Detroit-Style Sourdough Deep Dish Pizza Dough Recipe

This Detroit-style sourdough deep dish pizza dough is made with active starter and ready the same day. A simple, family-friendly recipe with a thick, crispy crust and soft, airy center.

When you want pizza night to feel homemade without turning into an all-day project, this Detroit-style sourdough deep dish dough delivers. Made with active starter and ready the same day, it bakes up thick, crispy on the edges, and soft inside—perfect for feeding a hungry family. It’s an easy, dependable recipe that fits into a busy schedule while still bringing that from-scratch flavor everyone loves.

In our home—where I’m feeding five growing kids—pizza night is sacred. It’s loud, it’s busy, and it’s one of those rhythms that grounds us at the end of a long week. Friday night usually finds us gathered in the kitchen, someone shredding mozzarella cheese, someone else spooning tomato sauce, and at least one little helper asking when it will be ready.

I’ve learned over the years that the best traditions aren’t complicated. They’re doable. They fit into real life. And this deep dish sourdough pizza dough does exactly that.

This isn’t an all-or-nothing recipe. It’s not about perfection. It’s about gathering your dough ingredients, trusting the fermentation process, and making something nourishing in your own kitchen. If you’ve been loving easy sourdough bread recipes and branching into more sourdough recipes, this sourdough pan pizza is the next step that still feels manageable.

What Is Detroit Style Pizza

Detroit-style pizza originated in the Motor City in the 1940s. Traditionally baked in rectangular steel pans (once used in auto factories—who knew?!), this style of pizza is known for its thick-crust pizza base, high hydration dough, cheesy crust, and crispy crust that forms along the outer edge and edges of the pan.

Unlike Neapolitan pizza with its thin center or classic Chicago-style deep dish that piles ingredients high, Detroit pizza strikes a beautiful balance of both. It has a fluffy crust and airy crust interior, but the bottom of the pan fries the dough in olive oil, creating a golden brown, almost fried texture underneath—my favorite part!

Cheese typically goes all the way to the sides of the pan, sometimes even before the sauce, creating those signature caramelized edges. Wisconsin brick cheese is traditional, though mozzarella cheese works beautifully and is much easier to find at the grocery store in my opinion!

True Detroit style pizza has that unmistakable cheesy edge of the pan crisp that sets it apart.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

• Made with active sourdough starter and ready the same day
• No cold proof required
• Bakes perfectly in a home oven
• Thick, crispy crust with a soft center
• Feeds a large family easily
• Flexible toppings and different recipes using the same base

If it’s your first time making sourdough pizza dough, this is such a forgiving place to start. There’s no baking stone or baking steel required (though you could experiment later and let me know!). No special heat source. No complicated shaping on a work surface.

Just simple ingredients, a little patience during bulk fermentation, and trust in the process.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. I only recommend products I personally use and trust. Your support helps keep this blog running—thank you!

Key Ingredients

Here’s key things you’ll need:

• Room temperature water (about 1 3/4 cup water or g water equivalent)
• Active sourdough starter
• All-purpose flour (works perfectly here)

This recipe uses all-purpose flour for the best balance of structure and tenderness. You could experiment with bread flour or even a little bit of whole wheat flour in future pizza bakes, but for best results, stick with the recipe as written.

The hydration level is designed specifically for this deep dish pizza crust. Using less water or swapping flours will change the texture and dough temperatures during fermentation.  But I would love to know your tweaks as you make it, so be sure to comment below and let me know!

You can find a full list of ingredients in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Sourdough Deep Dish Pizza

Mix the Dough—In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the room temperature water, active sourdough starter, olive oil, flour, and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for about 5–7 minutes.

The dough will look slightly sticky—this is a high hydration dough and that’s exactly what we want for that airy crust. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still feel soft.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can absolutely do this in a large bowl or mixing bowl and knead by hand. It just takes a little more effort, but it’s completely doable.

Dough Rest—After kneading, allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. This dough rest helps hydrate the flour and jumpstarts gluten development without extra work. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel.

I have found that this small pause makes a big difference in the final texture of your sourdough crust.

Stretch and Folds—Perform a set of stretch and folds by gently pulling one side of the dough up and folding it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat until you’ve gone around the entire dough.

Let it rest another 30 minutes. Repeat one more set of stretch and folds.

These sets of stretch build strength without overworking the dough. It’s such a simple technique but makes the best way to develop structure in sourdough pizza crust without intensive kneading.

Prepare the Pan—Add olive oil to a 9×13 inch darker pan or oiled pan. Be generous—the oil is what creates that signature crispy crust along the edges of the pan and bottom of the pan.

Transfer the dough into the pan. Use wet hands to gently fold it into a rough rectangular shape. Press it lightly toward the sides of the pan, but don’t force it. It won’t reach the corners yet.

Bulk Fermentation—Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to ferment for 6–7 hours at room temperature. This bulk fermentation is where the magic happens.

As the fermentation process continues, you’ll notice bubbles forming on the top of the dough. The dough will puff up and spread closer to the edges of the pan.

Dough temperatures matter here. If your kitchen runs cool, it may take the full 7 hours. Warmer kitchens move faster.

Final Press—Once fully fermented, use wet hands again to gently press the dough into the corners and sides of the pan. Be gentle—don’t deflate those beautiful bubbles.

Now you have your sourdough pan pizza base ready for toppings.

Assembling and Baking—Preheat your home oven to 450°F. No need for a baking stone or cast iron skillet—this pan method works beautifully. Add pizza sauce or tomato sauce, then mozzarella cheese (or Wisconsin brick cheese if you find it). Add toppings of choice.

Bake—-on a low rack for about 25 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown. The bottom should be crisp and the outer edge caramelized.

For that authentic detroit-style pizza finish, move it to the top rack and broil for 1–2 minutes. This creates that darker, bubbly cheesy crust along the edge of the pan.

Immediately remove the pizza from the pan. Slide a bench scraper or knife along the sides of the pan and gently lift it onto a cutting board. Don’t let it sit in the hot pan or the bottom can soften.

Cool slightly, slice, and serve.

Baking Tips & Variations

• Use a darker pan for a more golden brown bottom.
• Don’t skip the olive oil in the pan—it’s essential for a crispy crust.
• If experimenting later, you could try bread flour for a slightly chewier crust.

You could even try this dough in a cast-iron skillet for a round sourdough pan pizza variation.

Suggested Toppings for Detroit-Style Sourdough Deep Dish Pizza

One of my favorite parts about this style of pizza is how forgiving and flexible it is. Because this is a thick-crust pizza with a sturdy, airy crust and crispy crust bottom, it can handle generous toppings without collapsing. That’s one of the reasons it works so well for a busy family pizza night — everyone can customize their section.

Here are some of our favorite ways to top this deep dish sourdough pizza:

Classic Pepperoni—You truly can’t go wrong here. Spread an even layer of pizza sauce or tomato sauce over the top of the dough, add shredded mozzarella cheese, and layer on pepperoni slices.

As it bakes, the cheese melts into the edges of the pan and forms that golden brown cheesy crust around the outer edge. The pepperoni gets slightly crisped in the high heat of the oven, and the thick sourdough crust underneath stays soft and fluffy.

This is always the first half of the pan claimed in our house.

Cheese Lover’s Detroit Style—If you want to highlight that classic Detroit style pizza flavor, use cubes of mozzarella cheese (or Wisconsin brick cheese if you find it at the grocery store). Press the cheese all the way to the sides of the pan so it melts down along the edges of the pan and creates that caramelized cheesy crust.

Spoon your tomato sauce in stripes across the top of the dough instead of mixing it in first — this is traditional for Detroit pizza and gives it that signature look, but not necessarily needed because sometimes little hands want to help!

Simple. Cheesy. Always a hit.

Veggie-Loaded—Because this is a sourdough pan pizza with a high hydration dough, it holds up well to vegetables — just be mindful of moisture.

Some combinations we love:

• Sautéed mushrooms
• Bell peppers
• Red onion
• Spinach (lightly wilted first)
• Black olives

TIP: If you’re adding vegetables with a high water content, cook them briefly beforehand so you don’t introduce too much moisture to the pizza base. That keeps the bottom of the pan nice and crisp instead of soggy.

BBQ Chicken—Swap traditional pizza sauce for a thin layer of barbecue sauce. Add shredded chicken, red onion, and mozzarella cheese. After baking, sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top.

The slightly tangy sourdough crust pairs beautifully with sweet and smoky flavors.

White Pizza—Skip the tomato sauce altogether and brush the top of the dough lightly with olive oil. Add mozzarella cheese, ricotta, and minced garlic.

After baking, finish with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh herbs. This really lets the flavor of the sourdough crust shine.

Supreme Style—For a heartier option, layer on:

• Italian sausage
• Pepperoni
• Onions
• Green peppers
• Mushrooms

Because this deep dish pizza crust is sturdy and thick, it can handle the weight. Just avoid piling everything too high — a balanced layer gives you the best results and ensures even baking in your home oven.

A Few Tips for Topping

• Don’t overload the center. Keep toppings evenly distributed to help the dough bake evenly.
• Always press cheese close to the edges of the pan if you want that signature crispy, cheesy crust.
• Bake on the lower rack first to crisp the bottom of the pan, then move to the top rack briefly for browning.

Recipe FAQs

More Pizza Recipes

If you love this one, you might also enjoy:

• Sourdough discard pizza crust
• Fresh milled sourdough pizza
• Pizza stuffed sourdough

Each one builds on the same foundational skills—mixing, fermentation, shaping—without overcomplicating the process.

Pizza night doesn’t have to mean takeout—though that works at times, right?!  It doesn’t have to mean complicated. It can mean flour on the counter, olive oil in the pan, and five kids gathered around waiting for that first slice.

This sourdough pizza crust is simple, dependable, and deeply satisfying. It’s the best way I know to make sourdough pizza feel accessible for busy families.

Want more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to my newsletter to receive the latest!

If you make this recipe, please leave a rating on the recipe card below! I’d also love for you to tag me @autumn.chasingoursimple on Instagram so I can see what you’ve been baking!