Recipe: Detroit Style General Tso Pizza (Inspired by Spare Time Pizza – Dallas, PA)

This Detroit Style General Tso Pizza is inspired by the uber-popular Pan Fried Sicilian version made at Spare Time Pizza inside Back Mountain Bowl in Dallas, PA. I made a few tweaks to personalize it and applied techniques I picked up while producing Jim Henry’s Detroit Style Pizza class in the Virtual Pizza Academy. The result is a crispy, cheesy, sweet-heat bomb that bridges Chinese takeout vibes with classic Detroit pan pizza perfection.

Ingredients

One 17 oz Detroit-Style Dough Ball

Cheese & Toppings:
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (for the frico edge)
8 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese
12 oz General Tso chicken (or diced grilled or fried chicken)
1 cup sautéed broccoli
Roasted red peppers or roasted chili peppers (to taste)
Sesame seeds
Green onions / scallions

Sauce & Finish:
General Tso sauce (for finishing drizzle)
Olive oil (for pan + finishing)

Pan Prep:
Butter-flavored Crisco shortening (for greasing pan)

Prepare the Pan

Grease a 10" x 14" LloydPans Detroit Style pan generously with butter-flavored Crisco, making sure the corners and sides are well coated.

Press & Proof Dough

Press the room-temperature dough into the pan, ensuring an even thickness throughout and pressing fully into the corners.
Cover and allow the dough to rise at room temperature (about 70°F) for 2–3 hours.

Par-Bake Crust

Preheat your home oven to 450°F.
Remove the cover from the pan and place the dough into the oven.
Bake for 5–7 minutes, until the dough turns a light tan color and springs back when gently pressed.
Remove from oven and transfer the par-baked crust to a baker’s rack to cool.
Allow both the crust and the pan to cool.

Assemble

Lightly drizzle olive oil into the bottom of the cooled pan.
Return the par-baked crust to the pan.

Press 8 oz of cheddar cheese firmly around the outer perimeter of the pan, deliberately pushing it against the side walls to create the signature Detroit frico edge.
Spread 8 oz of mozzarella evenly over the center of the crust.

Evenly distribute:
• General Tso chicken (keep at least 1" away from the perimeter)
• Sautéed broccoli
• Roasted red peppers or roasted chili peppers

Bake

Bake for an additional 5–7 minutes at 450°F, until the cheese caramelizes against the side of the pan and turns a deep, dark golden-brown.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack for 3–5 minutes to allow the cheese edge to set.

Release from Pan

Using a sharp-edged metal spatula, gently slide down the wall of the pan and behind the cheese to separate the crust from the pan.
Work your way around the entire perimeter until the pizza is fully released.
Remove from the pan and place on a baker’s rack for 1 additional minute.

Finish & Serve

Cut the pizza into squares before finishing.

Drizzle General Tso sauce generously across the top of the pizza, making sure to coat the chicken.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions / scallions.
Optional: Finish with a light drizzle of olive oil for shine and richness.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Tip

Keeping the chicken away from the perimeter allows the cheddar frico edge to fully caramelize and crisp without interference. Finishing the pizza with General Tso sauce after baking preserves the sauce’s sweet-spicy punch and keeps the crust from getting soggy.