I agree with Pizza of the Month that the recipes mentioned above are not for the Detroit style pizza. But a square pizza and a Detroit-style square pizza are not necessarily synonymous. The Detroit-style pizza started with Buddy’s in 1946. Their dough is a 1-2 hour dough, made several times a day, and includes no oil or other fat in the dough, although oil is used in the pans (blue steel pans). They use a Wisconsin brick cheese, although other cheeses have been used by other Detroit-style pizzerias, including mozzarella, Jack, and white cheddar cheese. I am not aware of Provolone being used by Detroit-area square pizzerias although there is no reason why it can’t be used. Also characteristic of the Detroit-style pizza is that the cheese is pushed up against the sides of the pans so that it caramelizes and forms a crispy character that is considered highly desirable, along with the crispy bottom crust because of the way that the crust “fries” in the oil. Also, for pepperoni pizza, the pepperoni slices are placed under the cheese, although they will put them on top if ordered as such. Typically, the inside of the finished crust is light and airy, suggesting a high hydration value.
Jet’s does not promote its square pizzas as being a Detroit style but the company started in Michigan (in 1976) and its pizzas have many characteristics of the Detroit style. Their dough is a same-day dough although some franchisees hold any unused dough overnight in the cooler for next day use. Jet’s does not use any oil in the dough, only in the pans, and they push the cheese (mozzarella) up against the walls of the pans to get the caramelized cheese effect. They put pepperoni slices on top of the cheese. Jet’s uses sugar in the dough. (Buddy’s does not.)
For a discussion of the classic Detroit style pizzas and their current proponents, see
LTHForum.com - A tour of Detroit-style Pizza. For Jet’s version, see
http://jetspizza.com/menu/item/37. For an out-of-state Detroit version (Texas), see
http://via313.com/.
PN