Best Pizza Dough Recipe – Chewy Crispy Crust!
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Want to know how to make the best pizza dough ever? The kind that’s chewy and crispy with beautiful scorched bubbles on the crust. Would you also like it if the pizza dough were super easy to make (no kneading required!) and could be baked in your home oven? You’re in the right place because this is the best pizza dough recipe, and it’s all those things and more.
There are three ways to get pizza on the table: order in, grab store-bought dough and add your own toppings, or make pizza dough from scratch. I’m firmly in camp three. It’s easy, inexpensive, and so good you can taste the love in every bite.
Homemade pizza dough is one of those simple pleasures that’s hard to put into words. If you’ve had it before, you already know how good it is. And if you haven’t? Yes, the grass really is greener. Making it at home gives you a crust that’s chewy, crisp, and full of flavor in a way store-bought just can’t match.
This no-knead pizza dough uses just four ingredients, makes four pizzas, and delivers beautiful scorched bubbles with minimal effort. All you need is water, salt, and two pantry staples: all-purpose flour (which this recipe is tested with and works perfectly) and active dry yeast, my go-to choice for reliable, beginner-friendly results.
Favorite pizza toppings
You can’t really go wrong when it comes to choosing pizza toppings. The best way to choose your toppings is to go with what you love or what your family loves. But remember, don’t overload each pizza; You want the toppings and the crust to sing. Here are some ideas for inspiration!
- Sauce: When it comes to pizza sauce you can try this homemade pizza sauce recipe or this sweet and spicy pizza sauce. Another nice option for pizza is this easy pesto recipe. A basic marinara sauce or tomato sauce also works well.
- Garlic and onions: Yum! Adding fresh garlic to your pizza base gives a warmth and onions really make the entire pizza shine. You can add caramelized onions or raw onions.
- Meat: Unless you have a serious meat lover in your house, adding one type of meat per pizza is a good idea (this goes back to letting all the toppings sing). Bacon, sausage, and other cured or cooked meats like prosciutto or chicken are tasty options.
- Veggies: When it comes to veg, go with what you like most. Sliced green or red bell peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, fresh arugula – you name it and it can live on a pizza!
- Cheese: Cheese, glorious cheese! Fresh mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese – it’s all delicious!
Storage
- Storage: You can make homemade pizza dough in advance. It will last in the fridge, if wrapped or stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Wrap the pizza dough in parchment or wax paper, or place it in a fitted container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Best Pizza Dough Recipe – Chewy Crispy Crust!
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for shaping dough)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and yeast.3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- Add 1 ½ cups of warm water and mix it with a wooden spoon until it becomes a rough dough. Then use your hands to gently bring the dough together to form a rough ball. Note: you may need to knead it a couple of times to get it to create a ball.1 ½ cups warm water
- Transfer the ball to a large, clean bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Set the bowl aside in a warm (room temperature) draft-free location for at least 18 hours, or until the dough has more than doubled in size.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Take a corner of the dough and pull it towards the center of the dough. Repeat with the remaining 3 corners until you have a little package. If the 'package' is a little sticky, dust it with flour.
- Place the 'package' seam-side down on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and set aside for 1 hour.
To make pizza
- Place a pizza stone (or a baking sheet turned upside down on a rack in the top ⅓ of your oven. Turn your oven on as high as it will go. Make sure it comes to temperature before baking the pizzas. Generously flour your work surface, hands, and 1 ball of pizza dough. Press the pizza dough down in the center then gently push and pull the edges into a 10-inch circle. Try not to squeeze out the air bubbles; they're the best part.
- Transfer the pizza dough to a well-floured pizza peel then top the pizza lightly with sauce and toppings. Slide the pizza from the peel onto the hot pizza stone and bake until the bottom is crisp and the top is blistered – about 5-6 minutes if using a pizza stone or 10-12 minutes using a baking sheet. Allow your oven to re-heat for 5 minutes between pizzas.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Tips for the perfect pizza dough
Before you get started, consider these tips for this chewy pizza dough recipe – trust that they’ll make a big difference to your final product!
- Put your rolling pin away! Seriously. Using a rolling pin will remove all the little air bubbles leaving you with dense pizza crust.
- Turn your oven to the highest temperature for a full hour before baking the pizza. You want it HOT!
- On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough, starting at the edges and moving in a circle around the dough (or a rectangle if you want to make flatbread)
- Resist the temptation to flatten the pizza dough (see tip #1)
- Make a fist with one hand and drape the pizza dough over your fist. Make a fist with your other hand and slowly rotate with pizza dough around in a circle using your two fists. The pizza dough will look a little like a blanket covering your two hands.
- Once the dough is about 10-12 inches, drop it onto a lightly floured pizza peel or baking sheet.
- Don’t worry if it is oddly shaped, it will have more character this way!
Absolutely delicious pizza. Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
Hi Kristen. Is there a typo here? The amount of water to add should be 12 oz, right, not 3 cups? These are precisely the same proportions I use so the 3 cups grabbed my eye. I also substitute dark beer for the water. Gives a nice background note. The alcohol gets cooked out.
Hi Joel! Took me a while to spot the typo in the post! Yes, it should be 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) as it is in the recipe card. Great idea to use beer!
My dough had an incredibly strong alcohol smell, is that going to alter the taste/texture at all? Did I leave it in too long or measure out a little too much yeast? Do i need to be really rigid about how long is sits out for and the temperature, as it was cold outside i left it in the oven with the light on. Thanks!
Hi Vani,
Dough that over ferments will begin to smell of alcohol. This can happen from using a little too much yeast or from letting it sit out a little too long. If it were bread, you’d probably want to start over again. Luckily, pizza dough is much more forgiving. Once it’s baked, you won’t notice the taste!
BTW: I normally do the light on in the oven trick when it’s cold out, too. Works like a charm!