Detroit pizza dough calculator
Detroit-style pan dough at 70% hydration, calculated per steel pan — with the frico cheese crown method.
1 × 535 g · 70% hydration
Type how much flour you have — the portion weight recalculates.
Detroit-style pizza is baked in a deep, oiled steel pan: a thick, open crumb, a fried-crisp bottom and the famous frico edge — cheese deliberately spread to the pan walls so it caramelizes into a lacy crown. The dough itself is simple; the pan does the theater.
How it works
A wet, simple dough
Water 70% (published versions cluster between 69 and 73%), salt 2.5%, no oil in the dough — the fat arrives via the generously oiled or buttered pan. The default 1.7% instant yeast is Kenji’s same-day dose for a roughly two-hour rise; slow-fermented versions drop to 0.7–1%.
Pan-proofed, cheese to the edge
The dough is pressed and proofed directly in the pan — 535 g for the classic 25 × 35 cm steel. Cheese (traditionally Wisconsin brick) goes all the way to the edges so it melts down the walls into the frico crust; sauce is often striped on top after the cheese.
Baking
Straight into a hot oven at 230–250 °C for 12–15 minutes, no par-bake. The bottom fries in the pan fat while the cheese edge darkens — run a thin spatula around the frico soon after it comes out, before it welds itself to the steel.
FAQ
Do I need the special Detroit pan?
The blue-steel Detroit pan is the classic, but any deep metal pan of similar size works — dark metal browns better. Scale the dough weight to your pan: the default assumes 25 × 35 cm.
Can I cold-ferment Detroit dough?
Yes — published slow versions proof 8–24 h warm at ~1% yeast or overnight-plus-cold at 0.7%. Lower the yeast field accordingly; the formula itself stays the same.
What makes the edge caramelize?
Cheese in direct contact with the hot pan wall. Spread it to the very edge — hesitation is the number one beginner mistake in this style.