Pan Fried Sicilian vs Detroit Type Pizza: What’s the Distinction?
With regards to regional pizza types, NEPA Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza and Detroit Type Pizza are two of essentially the most steadily confused. At first look, they might appear practically similar, given their rectangular form and using high-sided pans. Nevertheless, upon nearer examination, the variations in composition, dough preparation, baking methods, and elements reveal that these are two very distinct types of pizza.
Background & Origins
Detroit Type Pizza was born in Detroit, Michigan, within the mid-Twentieth century. Initially baked in deep, rectangular metal pans repurposed from automotive components trays, this pizza grew to become recognized for its caramelized edges, thick crust, and upside-down layering approach the place the sauce is utilized final. Detroit pizza has gained nationwide recognition and is now present in pizzerias throughout the nation.
In distinction, NEPA Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza is a regional specialty of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with a historical past tied to Victory Pig Pizza and BBQ, the place it’s believed to have originated post-World Conflict II. Different common institutions serving this fashion embrace Pizza L’Oven and Pizza Good. In contrast to Detroit Type Pizza, Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza has remained largely unique to this small area, with solely a handful of pizzerias exterior the world making an attempt to duplicate it.
Crust & Dough Preparation
The crust is the place these two types differ essentially the most. Detroit Type Pizza makes use of both a same-day dense dough or a protracted cold-fermented artisan dough (48-72 hours), with the latter yielding a gentle, ethereal, open-crumb construction. The dough is pan-proofed and typically parbaked to boost the ultimate texture.
Conversely, Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza employs a each day proofed contemporary dough that’s pressed into the pan. What units this fashion aside is its cooking course of—rectangular pans are coated in a beneficiant quantity of peanut oil (or one other high-heat oil), creating a particular “deep-fried” backside crust. This ends in a crispy, golden base with a construction that accommodates air pockets of various sizes, from giant bubbles to tiny holes.
Sauce
Each types function a tomato-based sauce, however the software and consistency differ considerably:
- Detroit Type Pizza historically has a skinny tomato sauce ladled on high of the cheese and toppings earlier than baking. Nevertheless, fashionable artisan variations go for a thicker, sturdy sauce utilized post-bake to take care of a crispier crust.
- NEPA Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza makes use of a flippantly seasoned, barely chunky sauce constructed from crushed tomatoes, giving it a naturally candy and barely acidic taste. The sauce is utilized underneath the cheese slightly than on high.
Cheese
A signature aspect of Detroit Type Pizza is Wisconsin brick cheese, recognized for its gentle taste and distinctive melting properties. Nevertheless, since this cheese is troublesome to seek out exterior the Midwest, some pizzerias substitute a mix of low-moisture mozzarella, white cheddar, and provolone. Crucially, the cheese is unfold to the pan’s edges, making a caramelized, crispy cheese crust that’s one among Detroit pizza’s hallmarks.
Then again, NEPA Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza is mostly topped with Wisconsin white cheddar cheese, although some variations embrace blends or replacements with different cheeses. A particular strategy of this fashion is that the cheese is usually sliced slightly than shredded earlier than being layered on the pizza.
Onions: A Distinctive Possibility in Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza
One notable distinction is the inclusion of onions in Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza. In contrast to Detroit Type Pizza, which doesn’t embrace onions as a regular topping, prospects ordering Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza can request uncooked onions, that are utilized underneath the cheese however above the sauce earlier than baking.
Sizing & Serving Variations
The serving strategies of those two pizzas additionally set them aside:
- Detroit Type Pizza is usually not bought by the slice however slightly as a complete pizza. It is available in both 8″x10″ (4-6 slices) or 10″x14″ (8-10 slices).
- NEPA Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza is extra generally bought by particular person slices, often called “cuts.” A full tray usually accommodates 14-18 cuts, relying on the pizzeria.
Remaining Ideas: Related But Distinct
Whereas each NEPA Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza and Detroit Type Pizza share a rectangular form and high-sided baking pans, the variations in dough fermentation, baking methods, sauce software, cheese composition, and serving strategies make them distinctively completely different pizzas. Detroit pizza leans towards a gentle and ethereal crumb with caramelized cheese edges, whereas Pan Fried Sicilian pizza boasts a crispy, deep-fried backside and a singular cut-serving fashion.
For pizza lovers seeking to discover distinctive regional types, making an attempt each of those scrumptious pizzas is a should. Whereas they could look related at a look, as soon as you are taking a chunk, their variations turn out to be unmistakably clear!
READ: What’s the Distinction Between Outdated Forge Pizza and Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza?
Concerning the Authors
This text was co-authored by Jim Mirabelli of NEPA Pizza Overview and Jim Henry of JimmyHank Pizza. Jim Mirabelli has been reviewing and making Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza in Northeastern Pennsylvania for greater than 12 years. Jim Henry, often known as “The Frico King” is understood for his signature elevated artisanal Detroit Type pizza which he competes with nationally every year at Pizza Expo.
