Unfussy, Delicious Thin Crust Pizza

A few weeks ago, when I exposed my minor obsession with making great pizza, I promised I’d share my favorite pizza dough recipe. Well, today’s the day!

The most important reason to love this recipe is because of how it tastes and how it cooks. It crisps up perfectly but still retains a bit of chewiness, especially in the crust.

But probably the real reason I keep coming back to it is because it’s incredibly unfussy.

Assuming you’re going to make it thin crust, it doesn’t need time to rise. You can knead it for a few minutes (which, by the way, I usually do right in my standing mixer) and then let it sit while you prep the toppings. The heat of the oven gives it a quick rise while it cooks, which is all it really needs. But some days, I like to make it ahead so that I have less to do at dinner time. So I make it early and let it rise for an hour or two. (Or even stick it in the refrigerator longer.)

It also has only four ingredients (if you count water!), and it’s very easy to manipulate. The dough is so pliable you can fold it, pull it, let it hang in the air—and it doesn’t tear.

Like I said, unfussy.

Unfussy, Delicious Thin Crust Pizza

3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon active-dry or instant yeast
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Combine water and yeast in a mixing bowl, and stir to dissolve the yeast. Add in the flour and salt, and mix until you’ve formed a shaggy dough.

Place the dough on a clean work surface along with any loose flour still in the bowl. Knead until all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (I usually just do a few minutes with the dough hook of my standing mixer.) The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky. If it’s sticking like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it is smooth. (I usually don’t need to do this.)

If you have time at this point, you can let the dough rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour and a half). After rising, you can use the dough or refrigerate it for up to three days.

OR just cover the dough with the upside-down mixing bowl or a clean kitchen towel while you prepare the toppings.

This dough yields two pizzas for me because I stretch it pretty thin. For more tips, like what temp to cook it at and where to place the pizza stone, check out my 9 tricks for amazing pizza at home (you totally got this), as well as the original source of this recipe.

Last time I talked about pizza, several of you asked about toppings. So let’s chat!!

What do you guys like to put on your pizzas?

I’ll go first. I’d love to get more creative, but I usually alternate between a margarita-style pizza (tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh parmesan, and fresh or dried basil – with olive oil as the base) or a pepperoni pizza with a red sauce, roasted red peppers, and (sometimes) black olives. Sometimes I do make variations, and I love to throw a bit of arugula on top of any pizza after it comes out of the oven, but that’s about it!

You’re up!

Linked up with Works for Me Wednesday and Grace at Home.