A little reason to celebrate
National Detroit Style Pizza Day
Food ยท June 23
A day for Detroit-style pizza, the square, thick-crusted pie baked in a deep steel pan with cheese that crisps into a dark, lacy edge.
National Detroit Style Pizza Day falls on Wednesday, June 23, 2027. That is 239 days away.
Detroit-style pizza is square, thick and baked in a deep rectangular steel pan. The dough is airy and soft inside, a little like focaccia, with a bottom that fries gently in the oiled pan until it turns golden and crisp.
The edges are the part people talk about. Cheese is spread all the way to the sides of the pan, where it melts down the walls and browns into a dark, crunchy frame. The traditional cheese is brick cheese, a mild, buttery cheese from Wisconsin that melts well and caramelizes at the edges. Sauce often goes on last, ladled in stripes across the top after the cheese, so it stays bright and saucy instead of soaking into the crust.
Pepperoni is the classic topping, and it usually goes under the cheese. Some pizzerias tuck it right against the dough so the slices curl and crisp as the pie bakes.
Eating it is a different experience from a thin slice folded in half. A corner piece, with two crispy sides, is the prize at most tables, and people have been known to negotiate for it. A single square is filling, so one or two pieces often make a meal.
Making one at home is very doable. A well-oiled metal baking pan, a long rise for the dough and a hot oven get you most of the way, and pressing the cheese right up to the edge of the pan is what gives you that browned, crackly rim.
Ways to celebrate
- Bake a pan pizza at home with cheese pressed to the edges.
- Try brick cheese, or a mix of mozzarella and Monterey Jack.
- Stripe the sauce on top after baking the cheese.
- Share a pie with friends and settle who gets the corners.
- Look for a local pizzeria that bakes square pan pizza.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, June 23 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, June 23 |
| 2028 | Friday, June 23 |
| 2029 | Saturday, June 23 |
| 2030 | Sunday, June 23 |
Also on June 23
Categories: Food days