Detroit Style Pizza Hack

It’s an attitude. I love pizza.

This is a fun, crowd-pleasing twist on Detroit-style pizza using King’s Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls as the base. Detroit-style pizza is thick, airy, and unapologetically indulgent. It bakes up in a rectangular pan with a pillowy, focaccia-like crust that’s crisp and buttery on the bottom. The real flex is the cheese pressed all the way to the edges, where it caramelizes into those crunchy, lacy corners everyone fights over. Sauce goes on last, striped or spooned over the top, so every bite hits fluffy bread, rich cheese, savory toppings, and bright tomato in one go. It’s less sliceable, more snackable, and built for people who like their pizza bold and a little extra.

In this recipe, I use King’s Hawaiian rolls for the dough since they already have that addictive pillowy texture and a touch of sweetness. They bake up golden and soft inside while the edges crisp in the pan.

Ingredients

Crust

1 (12-count) package King’s Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

2–3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter

Cheese

2½ cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cubed into “bricks”

¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack or brick-style cheese (if available)

Toppings

¾ cup sliced pepperoni (or cooked sausage, mushrooms, or jalapeños)

1/2 cup cubed pepperoni (optional but works great)

Sauce

¾–1 cup warm marinara or pizza sauce

Finish

Dried oregano or Italian seasoning

Optional: grated parmesan, hot honey, or chili flakes

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a 9×13-inch metal baking pan, making sure to coat the sides well.

2. Using your finger tips gently press down onto the King’s Hawaiian rolls until flattened.

3. Brush the rolls with olive oil or melted butter, pressing gently to fit the pan.

4. Sprinkle about one-third of the cheese evenly over the rolls, pushing some cheese all the way to the edges of the pan so it can caramelize.

5. Add cubed pepperoni, then layer on the remaining cheese, again letting cheese touch the edges. Add cupping pepperoni to the top.

6. Bake uncovered for 15–18 minutes until the cheese is bubbly, deeply golden, and crispy around the edges.

7. Remove from oven and spoon warm sauce in classic Detroit-style stripes over the top.

8. Finish with oregano, parmesan, or chili flakes. Rest 5 minutes before slicing into squares.

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