Detroit and Grandma Pizzas: What’s the Difference?

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They may look the same, but there is a world of difference between these two trending pizza styles. From the crust to the toppings to the baking pans, each style of pizza requires specific attributes to be labeled truly authentic. Here’s how to make authentic Detroit Style and Grandma Pizzas.

Detroit Style Pans

The pizza trend that is sweeping a nation! These pies are making waves for their unique topping configuration and crusty, but chewy crusts.

Crust Shape
Rectangular or square.

Crust Attributes
Light and airy, resembling a focaccia or Sicilian-style dough. This delivers an exceptional tasting experience of a chewy crust that’s also crisp on the outside.

Toppings
Detroit-style pizzas are built in reverse to traditional pizzas. You start by layering your toppings directly on top of the crust. Next, add Wisconsin brick cheese. Finally, ladle the sauce on top of all those delicious toppings and cheese.

Proofing, Baking and Pan Selection
You’re going to want to see your dough at least double in size to make sure you attain a focaccia-like crust. Then you’re going to want to pour a considerable amount of olive oil in the bottom of your pan. This will give the crust the crispiness you’re looking for. As for a baking pan, we’ve got the best in the industry.

It starts with a durable construction using 14 Gauge Aluminum that is hard coat anodized and features a double-thick flat rim. Next, LloydPans applies its proprietary Pre-Seasoned Tuff-Kote (PSTK) finish, which is then baked onto the surface of each pan. PSTK finish is a non-toxic and permanent release coating that eliminates the need for pre-seasoning. This is a big technological breakthrough in Detroit-style pizzas, as pre-seasoning with a significant amount of oil was previously necessary to give the crust its crispy texture.

Grandma Style Pizza

Just like Grandma used to make! No need for fancy ovens, just the write baking and proofing parameters, and of course, great pans!

Crust Shape
Rectangular or square.

Crust Attributes
Thinner and denser than a traditional Sicilian-style pizza, and infused with olive oil. The ideal crust is still soft, but thin and dense and crispy on the bottom.

Toppings
Similar to a Detroit-style pizza, cheese comes first. Mozzarella is the traditional choice. Next comes pizza sauce, but you’re not going to cook the sauce. Instead, crushed, uncooked canned tomatoes go on top, and provide an acidic element to complement the mozzarella. Next, more olive oil drizzled on top of the sauce.

Proofing, Baking and Pan Selection
The perfect Grandma pizza dough starts with a short proof time, liberal use of olive oil on the pan and the stretching of the dough in a thin layer over the pan. For baking, you won’t need a wood-fired oven or restaurant-style oven. In fact, the bake is quite simple. But that doesn’t mean any pan will work.

The depth of the pan is key. After countless tests, we found the perfect depth to be 1-inch deep. We also used our Pre-Seasoned Tuff-Kote finish, which eliminates the need for any pre-seasoning. This is key for pizzerias, as the coating won’t force you to chisel away on your pan to get the pizza from the sides and corners. Even better, you won’t have to heavily scrub the pan after each use.