Saving! I haven’t killed mine…yet.
The recipe uses a whole cup. Super useful.
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For those of you pizza makers who are using an Ooni - which table are using, one of the modulars from Ooni or did you buy something else ?
And do you use a metal or wood peel and if metal, perforated or solid ?
I don’t have an Ooni but a wooden peel is for launching and a metal peel for turning and removing the pie. I don’t use a perforated peel.
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I have an electric Ooni Volt 12 that’s used indoors on a counter, and I use wire shelving from the Shelving Store - an 18"x18" shelf and 9" posts.
For peels, for launching I have a wooden peel from the Baker’s Board which works well, but currently I’ve been using a 12" perforated aluminum peel from Ooni, which works great. No trouble launching from this at all, it’s light, very non-stick, and the perforations help get rid of excess flour.
I also have a Gi.Metal stainless steel round perforated peel for turning and retrieval. It’s kind of expensive but works well and looks nice.
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I recently had Detroit style pizza for the first time (in Lake Placid, of all places) and while I have no clue how authentic it was, it was absolutely delicious. I gave it a shot at home with a hybrid of Joy the Baker and Kenji’s recipe. I didn’t put the cheese close enough to the edge so I didn’t get the edges exactly right, but it was pretty darn good. I may spring for the proper pan. I used a mixture of cheddar (yellow is all I had) and mozzarella - no clue how that compares to brick cheese as I’ve never had it. Anyone else attempt Detroit style at home and have some pointers for me?
(Eta - half sauced, half not as I need to avoid tomato sauce.)
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I grew up in mid-Michigan eating this style of pizza frequently (although weirdly we didn’t refer to it as Detroit-style, we just called it “the square pizza from the Malt Shop” as that was the only place in town that served Detroit-style). The burnt cheese crust is absolutely essential, so that would be my main pointer for next time - make sure you load it up at the edges. This not only creates the crispy cheese edge but allows the grease from the melted cheese to drip down the sides of the crust into the bottom of the pan, effectively “frying” the crust. As for brick cheese, IMO a blend of monterey jack and mozzarella or muenster and mozzarella comes closest. Young provolone, fontina, havarti or butterkase in a blend with some mozz would work too. Cheddar is a little strong, but if you use a young one and mix it with one or two of the others I mentioned (keep it to 1/4 or maybe 1/3 of the total), it may come close.
I can’t tell how your crust came out from your photo but it should be quite airy, like a good focaccia. Toppings should be on top of the cheese. Here’s a photo of a quintessential example from Michigan and Trumbull, a fabulous Detroit pizzeria:
We’re road-tripping to northern MI this summer and we’ll pass by, but not through, Detroit. This photo is making me wonder whether it’s worth an hour+ detour to get that pizza!
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Thanks for the tips! I felt like the texture of the crust was as you described - focaccia like but not overly rich, and airy but not as puffy as a Sicilian slice. I am curious to know what the difference would be using bread flour (I used AP but some recipes said bread). I also am curious if the specialized pan would help. And different websites also had different opinions on toppings under cheese vs on top. The sauce lovers in my house preferred the sauce on top in this version and liked the pepperoni hiding under the cheese, lol.
Sounds like your crust recipe was solid - focaccia-like but not as thick/puffy as a Sicilian is a great way to describe the perfect Detroit style crust. Bread flour vs AP won’t make a huge difference - the extra gluten might make the wet dough a little easier to handle and give you a bit more chew in the final product is all. I typically add a bit of vital wheat gluten to AP flour when making any pizza dough.
As for the pan, a dark pan definitely helps get the burnt cheese edge. I use a cast iron skillet (although round Detroit style is mild heresy, lol). Your baking pan looks dark enough that you should be able to get the burnt edge, maybe with a few extra mins of cooking time.
And finally, on the subject of toppings - I’ve never seen a Detroit-style pizza in Michigan with toppings under the cheese. I’m sure it’s delicious that way, but I want my Roni cups! 
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Without seeing your recipe it’s hard to make a recommendation but generally bread flour is preferable for high hydration dough like Detroit. You’ll get. a better rise with bread flour which supports the cheese, toppings and sauce. Having said that, ap will certainly work.
Usually sauce is spooned in two long stripes over the pizza, I suggest you just use one stripe so that your other eaters get a better sense of what the pizza should taste like.
I love the Lloyd’s Detroit pan but a seasoned aluminum pan will work just fine. If it’s something you want to make often, probably worth getting a for-use pan.
It’s tough to source brick cheese in ny, I cover the dough with single slices of Muenster cheese and then use a mix of mozz and cheddar, typically targeting 200g of cheese for the standard 8x10 Detroit pan.
Did you oil the bottom of your pan?
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Those are GORGEOUS Detroiters. I’m swooning.
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Great tips, thank you! For some reason this style of pizza is just calling to me as something I want to try to get right, so I will try all these tips from you and bio and post again!
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You and @vinouspleasure inspired me:
Pepperoni and green olive. Equal parts muenster, Jack and mozzarella, about 12 oz total. Sauced before baking and then another small drizzle added after (two concentric circles as I used my cast iron skillet. Dough was 75% hydration, quick raised with commercial yeast so not as flavorful as one with an overnight+ ferment, but still delicious.
ETA a shot of the interior. I didn’t let this rise quite enough, IMO - I like a slightly holey-er, puffier texture.
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Amazing! I ordered the Lloyd Detroit pizza pan @vinouspleasure mentioned so I’m excited to experiment more!
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The beauty of pizza experimentation is that even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly, it’s still pizza - and that doesn’t suck! 
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I’m fond of quoting woody Allen’s take on pizza, “when it’s bad it’s still pretty good”
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That’s a beauty! what type of flour did you use? If I’m making a same day dough I like to use Low Diastatic Malt Powder, imo works wonders.
