What are the Best Cheese Blends for Authentic Detroit Style Pizza?
One of the signature traits of Authentic Detroit Style Pizza is it's cheese; specifically, how cheese is applied evenly across the pizza edge-to-edge so that it caramelizes to the crust when baked. The result is a crispy outer crust that surrounds a light and airy interior. Knowing how to properly apply cheese to create this fried effect is a skill all Authentic Detroit Style Pizza Makers learn, yet it's only part of the equation when it comes to perfect pizza cheese. The other half is the cheese itself, which begs the question: what are the best cheese blends for Authentic Detroit Style Pizza?
Brick and Mozzarella
At Detroit Style Pizza Co., we top our pizzas with a blend of brick and mozzarella. Mozzarella is a well-known cheese almost universally used to top pizza. We prefer a low-moisture mozzarella, since the moisture content of the cheese can affect the dough during baking. Cheese with a high moisture content can affect the bake.
Brick cheese complements the mozzarella and helps lend our recipes their Authentic Detroit Style Pizza flavor. Traditionally made in Wisconsin, brick cheese bakes well and has a buttery taste. Brick is a popular cheese in the Midwest and Northeast; however, it can be difficult to get brick cheese at a reasonable price in certain southern and western states.
Brick Cheese Alternatives
If you want to make Authentic Detroit Style Pizza but are unable to find a reliable supply of reasonably-priced brick cheese, consider substituting it with white Muenster or Monterey Jack Cheese. Both cheeses are more widely available, which makes them more affordable; and both share many of the same qualities/specs that make brick cheese ideal for Authentic Detroit Style Pizza. Many of the Authentic Detroit Style Pizza Makers I consult achieve outstanding results by blending muenster or Monterey Jack with mozzarella.
Which Authentic Detroit Style Pizza Cheese Blend Should I Use?
If you have access to a reliable and reasonably-priced supply of brick cheese, blend it with mozzarella and spread it edge-to-edge to bake a truly Authentic Detroit Style Pizza. If you can't get brick cheese, blend mozzarella with muenster or Monterey Jack and your baked pizza will have taste and texture that are very similar to a brick/mozzarella blend.
And, of course, feel free to experiment. Crafting your own signature recipe is a rewarding experience; after all, it's part of what made you become a pizza chef in the first place. Our Greektown Pizza, for example, features feta cheese as a topping over our brick and mozzarella blend, and there are undoubtedly other unique pizza cheese combinations you can try. Perhaps you'll come up with the next great Authentic Detroit Style Pizza cheese blend!