Modernist changed the game in 2011 with the publication of Modernist Cuisine, which won the James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year in 2012. In 2017, they published Modernist Bread, which is widely regarded as the most comprehensive book to ever be written on baking (another James Beard winner, by the way). If all of that wasn’t enough, they’ve just come out with Modernist Pizza, a three volume mega-tome that explores pizza from all corners of the world.
Join us as we host Modernist’s Chef Francisco Migoya in a class you won’t want to miss. Chef Migoya will show you how to make Detroit pizza in both a home oven and a professional deck oven. And for those of you who think you need a deck oven or a pizza stone to make great Detroit pizza, Chef Migoya will also provide tips on how to get great results out of a conveyor belt impingement oven!
We will spend time busting pizza myths and discussing ingredients. Do those San Marzano tomatoes really live up to the hype and do you actually need brick cheese from Wisconsin to make good Detroit pizza? Chef Migoya will even teach you his “surround sound frico” technique. If you’re a fan of crispy caramelized cheesy crust, you’re going to want to check this one out.
In this two-part class (two hours per class), the Modernist team will share everything they’ve learned from their extensive research, experiments, and travel about Detroit-style pizza.
You will receive an email confirming your registration. Then we will send you a link to your class materials which will include the dough formula and recipes for the toppings and sauces we will be using in class as well as a shopping list. Lastly, we’ll send you a Zoom webinar link to use on class days.
Don’t worry, we’ll answer all of your pre-class questions via email. We’re certain this deep-dive virtual pizza class will give you the opportunity to ask all of your burning artisan pizza questions.
Lastly, we’ll send you a Zoom webinar link.
Check out this link to the Essential Modernist Pizza Gear Guide and grab any tools you might be missing ahead of class. And if you’re one of those people who always goes for a corner slice, you might want to check this pan out. It’s going to get crazy, so don’t say we didn’t warn you!
“You can’t talk about Detroit-style pizza without talking about cheese. The crust has the light, airy crumb and crispy bottom characteristic of all the bread-like pizza crusts. What differentiates a Detroit-style pizza is that the edge of the dough is bordered with cheese, applied so that it comes right up against the sides of the baking pan. In the oven, the cheese melts and bakes into a golden-brown, crunchy crust. The best pieces to get are the corners since they have two crispy sides to them, but the center ones are still plenty delicious.
And not any cheese will do. For a traditional Detroit-style experience, it has to be Wisconsin brick cheese mixed in equal parts with pizza cheese or cheddar cheese. Wisconsin brick cheese has a rich flavor best described as being like melted butter. If you can’t find brick cheese, use a combination of white cheddar and mozzarella.
While the other bread-like pizza doughs require a preferment, our Detroit-style master dough can be made from start to finish on the day you want your pizza. After being mixed to nearly full gluten development, it gets two 15-minute bench rests separated by a four-edge fold. This allows the gluten strands to relax, making it easier to fit the dough into the pan. This is also the only one of our bread-like pizzas that is baked to order—all the others are baked ahead and then reheated—but this one can also be easily reheated with positive results.
Another distinguishing characteristic of Detroit-style pizza is the inclusion of semolina flour (about 15%) along with the bread flour, which adds flavor, gives the dough a nice color, and makes it a bit easier to handle since semolina contains less gluten-forming proteins. Because this is a “day of” or direct dough, with instant yeast the only leavener, we kick-start its fermentation in two ways: by adding a lot more yeast (0.9%) and by increasing the water temperature to 30–30.5°C / 85–87°F (versus the usual 21°C / 70°F). You typically sacrifice some flavor with a faster fermentation, but that is not the case with this dough.”
THIS CLASS HAS A NO REFUND POLICY. IF YOU PURCHASE A TICKET TO THIS CLASS AND CANNOT ATTEND, PLEASE EMAIL US IN ADVANCE OF THE CLASS AND WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO TRANSFER YOUR TICKET TO ANOTHER PERSON, TIME PERMITTING.
Don't miss this chance to have all of your most pressing pizza questions answered by Noel Brohner of Slow Rise Pizza. A professional pizza consultant and artisan bread and…