Making pizza in a city that’s a mile above sea level has its challenges. That’s why Brett Freedman, owner of DTC Slice in Denver’s Greenwood Village, keeps copious notes about the entire process. And that attention to detail has paid off, he believes.
Freedman opened his pizzeria in August 2024 after two decades working in the computer programming field, according to The Denver Post. “Having a technology background, I’m very precise,” he said. “I don’t know how else to do it. If I want to have the best dough in Colorado, in the United States, that’s the only way I know how to do it—document everything and figure out how to make better dough.”
Prior to opening DTC Slice, Freedman turned to Hawaii-based pizzeria operations consultant Alastair Hannmann, a.k.a. Al the Pizza Buddha. Together, they developed the dough formula and recipes for Freedman’s neo-Neapolitan-style pizzas, and Hannmann chronicled their progress on his own Instagram page earlier this year, with Freedman journeying to Hawaii to learn from the Pizza Buddha. Hannman in turn made a trip to Denver in August to help with the restaurant’s grand opening.
“Working closely with [Hannmann], we are learning so many things about the passion of pizza and what it takes to create a superior pizza,” Freedman posted on Instagram in January 2024. “Baking in the Mile High City presents some added nuances we are beginning to understand.”
Pegging the dough formula took a lot of experimentation, according to Freedman. “We changed yeast a couple times and had crazy variations on the dough,” he told The Denver Post. “The batches were wildly different. We try to have the final temp of our dough between 75° and 77°, and we did that almost every time. Then we changed the yeast and were getting 71° and 81°. We basically just threw the dough away.”
Freedman uses 00 flour and a three-day, low-temp fermentation process to create his dough and proofs it in a programmable proofer-retarder machine. One Yelp reviewer, Kenneth P., raved about the dough in a 5-star review posted on September 10. He described the crust as “a perfect balance of airiness and rich flavor, with those puffy, charred edges adding great texture.”
The reviewer went on: “The pepperoni here isn’t just average; it crisps up into little cups filled with spicy, savory oil, showcasing Brett’s attention to detail. The stracciatella…and the Maldon salt add a touch of luxury and a delicate finish that makes each bite special.”
Influencer and TV personality Larry Herz of OCN Eats noted, “To be able to get this level of pizza by the slice is unheard of in the metro [Denver] area. They also have a fantastic Detroit-style and gluten-free [pizza].” Herz recommended pies like the Honey Sting (marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, ricotta, basil and hot honey) and the White Pie (olive oil, garlic, ricotta, fresh mozz, pecorino-romano and Italian parsley).
Along with what he learned from Hannmann, Freedman told The Denver Post he also took inspiration from Pizzeria Lui in Lakewood, Colorado. He believes DTC Slice and Pizzeria Lui offer “the best pizza in Colorado.”
Freedman added, “Lui’s been doing it longer so his pizza might be a little bit better…It might take us a year or two. We won’t stop ‘til we get there.”
