlike the everyday corner slice shop experience in New York.”

Although the distinct characteristics that form a regional style are integral to its definition, the public is more concerned with what’s on the plate rather than a set of required recipes. According to Italian food expert, award-winning author, and TV host Katie Parla points out that Romans accept variation among their city’s Pizza Tonda restaurants. “They’re not all adhering to a specific [recipe], but the final product has the crispy and chewy texture that the local population requires.” We see plenty of variation in the pizza of Naples, but they all serve a similar size, texture and experience. The same goes for the pizza of New Haven, Connecticut. The city’s pizza is often associated with coal-fired brick ovens, but only a small number of its
pizzerias use them.

New Haven pizza expert, and author of Pizza In New Haven, Colin Caplan credits longevity for his hometown’s signature style. “Pizzerias in the New Haven area have been making it the same way for around a century. Our pizzas are thin, crispy, and charred – that’s what the people of New Haven have come to expect,” says Caplan. “I get [upset] when the pizza’s not charred.” Charred pizza isn’t unique to New Haven, but it has become an expectation across the past century.

What legitimizes a regional pizza style?

A legitimate regional style requires critical mass both in terms of the number of pizzerias serving it and the number of consumers recognizing it. A new pizzeria in Tuscaloosa that claims to have created Tuscaloosa style pizza last year is not making a legitimate regional style. Nor is a pizza that bases its identity on a topping combination. For instance, Hawaiian pizza has never claimed to be a style of pizza from Hawaii. It’s merely a topping combination loosely referential to the island state. Windsor, Ontario has several pizzerias that claim to make Windsor style pizza, but the only common thread among them is the use of shredded pepperoni, canned mushrooms and a local mozzarella. That’s a topping combination, not a regional style. We tend to identify artisan pizzas made with local produce as California style, but pizzerias across the country have managed to do the same without being anywhere close to the Golden State.

This begs the question: at what point does one pizzeria’s specialty transform into a regional style? Dybis thinks it’s all due to recognition from beyond the region. Despite being around since the 1940s, Detroiters didn’t recognize their own deep, square pizzas as a regional style until just over a decade ago. Some of the earliest
instances of the phrase “Detroit Style pizza” come from articles written in the 1980s in places like Lincoln, Nebraska, reporting on the new pizzeria in town that’s making “unique thick square pizza with the sauce on top.” Once enough pizzerias started serving the thick squares in Colorado, California, Texas and New York City it suddenly became a recognized regional style.

Pizzerias today often desire to be associated with a particular style. It definitely makes marketing easier, especially when a style is different from the mainstream options. Pizza schools and certification courses are making it easier than ever to gain credibility and acceptance. There are programs for Neapolitan, Roman, New York, New Haven and even Detroit style. For pizza makers interested in learning new methods or newcomers looking for a place to start, categorization can be extremely helpful.

With all the content bouncing around social media, it’s now easier than ever to draw inspiration from multiple styles, resulting in cross-pollination that blurs the lines separating regional classifications. Meathead Goldwyn believes that strict taxonomy is becoming less advantageous. “I think those walls have tumbled down. There used to be regional styles, but we’re in a global economy now.”

Humans love to categorize. It gives us a sense of order that helps establish expectations. As helpful as it can be for those entering the pizza business or customers encountering an unfamiliar slice, it can get in the way of creativity. Meathead puts it best. “I think we really need to worry less about these definitions and just make beautiful food.”

Regional Pizza Style Requirements:

1. Origin: All regional pizza styles are tied to a specific birthplace.
2. Differentiation: Must be unlike other styles in the area and unique from styles in other areas.
3. Longevity: Requires decades of existence.
4. Critical Mass: Both in terms of the number of pizzerias making the style and the population’s acceptance.
5. Recognition: The strongest regional styles are referenced from beyond the region.

SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org  Instagram: @scottspizzatours

The post When does a pizza become a regional pizza style? appeared first on Pizza Today.

Explaining what an American style pizza is to anyone is like showing them a what an American looks like. The breadth and depth of diversity of pizzas in this country is peppered with differing dough making, toppings and cooking methods. Unlike some other countries, pizzas in the U.S. are not regionally bound to mimic centuries of pizza making in that range or region. To find the spine of pizza making in the United States, we must look to our culinary past, which relies upon the tools and techniques of Europe but then accommodates the wide and productive American landscape and the diverse culinary desires and tastes of this diverse populace.

“At its core, American pizza is one that favors the present over the past and it follows customers, not custom. It’s not even a style, it’s a refusal to adhere to one specific style because it’s always evolving.”

— Scott Wiener, Founder, Scotts Pizza Tours, and Slice Out Hunger

Phat of the Land

The United States has always been known as the “land of milk and honey.” Our shared history of domination, immigration and integration has always relied upon the commoditization of foods. The first pilgrims tilled the fertile soils producing plenty of traditional foodstuffs but did not mimic the native American use of the ebb and flow of the seasons and use of wild foods. The coastal tribes’ practice of putting up food stores of corn and smoked fish and meat for the winter sustained them but the pilgrims’ disdain for native practices lead to starvation in the first years. In fact, at Plymouth alone, half of the pilgrims were dead before the first winter was over.

Stat-chew of Liberty 

The first fact to know about American cuisine is that compared to European countries, we are culinarily, very young. Mass starvation and poverty through wars and upheaval in Europe has necessitated specific techniques, methods and creative twists in food. This innovation seems to be missing in historic American cooking practices. Our largesse of meat, fish and vegetables mirrored the huge fertile landscape of this country. This is reflected in the number of toppings on an American pizza. More cheese, meat and dough tend to satisfy U.S. customers. The arrival of soldiers who served in Italy in the 40s brought a new craving for Italian food and started the ball rolling for the different styling of American Pizza. The past 20 years have seen many chefs practicing traditional European pizza making in the United States and have upped American culinary mojo with pizza schools, demonstrations, media and social media putting this finesse on the fast track. This has also led to more innovative sauces, meats, cheeses and grains.

American Pie

There are many factors that have influenced American style pizzas. Corporations, regions, cheese, flour and meat companies, supply and even individual pizza chefs have had a hand in making some traditional American pizzas popular.  Here are some variations of American pizzas that you may, or may not, not be familiar with. I’ve kept individual names out to protect the innocent.

New England Beach Pizza

This Pizza made only in Southern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts is both simple and different. The crust is wafer thin, cooked on seasoned sheet pans and you can get a single slice or a box of 8 or 20 squares. Other toppings are available to pair with a very sweet sauce and just a smattering of aged provolone. Two pizza places dominate this market and are rivals which is why I will not disclose their names.

Milwaukee Pizza

This cracker thin pizza originated at the Caradaro Club and has evolved into several micro-styles depending upon the place you go to. It is sheeted round or oblong, some with a cornmeal dusting and each tavern-style cut is crunchy like crazy. Some pizzas are as thin as two credit cards. In some places, this crisp thinness is achieved by par-baking the crust in deck ovens then turning it over before saucing and cheesing, others go straight on the deck. The sauce is simple, sweet, and placed as just a thin layer of whole milk mozzarella.

Quad-City Pizza

This Mississippi River Valley style is prepared in Davenport and Bettendorf Iowa, Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline Illinois. This pizza is made with malt and hand-stretched to a thin crust with a slight cornicione, or crust. Chili flakes and ground cayenne makes the thin tomato sauce zing with spice. It is usually loaded with fennel sausage. Pizzas are available in 16-inch and 10-inch styles and cut into strips as opposed to slices or squares.

Detroit Pizza

This rectangular pizza baked in a seasoned blue steel pan that was initially said to be used in the automobile business for draining oil or catching grease. This focaccia-like pizza with small cell structure is usually par-baked with Wisconsin brick cheese baked in a “Frico” or bark around the side. Cheese and toppings lie under the sauce which is put on after the final bake. Many different variations now dominate the market.

Colorado Pizza

These small 8-inch round pizzas have a braided crust with added honey in the dough. A major heaping of whole milk mozzarella tops the extra-sweet sauce, and the braided crust ensures that the boatload of toppings doesn’t fall off. Colorado style has been described as like Chicago deep dish but sweeter with a cooking time that is shorter. This pizza is sold by the pound and is accompanied by more honey.

California Pizza

This pizza tends to lack a particular crust, size, style or even bake. The similarities of this pizza lie in the dissimilar nature of them. They all tend to lean on seasonality, international flavor profiles, freshness and artisanal ingredients that Spago, Gjelina, Hail Mary, Tony’s, Tandoori, Mozza, Pot Pizza, California Pizza Kitchen all have made available to Californians.

Altoona Pizza

Originally made at the Altoona Hotel before it was burnt down in 2013. Other pizza shops have taken up the mantle. This is usually a square-cut, sheet pan baked, thick Sicilian style crust with a soft feel. It was originally topped with Velveeta over deli salami and green peppers but now most places place the salami and pepper slice under processed American cheese. Other toppings can be added.

Ohio Valley Pizza

This pizza is made in the northeastern Ohio Valley around Steubenville, Ohio and Wheeling West Virginia. It is best described as a square pie with a bready crust, sweet sauce baked at 550 F and garnished with sauce made of green bell peppers, oregano and olive oil. This pizza is par-baked and taken out before topping with more sauce and a small amount of cheese. After the final baking, the pizza is topped with shredded provolone cheese and cold toppings and cut into squares.

Philly Tomato Pie

This square pizza is usually compared to the Sicilian Sfincione because of its thick, focaccia-like crust. It is also called a “Bakery Pizza” in nearby Rhode Island. Most of this style has just a smattering of Romano after the bake. The thick sauce is just as high as the crust and is cooked for over 40 minutes with sugar, oregano, garlic salt and olive oil.

Midwest Pizza Dough Recipe

Here is a dough recipe which, to me best reflects the middle ground in middle America. I’ve left this recipe at 66% hydration. Strong enough to hold sauce, cheese and toppings and flavorful enough after proofing to enable a digestible crust. Mixing it with cold water (and using less yeast) followed by cold fermentation slows the yeast activity down, giving the starches in the flour time to convert to simple sugars releasing fantastic flavors. This recipe is designed to be used within 6 hours if using warmer water, and up to 3 days using the cold holding method.

Get the Midwest Pizza Dough Recipe.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post The evolution of Traditional American Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Detroit style pizza is a square, deep dish pizza that is known for its racing stripes sauce on top, cheese crust crown and light crust. Whether you call them red tops or square pizza, Detroit-style pizza is a unique pizza style that hast become one of the hottest pizza styles and one of the most popular pizzas in the U.S. Pizza Today has amassed a library of resources on Detroit pizza. In this guide, you’ll learn about Detroit style pizza’s characteristics, history, dough, recipes, best Detroit pizza and more.

Detroit Pizza Guide Table of Contents

1. What is Detroit Style Pizza?
2. What Makes Detroit-Style Pizza Different?
   1. The dough
   2. The proofing process
   3. The pans
   4. Toppings and cheeses
   5. Deck oven baking
3. What makes a Detroit Pizza a Detroit Pizza?
   1. Detroit Style Pizza Dough
   2. Detroit Style Pizza Pan
   3. The Detroit Cheese Crown Pizza
   4. How to get Frico on Detroit Pizza
   5. What is Brick Cheese on Detroit pizza?
   6. Why is it called a Detroit Red Top?
4. Detroit Style Pizza Recipe
   1. 3 Detroit Pizza and Detroit Pizza Dough Recipes
5. Best Detroit Style Pizza
   1. Best Detroit Style Pizza in Detroit
   2. Detroit-Style Pizza went national
6. Detroit Pizza vs Chicago
   1. What is the difference between Detroit-Style and Chicago-Style Pizza?
7. What is the difference between Detroit and New York Pizza?
8. How To Reheat Detroit Style Pizza
9. Detroit Style Pizza gets a National Food Holiday

What is Detroit Style Pizza?

Detroit-style pizza has gone national and international. Until a decade ago, Motor City visitors would ask, “what is a Detroit style pizza?” Detroit natives just called it pizza. The Detroit style deep dish pizza is unique and unlike any other pizza style. Today, Detroit-style pizza can be found across the United State and around the world.

Detroit-style pizza originated at Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit, Michigan, in 1946.

The square pie can be traced back to who created Detroit style pizza. Buddy’s Rendevous Pizzeria. According to Buddy’s Pizza’s own history on its website, “The Detroit-style Pizza legacy began at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria on Six Mile and Conant Street on Detroit’s East Side when in 1946 Gus Guerra and team made their first square-shaped pizza. Baked in forged-steel pans borrowed from local automotive plants, they were able to produce a very light and crispy crust which is now known as Detroit-Style Pizza. This was the first known square pizza in the U.S.”

Listen to Buddy’s Pizza CBO Wes Pikula on The Hot Slice Podcast. Detroit-style pizza is trending across the country. This week, we talk to Chief Branding Officer Wes Pikula of Buddy’s Pizza, the original Detroit style. Discover more about Buddy’s, the development of the Detroit pizza and how the legendary pizza company is in full growth mode.

It wasn’t until a pizza maker Shawn Randazzo, who owned Detroit Pizza Company, won Pizza Maker of the Year and placed first in the Pan Division with a Detroit pizza at the 2012 International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. This was the first time a Detroit pizza took the top honor at the international pizza competition.

What Makes Detroit-Style Pizza Different?

There are several characteristics of the Detroit style pizza that separates it from any other style. The late Shawn Randazzo, who owned Detroit-Style Pizza Company in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, helped take the style national when he consulted with pizzerias across the country teaching the Detroit style. He said in “Do it Detroit style” kitchen feature: “One of the most unique aspects of Detroit-style pizza is its square shape due to the fact that it is prepared in square steel pans. Detroit was experiencing a boom in automotive manufacturing in the 1940s, and the pans used to bake the first Detroit-style pizzas were also used as small parts trays at auto plants. Square steel pans are still used to prepare authentic Detroit-style pizza today.” Shawn passed away in December 2020, leaving a legacy of Detroit pizza across the U.S.

Detroit pizza is distinctively unique down to how its dough is proofed, the baking process, ingredients used and how to apply toppings.

A brief look at what makes Detroit pizza different from Shawn Randazzo’s Do It Detroit Style feature:

• The dough.

Detroit-style pizza features a medium-thick crust that’s light and airy on the inside, yet crispy on the outside, a signature of authenticity that’s achieved by a high moisture content (between a 68- and 72-percent hydration level) and the proofing process. Preparing your Detroit-style pizza dough takes care and attention to detail.

• The proofing process.

There are two ways to proof Detroit-style pizza dough. For the first method, you refrigerate the dough for a 24-hour cold fermentation period, which can enhance taste and texture. After 24 hours, you can press the dough out into the pans, making sure it is consistently even throughout the entire pan. Once fully pressed out, let it rise to a thickness of between one inch and one and one-quarter inch. At this point, the dough is ready to bake.

• The pans.

As mentioned, Detroit-style pizza is baked in square steel pans. We season our pans through a multi-step process that protects the pans and makes pizza more flavorful with each bake. Over time, the oils from the pizzas you bake will lend a natural seasoning to your pans. Like an old friend once said, “Like fine wine, Detroit-style pizza pans improve with time.”

• Toppings & cheeses.

Traditionally, a layer of pepperoni lines Detroit-style pizza crust. Next, cheese is spread evenly across the entire pizza, edge to edge, covering the pepperoni. Brick and mozzarella cheese blends are the most authentic, and brick cheese can be blended with other cheeses as well. However, there are substitutes that can be used in areas where brick cheese is difficult to obtain or extremely pricey. After the cheese is applied, any additional toppings can be placed on top.

• The sauce.

Ladling red sauce on last is one of the signatures of Detroit-style pizza, which is why it has earned the nicknames “red top pizza” and “upside down pizza.” You can craft your own red sauce recipe, but it’s best to begin with ground tomatoes as the base. The sauce is simmered until it’s ready to use, and it’s traditionally applied to Detroit-style pizza after baking. Some pizzerias apply it before baking, which does not jeopardize authenticity — but it can affect the bake due to high moisture content.

• Deck oven baking.

Detroit-style pizza is baked in deck ovens, which admittedly take some time to master. Training your kitchen staff to properly use deck ovens is critical to consistent baking. Natural gas-fired deck ovens with stone or steel decks are fired from the bottom so they don’t dehydrate vegetables and other toppings like forced air conveyor pizza ovens tend to do.

Now’s let’s go deeper in Detroit Pizza characteristics.

A Detroit pizza being made at the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

So, what makes a Detroit Pizza a Detroit Pizza? 

According to Buddy’s site: “The style flips traditional pizza on its head by beginning with double proofed dough perfectly fit to a square pan – a process that allows the dough to rise and be stretched twice – followed by the backwards layering of toppings.”

There are several factors that makes a Detroit pizza a Detroit pizza, including its dough process, how the dough is proofed, oven baking and how ingredients are staged.

Detroit Style Pizza Dough

Dough Expert Laura Meyer has covered Detroit style pizza dough extensively. In her Knew to Know article, she explained, “In terms of dough process, I managed to speak with someone within the Buddy’s company; but unfortunately, I am not privy to specific proprietary information. What I could gather is that they, like a lot of pizzerias in Detroit, are doing it the same way they always have or as close to the same as possible. They are using fresh yeast, a mid- to low-range protein flour, and there is no browning agent and no fat or very little fat in the dough. For water I suspect a lower hydration not exceeding 60 percent. The dough is made same day and is proofed in the pan for a number of hours before being cooked. The representative from Buddy’s explained to me that it “should be light and crunchy”. During my eating tour of Detroit, I noticed the height of each pizza was only about one to 1.5 inches and had a crumb structure that was tighter with many small bubbles. There was a crunch on the bottom, but it was never super distinct. It was the type of crunch that you get from contact with the pan and length of cook time, but not the thicker and more sturdy crunch you get from higher hydration.”

Get a Detroit-style Pizza Dough Formula Recipe, including detailed dough process from Dough Expert Laura Meyer in Knead to Know: The Tenets of Detroit-style Pizza, Part II.

Detroit Style Pizza Pan

An example of the Detroit Style Pizza pan

Originally Detroit pizzas were made to readily available auto manufacturing’s small parts trays because they were available and found in abundance in the Motor City.. Those auto parts pans are hard to come by today. But pizza pan manufacturers have stepped in to provide pans that meet the expectations for operators to bake a Detroit-style pizza. LloydPans is featured in our Product Showcase with 8″×10″, and 10″×14″ inch Detroit-Style Pans. See more on LloydPans’ Detroit Style Pizza Pans.

The Detroit Cheese Crown Pizza

Cheese crown at Hunny’s Pizza, Saline, Michigan

It’s unclear whether the cheese crusted crown edging a Detroit pizza is an original trait. But today, it is a signature that pizzerias across the country have strived to outdo each other on the Instagramability of cheese crown on a Detroit-style pizza. Follow hashtags like #cheesecrown on Instagram.

To create the cheese crown, pile extra cheese along the edge of the well-seasoned and oiled pan. After the bake, use a metal spatula to carefully extract the pizza, keeping the crispy crown intact.

How to get Frico on Detroit Pizza

That crown in the pizza industry is made by creating a frico. What is frico? It’s that crispy and caramelized cheese long the edges of a Detroit-style pizza. In order to create the perfect frico, you must test the type of cheeses and quantity of cheese sprinkled at the pan’s edge. Experiment with a mixture of mozzarella and brick cheese. The ratio depends on your oven bake. We’ve also seen instances where white cheddar or Monterey Jack is in place of or in addition to brick cheese. See more on Brick Cheese below.

What is Brick Cheese on Detroit pizza?

A signature component that makes a Detroit pizza a Detroit pizza is Brick Cheese. What is Brick Cheese? Brick cheese is a Wisconsin semi-hard, cow’s milk cheese that gets its name from the bricks used to press out the moisture in the cheese. It’s a mild and buttery flavored cheese but can get more pungent and tangy as it ages. Pizza makers are experimenting with various ages of brick cheese on Detroit pizza. Brick cheese is often blended with mozzarella. In past, brick cheese was hard to find. Today, many main line distributors carry Brick cheese.

Why is it called a Detroit Red Top?

The reason why you hear Detroit pizzas being called Detroit Red Top is due to the red sauce that is applied to the top of the pizza.

In Motor City Pizza, Jeff Smokevitch says, “The sauce is usually applied before the final bake for par-baked pies. Although gaining recent popularity is the technique of applying pizza sauce after the final bake (raw bake or par bake). Most of the older operators in Detroit will apply their pizza sauce before a raw bake. If applying after the final bake, make sure your pizza sauce is in a hot holding container of 135 F or above. Sauce is a heavy ingredient for the pie. When you apply the sauce, it should be based on the strength of the dough.”

Detroit Style Pizza Recipe

How to make a Detroit style pizza by following one our recipes built by pizza masters and pizza dough experts. The Detroit Style Pizza Dough Recipe As many pizzeria recipe ingredients are proprietary, we have enlisted the best pizza makers in the U.S. to create Detroit Style Pizza Recipes for you to try in your kitchen. Our recipes provide detailed how to make and bake a Detroit style pizza.

Before we get into specific Detroit style pizza and dough recipes, watch as World Pizza Champion Jeff Smokevitch shares how to make detroit style pizza at home in this how-to video:

Detroit Style Pizza Recipes: Try 3 Detroit Pizza and Detroit Pizza Dough Recipes

Jeff Smokevitch instructs on how to make a Detroit style pizza during his demo at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

1. Smoke’s Detroit-Style Dough Recipe. Jeff Smokevitch is a World Pizza Champion who brought Detroit Style Pizza to Colorado — first to Telluride at Brown Dog Pizza, then to Denver and beyond with Blue Pan Pizza. Follow this Detroit pizza recipe. Jeff Smokevitch leads a demonstration at Pizza Expo to teach how to make a Detroit-style pizza. You can also watch him as he created a Detroit pizza in his home kitchen.
2. Detroit-Style Pizza Dough by John Arena. Co-owner of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, John Arena is a go-to pizza dough expert. He shares his Detroit pizza recipe that includes a Poolish for Detroit-Style Pizza Dough. His recipe walks you through the dough process, dough fermentation and room temperature proof.
3. Tony’s Trending Recipe: Detroit Pizza. Tony Gemignani is a world-famous pizza master and restaurateur with over 30 restaurants, most notably Tony’s Pizza Napolentana in San Francisco. His recipe pays tribute to Shawn Randazzo. He says, “I remember having Shawn Randazzo in one of my seminars several years ago and telling the audience that this guy may win it all the next day … and he did. The following year Jeff Smokevitch won with his Detroit pizza. It was a style that was relatively new to the competition circuit, and it was a beginning of a renaissance. Here is a recipe of one of the most popular Detroit pizzas at my restaurants. I call it The Motorhead.”

>> Explore Pizza Dough Recipes for Top Trending Pizza Styles including Detroit, New York, Grandma, Sicilian, Chicago Thin and Deep Dish. <<

Best Detroit Style Pizza

Since Detroit style pizza went mainstream more than a decade ago. Pizzerias across the country are trying the match the Motor City pizzerias who made the style famous. Buddy’s Pizza, Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant and Loui’s.

Detroit Red Top Pizza at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco

As Detroit style pizza grow across the country, pizzerias outside of the Motor City became famous for their Detroit pizza. Brown Dog Pizza in Telluride and Denver, Colorado-based Blue Pan have made national best pizza lists for their Detroit-style pizzas. Austin, Texas-based Via 313 was named Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year in 2020 and received investment to take the Detroit style brand to more states.

There are a host of pizzerias throughout the country who are serving up “Detroit inspired” pizza and gaining national and international attention. One of the best rated Detroit-style pizza places actually reside in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Toni’s Detroit Pizza according to Yelp’s Top Pizza Spots.

A Detroit Style Pizza Takes Top Honor at World Championship (Ryan Ososky of Los Angeles-based DTown Pizzeria) 

Detroit Style Pizza wins Pizza Maker of the Year Championship Competition at the International Pizza Challenge. Ryan Ososky, Chef/Owner at LA-based DTown Pizzeria, has won the Pizza Maker of the Year Championship at International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo in Las Vegas with a Detroit style pizza. He also won the Shawn Randazzo Memorial Award with the top scoring Detroit style pizza.The winning seasonal Detroit pizza featured asparagus; a fennel onion and olive oil soubise; a gremolata of Meyer lemon, shallots, chives, fennel fronds, cashews and olive oil; and garnished with Parmesan and fennel fronds. Photo courtesy of DTown Pizzeria.

“The final round for Pizza Maker of the Year was a secret ingredient of olive oil, so I figured I needed to get creative with the communal ingredients,” Ososky says. “I think my years of chef experience shined during this one. I made a seasonal Detroit pizza with asparagus, a fennel onion and olive oil soubise, a gremolata of Meyer lemon, shallots, chives, fennel fronds, cashews and olive oil. Garnished with Parmesan and fennel fronds.” Read more about Ryan’s win. 

At the International Pizza Challenge 2024 during Pizza Expo in Las Vegas Charlie Webb, (50.59) Hudson & Packard, Poughkeepsie, New York, placed Second in the over Pan Division and won the Shawn Randazzo Memorial Award with the top scoring Detroit style pizza. See how well Detroit style pizzas performed at the International Pizza Challenge.

Best Detroit Style Pizza in Detroit

Buddy’s Pizza

Who has the best Detroit Style Pizza in Detroit? Buddy’s Pizza has long held the title of starting the pizza style. The legendary pizzeria has also been named best pizza on national and international pizza lists. Other Detroit pizza places have also garnered attention for their Detroit Style Pizza including Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant in Eastpoint was founded by Gus Guerra after selling Buddy’s. Detroit Style Pizza Company was founded by World Pizza Champion Shawn Randazzo who went on to help take Detroit Style pizza national before his passing in 2020.  Shield’s Other hot pizzerias that have garnered a reputation for having some of the best Detroit style pizza in Detroit include Green Lantern Pizza, Loui’s Pizza, Amar Pizza, Palazzo Di Pizza, Como’s Restaurant, Amico’s Pizza and others.

Plenty of articles have come out ranking the best Detroit Style Pizza in Detroit. Some of the more prominent rankings include:

16 Places Dishing Up Detroit-Style Pizza — Eater Detroit

The Absolute Best Pizza In Detroit, Ranked — Tasting Table

The Essential Places to Eat Pizza in Detroit — Food&Wine

Jet’s Pizza was one of the first Pizza Chains to introduce a Detroit pizza. The pizza company celebrates National Detroit Style Pizza Day with specials each year.

Detroit-Style Pizza went national

One indicator that a regional style has reached national status is when America’s largest pizza chains start offering the pizza style. Detroit-style pizza landed on the menu of the biggest pizza companies in the U.S. Sterling Heights, Michigan-based Jet’s Pizza is a growing national pizza chain may have been the first franchise to take Detroit style pizza national. Jet’s has been serving Detroit style pizza for over 40 years. Today, Jet’s Pizza has more than 400 locations in 21 states. Pizza Hut introduced a Detroit Style Pan Pizza limited time offer in 2021. Though founded in Detroit in 1959, Little Caesars debuted its Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza in 2022.

Listen to Jet’s Pizza Owners on The Hot Slice Podcast. This episode is dedicated to one of the COVID-19 Pizzeria Impact Stories that we’re featuring all month. Jet’s Pizza is one of America’s largest pizza companies with hundreds of locations in 19 states, helping move Detroit-style pizza mainstream. Listen to an engaging roundtable discussion with Jet’s Pizza leadership, including Jimmy Galloway, Vice President of Franchise Sales; John Jetts, President; and Jeff Galloway, Vice President of Store Operations. Learn what the pizza company experienced during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Frozen pizza brands are also getting in on the action. Costco has a Motor City Pizza frozen pizza line, now also available at Kroger and Target. Another frozen pizza brands offering a Detroit style is Digiorno.

Detroit Pizza vs Chicago

Detroit pizza is very different from it Great Lakes neighbor Chicago. Both have long histories of introducing their own regional pizza styles. Chicago deep dish went national long before Detroit. Both are considered deep dish pan pizzas but they look and taste very different.

What is the difference between Detroit-Style and Chicago-Style Pizza?

While both are deep dish pan pizzas, the similarities between Detroit pizza and Chicago deep  dish end there. Let’s look at what Chicago Deep Dish style pizza is. In Going Deep, Katie Ayoub outlines, “This unique pie stands out with a crisp, biscuit-like crust that comes up the sides of a three- inch pan. It’s thick with cheese and other ingredients, and then topped with a chunky tomato sauce and baked for 30 to 45 minutes.”

The crust is a lot different. In Deep Dish Pizza, Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann says “the thickness of the crust and the overall heft separate deep-dish from, say, thin-crust pizza. Another difference is that deep-dish pizza is formed and baked in a deep-sided (usually 2 inches high) pizza pan that has been seasoned to the point that it is black. Also, the size and amount of dough require that the pizza be baked longer that a thin-crust pizza (while some shortcuts involving parbaking the crust have been tried, this doesn’t work in favor of a well-made deep-dish pie). The fact is that the longer oven time tremendously enhances the flavor.”

Detroit has a much taller crust with crunch. Detroit Pizza crust is often describe as “looks like a brick, tastes like a feather”. In Tenets of Detroit Style Pizza, Laura Meyer notes, “I noticed the height of each pizza was only about one to 1.5 inches and had a crumb structure that was tighter with many small bubbles. There was a crunch on the bottom, but it was never super distinct. It was the type of crunch that you get from contact with the pan and length of cook time, but not the thicker and more sturdy crunch you get from higher hydration.”

What is the difference between Detroit and New York Pizza?

Short answer: everything! There could not be any two pizza crusts that any more different than New York Style Pizza and Detroit style pizza. Detroit is a thick, pan pizza while New York thin crust is applied directly to deck ovens. In a Q&A with John Arena, pizza champion Derek Sanchez says, “Our target is light, full of air, crispy yet tender, great structure, foldable and fermented to just the right flavor profile.”

The crust height is a huge difference. New York style pizza crust should be about 1/8-inch thick through the middle with a raised edge. Detroit can up up to 1.5 inches high with toppings and cheese to the edge.

Get a detail description and a New York Pizza Dough recipe in New York New York.

How To Reheat Detroit Style Pizza

Send customers home with pizza reheating instructions. Find out how to reheat Detroit Style Pizza now. The skillet seems to be the preferred method of reheating. We suggest if you have cast iron, it will give it that added crunch. Heat the pan to medium, add pizza and cover. Heat for 5 minutes.

Others good ways to reheat Detroit pizza is by using a toaster over or conventional oven. You can also reheat pizza in an air fryer.

Detroit Style Pizza gets a National Food Holiday

National Detroit Style Pizza Day is held annually on June 23. The origin of National Detroit Style Pizza Day can be traced back to the Motor City. Detroit May proclaimed June 23 Buddy’s Pizza Day in 2011. In honor of Buddy’s Pizza’s 75th Anniversary, the date was also made into the National Detroit Style Pizza Day in 2021. Check out the other nine Can’t Miss Pizza Holidays.

Detroit is a one of the hottest pizza trends in America

Each year, Pizza Today surveys pizzeria operators in U.S. to get a gauge on the hottest pizza trends in the U.S. Detroit Style Pizza was the biggest pizza trends in 2024. Learn more about how Detroit ranked in our 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report. In a short decade, Detroit-style pizza has risen to the 7th in pizzas offered in American pizzerias. When we asked what style pizzeria operators intend to add in the next year, Detroit pizza was No. 1. We also sought to find out what the biggest trend was in the pizza industry today and Detroit was a top answer.

The post Detroit Style Pizza: A Guide to Detroit Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

When I sat down to write about Tavern style pizza, I had a hard time organizing my thoughts. I thought about all the differences between them and was trying to figure out the best way to describe them all and hit a roadblock. I was trying to unify them when a light bulb turned on. Tavern style, also known as bar pies, are not unique to any one location. There are variations across the East Coast and all over the Midwest. The one characteristic that unifies them is that they are all thin crust but even how thin the pie is varies slightly. Some pies are cut into squares, and some are not. Some use cornmeal, others only use refined flour. Some use fats, some do not. Some are super low in salt to the point where you question if there is any in the recipe. Some are seemingly unleavened, and even the doneness of the bake challenges the color spectrum. Tavern very much is a style, thin crust and crispy.

When Chicago pizza is mentioned in conversation, a lot of Americans think deep dish. Although deep dish pizza may be iconic and delicious, it is not the only style that Chicago makes. Of all the native Chicagoans I have spoken to, most of them say that pizza to them is always the thin and crispy tavern style. Deep dish is for the out-of-towners. Chicago styles are known for their use of cornmeal and the cracker thin is not exempt from this. How much cornmeal is used varies but cornmeal itself is a great way to make a crispy pie. 

Par baking the dough is another way to add crispiness to a thin-crust pie. As much as I love crispy thin-crust pizzas, they lose that crunch very quickly as the pizza cools down. Maintaining that crispiness is one of the hardest traits to keep. Utilizing cornmeal and a par bake or double bake method helps ensure your pizza stays crispy for a longer period of time. How would you do this? 

Coat your dough ball in cornmeal and roll it out with a rolling pin or use a sheeter. Once you’ve reached your desired size or thickness, dock it, place it on a peel and slide it into the oven. Without any sauce, cheese or toppings, par bake it just for two minutes or just until it’s no longer raw and the bottom is just beginning to show some spots of color. Remove it from the oven and stack them until ready to use. When an order comes in, top it as you normally would and then finish the bake until it’s crispy and the toppings are cooked. The par-baked shell is not only quicker on the line when orders come in because it’s prepped and ready to go but that double bake helps evaporate out more moisture. Without the addition of sauce on the first bake, there’s no barrier keeping moisture in. Chicago thin crust is normally cut into squares.

Another type of tavern style comes out of St. Louis. This may be the funkiest style of pizza I have had. Super crispy but with an overly sweet sauce and then a processed cheese called Provel on top of that. 

Provel on its own deserves a mention. It comes in a block and it’s a processed cheese composed of provolone, Swiss and cheddar. It has a super low melting point and a high flow rate so a small amount spreads a lot and is quick to burn. 

When you eat a St. Louis pie, you get a crispiness mingled with the sweet sauce and then this super sticky processed cheese that sticks to your front teeth. It’s not for everyone but sometimes you just need a little indulgence that isn’t going to ruin your day. And since it’s thin crust, this pizza is it for me. 

The dough itself seems unleavened and doesn’t have the same coloration as a pie that has a sugar content. Instead of using a New York-style dough, I would use a low protein flour similar to a Neapolitan or even an all-purpose flour and omit any sugar or fat. This gives you a different kind of crisp. There is no cornmeal or Semolina and to make it even crispier I always use the double bake method. 

This pizza is even thinner than the Chicago version and without the durability of cornmeal the dough can be fragile and prone to bubbling in the oven. To prevent this, I add a little bit of sauce on that first bake to help keep the dough from bubbling too much. Keeping in mind the low melting point of the cheese, this will change how long I bake the shell the first time as compared to the second and final bake when it has been topped. If it’s a plain cheese pie, I will bake the shell a minute or two longer the first time so that the final bake is slightly shorter making sure the cheese does not burn. If the pizza has toppings, especially a raw sausage, I will shorten the first par bake and lengthen the final bake so that the toppings have time to cook but it’s not in the oven long enough to burn. The moisture from the toppings, as well as the coverage, helps make sure the cheese does not burn. This pie is normally cut into squares.

The other Tavern pie that stands out to me is the East Coast pie. This thin-crust pie is not always cut into squares, not always round, sometimes oblong in shape, and can be cooked almost to the point of burnt but is considered normal. Toppings and cheese are thrown on haphazardly and usually to the edge. There is no cornmeal in this pie and is thin but a little thicker than the St. Louis style.

One of the main features of a tavern style pie is always the crisp. For those that have cornmeal and fat, they have a snap reminiscent to a Ritz cracker. It’s crispy and it snaps but there’s a density to it. Other styles like the St. Louis and East Coast versions have no fat or cornmeal and have a snap like a saltine cracker. All of these styles are “cracker” thin, but the type of snap is what sets them apart.

Laura Meyer  is Chef at Capo’s and Administrator and Teaching Assistant at the International School of Pizza in San Francisco

>> Explore Pizza Dough Recipes for Top Trending Pizza Styles including Detroit, New York, Grandma, Sicilian, Chicago Thin and Deep Dish. <<

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John Updike famously said, “The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.” In my lifetime of visiting New York City, and the 14 years that I have I called the city home, I think I can safely say that your average New Yorker feels that people eating pizza anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.

Anthony Falco, International Pizza Consultant and former “pizza czar,” Roberta’s, Brooklyn

There is a confidence and braggadocio about all things New York City —  and pizza is no exception. It’s indisputable that there are thousands of pizzerias in the five boroughs. It’s also true that there is a culture of pizza here unique to the world, but what is true New York-style pizza? It’s a difficult question, really, but one I have given much thought to. You could say pizza by the slice is the true New York pizza, but what about the famous coal-fired oven pizzerias that only do whole pies? You could say it’s the stone-lined gas deck oven, but today some of New York’s best pizza is coming out of electric or even wood-fired ovens.

So where is the common ground? What defines NY-style pizza? While not everyone will agree, and since I wasn’t born in the city I’m sure certain people will leave my opinions on the sidewalk with piles of ubiquitous garbage, I’ll state my opinion after years of making pizza in New York, and making New York-style pizza around the world.

What is New York Style Pizza?

First things first, like the skyscrapers and personalities of the city, it is big. NY-style pizza tends to be 16 to 20 inches with the classic NY slice being cut from an 18-inch pie. Anything less just won’t look right on a paper plate. And speaking of paper plates, NY pizza is for people on the go, that means eating it quick, with your hands, almost always standing up.

It’s thin, but not paper thin like the cracker style crust found across the Hudson in New Jersey. And it’s crisp, but with some pliability — it shouldn’t shatter when you take a bite. The sauce should be simple, fresh and slightly sweet with a balance of acidity, my choice for achieving this is the California tomato.

The mozzarella should be stringy, but not too wet, and it should form a cohesive unit with the sauce. This amalgamation of sauce and cheese adheres to the dough, and it doesn’t slip off when it’s lifted to the mouth like its Neapolitan cousin. In practice this means a “low moisture” mozzarella, essentially a more aged version of fresh mozzarella (sometimes it’s whole milk, sometimes part skim, or sometimes a blend). Fresh mozzarella is totally acceptable too, just less prevalent than low moisture.

Toppings should be judiciously applied and not overloaded like they do in certain windy cities. In fact, one could say that the most true example of the New York pizza is the humble “plain slice”: tomato, mozzarella, oregano, and maybe a little pecorino or Parmesan.

So let’s summarize; a NY-style pizza is big, it’s thin but not paper thin, crispy but still flexible enough to fold without cracking, and the toppings should be a cohesive amalgamation and applied with restraint and simplicity. It shouldn’t be too fancy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use quality ingredients. It should always be cooked directly on the stones of the oven floor, be that gas, wood, electric or coal.

How to Make New York-style Pizza

So now that we have defined what New York Pizza is, how do we make it? Well, I’m going to be completely honest … I have no idea how to make a proper NY-style pizza. I have never trained or worked at a proper old school New York style pizzeria. I came up cooking in wood-fired ovens, I was cooking small, new-school Neapolitan-ish pizzas fast and hot and topped with globs of fresh mozzarella, definitely the same galaxy but still worlds apart. About five years ago I started playing with NY-style pizza. I thought I would just come in with what I knew, crank the oven all the way up and start kicking butt. That is not what happened. I learned very quickly that NY-style pizza is actually one of the most difficult styles to master. I knew what I wanted the pizza to be like, but I wasn’t sure how to get there. I went into the laboratory, aka my kitchen in Brooklyn, and I started playing around with different flours, temperatures, cheese blends and so on. Eventually I got something I liked, and since then I have helped open NY-style pizzerias as a consultant in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bangkok, Miami and Bali, with more in the works. Every one of these takes on NY-style pizza has been a different approach, from all naturally leavened, a hybrid of sourdough and commercial yeast, and even all commercial yeast. The reception has been great and these are some of my favorite pizzas to eat anywhere.

In the last few years a growing number of pizza consulting inquiries want to do NY-style pizza. And in the last year, the pandemic has proven this style to be built for durability. It holds up well for takeout, delivery, people on a budget, as well as people looking to splurge on a meal they wouldn’t normally make at home.

Anthony Falco’s New York-style Pizza Dough Recipe

So let me share with you a recipe that you can try if you are interested in bringing New York-style pizza to your pizzeria. The ingredients are important for this pizza. I prefer a high-protein American bread flour. You can add in small amounts of semolina (durum wheat) at 5 to 10 percent if you want to up the crisp levels on a flour with less protein.

For the water, it’s true that New York has great tap water, but so does Palm Springs, California! If you have great tap water in your town use that, otherwise a well filtered or spring water from a delivery service should do just fine. New York City tap water is low in total dissolved solids with very little chlorine, and just the right minerality, but it’s not magic, so don’t go crazy thinking about it. If it tastes good as drinking water it will taste good in the pizza.

For olive oil, I highly recommended a California extra virgin olive oil. It’s fresh and clean and really works well with this style of pizza. Also, I like sea salt for my pizza and I think it makes a huge difference, but kosher salt will also work. If you only have iodized table salt you need to get rid of it and upgrade your salt game.

The recipe will call for a starter. If you don’t have a sourdough starter you can use a commercial yeast pre-ferment (aka poolish, biga or sponge). Some people don’t like sourdough in NY-style pizza. That’s their opinion, but mine is that it is delicious. Do whatever you want to do and never listen to the haters. These are all just guidelines — follow your dreams.

When topping the pizza you should always start by making a classic plain pie. I recommend a tomato sauce of uncooked California tomatoes, seasoned simply with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. For mozzarella a blend of low moisture whole milk and part skim mozzarella is great, but if you want to use fresh mozzarella, that can work too. I’m a big fan of the mozzarella down first method, splotching the tomato on top with a little space between, and finally some oregano (wild Sicilian is always my first choice) and a little hard cheese (a pecorino or grana works great). The key is a balance between the toppings so that they all come together on the pie in a cohesive way, clinging onto rather than easily slipping off of the dough.

And for my final thoughts before you try the recipe is that it is my interpretation of NY style, it’s not authentic or the ultimate or anything like that, it comes from loving this style of pizza and trying to make it through my lens as a pizza maker. I hope you enjoy it and add this style to your repertoire. Go to the recipe now. 

Anthony Falco is an international pizza consultant.

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When pizza first became popular in the United States, it had already changed dramatically from its original southern Italian expression. Newly arrived immigrants couldn’t afford wood to fuel their ovens, so they switched to coal as a cheaper solution. Flour was too bulky to import and cheese too perishable, so they were sourced locally. It wasn’t until recently that the original pizza Napoletana finally found its place in the American restaurant market. Now that wood has become a viable fuel source, scores of pizzerias have opened featuring artisanal baking methods. Some have gone the route of traditional Neapolitan, driven by its rules and regulations, while others have modified the process to suit the tastes of their customers. This new adaptation goes by many monikers, including neo-Neapolitan, NEOpolitan, neo Classica and American Artisan style. Regardless of nomenclature, the style has carved out a niche in the American pizza market.

Strict Neapolitan Pizza Standards

It’s easy to lump all personal-sized artisan pizzas into a single category, but seemingly small variations are often significant. Neapolitan pizza is rooted in historical methods, so its parameters are tightly controlled. Several organizations have formed over the past few decades to protect its definition. The Assoziazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which formed to counter the growing threat of American fast food pizza, has certified 96 pizzerias in America based on compliance with a detailed list of regulations. Individual pizza makers can seek certification for their mastery of the style through another organization, called the Assoziazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, which requires direct training by representatives from the organization. The most official mark of recognition comes from the Official Journal of the European Union, which granted Pizza Napoletana name protection in 2010. Now pizzerias in the EU can identify their products with the acronym TSG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed) if they follow a strict set of rules similar to those of the AVPN.

Ellie Olsen is certified by both the AVPN and APN and has herself certified dozens of pizza makers through her business, Wood Fired Oven Baker. “Neapolitan pizza became really sexy in the U.S.,” she says of the trend that inspired her to grow her business by importing and warehousing Italian ovens for Neapolitan pizzerias. But her clientele have changed over the past five years and now they’re coming to her with new concerns. “They tell me they appreciate and respect Neapolitan pizza and its tradition, but their communities don’t want it.”

The biggest problem customers have with Neapolitan pizza is a direct result of the style’s strict rules. Pizzas are required to bake at a high temperature (905 F) for an extremely short amount of time (60 to 90 seconds), so pizzas are often slightly wet in the center. This isn’t an issue in Naples, where each pizza is served uncut to a single person. The problems occur when these personal pies are cut into slices, which have trouble holding the weight and moisture of their toppings. There’s one thing Neapolitan pizza lacks that Americans love: stability.

What is NEOpolitan Pizza?

Enter the NEOpolitan pizza. Customers “want (their pizza) to look Neapolitan, but they’re American, so they want crunch,” says Anthony Falco, former pizza czar at Roberta’s Pizza in Brooklyn. Their individual 12-inch pies are baked in a wood-fired oven with carefully selected toppings, but they do not conform to the demands of the Neapolitan playbook. “Everyone wants higher-quality products and better food experiences, but Neapolitan pizza doesn’t make sense to (all) Americans.” Falco describes the pizza at Roberta’s as “American pizza using Italian techniques.” If Neapolitan pizza is the springboard, NEOpolitan pizza is the landing pad.

NEOpolitan pizza makers use several methods to achieve a sturdier base, each of which violates the Neapolitan pizza code. One is blending traditional soft Italian flour with strong American flour. Roberta’s blends Caputo’s “00” Pizzeria flour with King Arthur’s Sir Galahad to achieve a crust that doesn’t flop.

Another method is baking pizzas for a longer time at a lower temperature than their Neapolitan counterparts. David Sheridan taught himself to bake pizza in a wood-fired oven he built in his Brooklyn backyard, but opted for an electric oven when he opened Wheated in 2012. “The texture I get from a three- to four-minute bake at 700 degrees is more dependable than the super-fast bake I was getting from the wood-fired oven,” says Sheridan, who prefers “not feeling chained by any tradition.”

Sales of medium-temp ovens indicate that America’s penchant for NEOpolitan pizza is clearly on the rise. Anthony Pilla, head of business development for oven company Marra Forni, says that gas-fired ovens accounted for 75 percent of the company’s sales last year. Lower temperature and easier operation make gas-fired a great tool for this user-friendly version of the Italian original.

Wood Stone, an open-hearth oven producer, began as a wood-fired oven company but now sells far more gas-fired ovens. Wood Stone’s corporate chef, Michael Brockman, has personally witnessed pizzerias’ conversion from strict Neapolitan to the sturdier NEOpolitan. “A lot of our clients started making Neapolitan but ditched the sub two-minute bake because their customers wanted crunch.”

“It can still be good, but it’s not Neapolitan,” says APN Americas president Roberto Caporuscio, of pizzas baked at temperatures lower than the Neapolitan requirements. The AVPN, on the other hand, recently added a special provision for gas-fired ovens to their certification options. Caporuscio also points out that the texture of a pizza’s base is not only dependent on the time and temperature of the bake, but also on how the dough was handled. “Neapolitan pizza requires a soft and gentle stretch” to maintain gas retention in the  dough. Aggressive methods like hand tossing and rolling pins result in a denser product, which may be preferable to some customers.

The terms NEOpolitan, neo-Neapolitan, American Artisan and neo Classica do not identify an intentional style, but describe a larger genre that’s distinct from Neapolitan pizza. In a sense, they employ the same adaptations that took place when pizza first came to the United States.

Scott Wiener is the founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org.

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