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Thin Crust Pizza Dough

[heart_this] · Jan 10, 2011 · 44 Comments

Thin Crust Pizza

While I was on vacation in Italy last year I got the chance to try some really amazing pizza! My favorite had to be the thin crust style pizza and that was nice and light and it had an almost crackery texture to it. When I got back from Italy I went on a quest to duplicate that thin crust style pizza at home and after trying a bunch of recipes I settled on this thin crust pizza dough from PizzaMaking.com that gave me the best results.
This recipe can be a bit tricky and it took me a few tries to get it just right but it is well worth the effort. One thing to keep in mind is that this recipe requires
you to let the dough sit for 24 hours so you need to plan on that when on making a pizza. This dough has a really low water to flour ratio which means that you pretty much need to mix the dough in a food processor and even then, the dough is going to be very dry. In fact the dough will be more like crumbs but as long as you can form it into a ball then everything is ok. After sitting for the 24 hours the dough will not have risen very much but it will now have a more dough like consistency. The dough will be a little hard to work with but you want to roll it out as thinly as possible. To keep the dough from puffing up like a pita, I like to perforate it with a fork a few times. You then bake the pizza crust in a 500F oven until it just starts to turn a light golden brown. This pre-baking helps ensure that the crust will be nice and crispy even under the toppings. Once you are done with the pre-baking you can top the pizza with your favourite toppings and then it is back into the oven for its final baking.
Now that I have my thin crust pizza dough recipe, it is time to start experimenting with some toppings!

Thin Crust Pizza

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Prep Time: 24 hours 25 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 24 hours 35 minutes Servings: 1
ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons warm water
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups bread flour
directions
  1. Mix the water, oil, yeast and sugar in a small bowl.
  2. Mix everything in a food processor until it starts to from small crumbs.
  3. Press the crumbs together to form a ball.
  4. Place the ball in a bowl, cover and let it rise for 24 hours.
  5. Roll the dough out very thinly on a lightly floured surface.
  6. Poke the dough with a fork all over.
  7. Place the dough on a pan and bake in a preheated 500F/260C oven until it just starts to turn golden brown, about 4 minutes.
  8. Pull the pizza out of the oven and top with the toppings.
  9. Bake in the 500F/260C oven until the edges are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
Use in:
Pizza Margherita

Similar Recipes:
Zucchini Pizza Crust (with Chipotle BBQ Bacon and Grilled Corn Pizza)
Basic Pizza Dough
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (BBQ Chicken Pizza)
Grilled Corn, Roasted Poblano and Bacon Zucchini Crust Pizza
Crispy Tortilla Skillet Pizza
Chicago Style Thin Crust Pizza

6 Ingredients, Food, Italian, Main Course, Pizza, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren says

    January 10, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    Light, airy, thin dough is my favorite kind of pizza crust, so I'm excited to try this recipe! Thanks, Kevin.

    Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    January 10, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Bookmarked! Thanks!!! =) I just did a post on pizza as well!

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

    Reply
  3. Maria says

    January 10, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Always looking for good pizza dough recipes and hav eyet to find hte right thin crust recipe. Perhaps this will be it! Looks just right in the photos.

    Reply
  4. Kath says

    January 10, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Thanks for this post, Kevin. Your crust looks really great. I "stumbled" it so I can find it in the future.

    Reply
  5. Jennifer and Jaclyn @ sketch-free vegan says

    January 10, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    Here's a gluten-free thin crust I conjured up: http://sketch-freeveganeating.blogspot.com/2010/12/smoked-tempeh-pizza-w-carrot-pesto.html

    It's not as flaky and amazing looking as this one but it has tied over my thin crust needs for the time being.

    Reply
  6. one heart says

    January 10, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    Oh yes, I love Italy's thin crust pizza too!! I've thought about it ever since i had my first taste, wishing I could make it myself. I don't have a food processor so not sure whether to attempt this recipe, but happy to try.

    Reply
  7. jose manuel says

    January 10, 2011 at 4:55 pm

    Tremendo el aspecto de esta pizza, me encanta.

    Saludos

    Reply
  8. Jennifurla says

    January 10, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    I love thin crust, definitely my favorite. I know whatever you come up with will be inventive…..goat cheese please!

    Reply
  9. Susie Bee on Maui says

    January 10, 2011 at 7:24 pm

    Awesome! Congrats on conquering thin crust pizza. Enjoy the toppings experiments!

    I've experimented alot and have settled on a whole wheat dough that I can make ahead and keep in the freezer.

    http://eatlittleeatbig.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-for-spicy-peanut-chicken-whole.html

    Reply
  10. Kelly says

    January 10, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    Love the side shot of the dough. It looks gorgeous. I've been playing around with various dough recipes though I always seem to come back to one from The Figs Table Cookbook. American Pie is also a great resource for me, but the kind I've been most curious/excited about at the moment is the idea of doing a brioche dough crust which isaw in another cookbook. Yum!

    Reply
  11. kimchicsisters says

    January 11, 2011 at 12:06 am

    looks amazing!

    http://kimchicsisters.blogspot.com/2011/01/korean-food-homemade-mandoo.html

    Reply
  12. Truther666 says

    January 11, 2011 at 2:51 am

    Looks pretty good!

    Reply
  13. NW Mom says

    January 11, 2011 at 3:57 am

    Fantastic! Thank you! I'm making pizza this week and will try this recipe.

    Reply
  14. Les rêves d'une boulangère (Brittany) says

    January 11, 2011 at 5:39 am

    I've been searching for a thin pizza dough for ages, Thanks!

    Reply
  15. Erika says

    January 11, 2011 at 6:43 am

    Nice! Happy new year to all, and fingers crossed for a great 2011!

    Reply
  16. Joanne says

    January 11, 2011 at 11:19 am

    I'm actually not the biggest thin crust fan but it definitely elicits a craving every once in a while. You nailed it!

    Reply
  17. tracieMoo says

    January 11, 2011 at 11:52 am

    I'd always go for thin crust pizza. It sounds really simple to make, I should try this soon 🙂

    Reply
  18. SallyBR says

    January 11, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    I've been trying to pick a recipe for thin crust pizza, as I've never tried to make it at home and it IS my favorite type of pizza.

    I will try the one you mentioned – and I agree with you, nothing beats a very simple topping, margherita is a winner!

    Reply
  19. Alisa Fleming says

    January 11, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    I recently tried an "overnight" dough for the first time like this, and it did turn out to be one of the best pizza crusts I had made in a while!

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    January 12, 2011 at 3:09 am

    Good gosh! I've been looking for a good thin pizza crust! I haven't had much luck, but this recipe looks very, very promising! Your photos have my mouth watering!

    Reply
  21. Anonymous says

    January 12, 2011 at 5:49 am

    Looking at blogs like these late at night is a bad idea – this pizza is beautiful, and now my mouth is watering…

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    January 12, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    I'm always fluctuating between thin crust and thick crust. This will be a great recipe to have on hand!

    Reply
  23. Stanislav says

    January 13, 2011 at 11:49 am

    The best thing from italy is pizza I think. There is good joke, Ianlian gentlemants think just on 2 thing, the second is pizza.

    Reply
  24. Anonymous says

    January 13, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Oooh lala! This looks like the perfect crispy dough. I will def try this one out next time I'm making pizza.

    Reply
  25. Ryanm29 says

    January 13, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    Awesome, bookmarked and dough is waiting for 24hours for tomorrow nights meal.

    I don't suppose you'd consider publishing your measurements for recipes in grammes/ml etc?

    Thanks

    Reply
  26. Lauren says

    January 14, 2011 at 1:23 am

    Looks delicious! Can't wait to try it. I've never worked with yeast before, so it'll be a new thing for me! 🙂

    Reply
  27. dining room table says

    January 14, 2011 at 3:23 am

    I think everyone loves thin crust pizzas. I am glad that it was invented. It is really great.

    Reply
  28. Amy @ allhailhoneybees says

    January 14, 2011 at 4:40 am

    This crust looks great.. I love making my own pizza crust, thanks so much!

    Reply
  29. Anonymous says

    January 14, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Would this recipe work with a pizza stone?

    Reply
  30. pastry studio says

    January 16, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    This looks like an amazing dough, just the sort of thin almost cracker crisp kind I love.

    Thanks so much for explaining how to work with it. Can't wait to try it!

    Reply
  31. In Krista's Kitchen says

    January 19, 2011 at 3:26 am

    I make margherita pizzas as a quick and easy dinner for myself all of the time. This looks like a delicious way to spice up my crust routine!

    Reply
  32. Kevin says

    January 19, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    Anonymous: I have not tried this dough on a pizza stone yet, but I imagine that it will work. I still need to pick up a pizza stone to try it out.

    Reply
  33. Nicole says

    March 4, 2011 at 2:16 am

    Hi Kevin, was just wondering if you thought the dough would work with an all purpose flour and whole wheat flour blend, or would this make the dough too dense?

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2011 at 8:11 am

    I don't have an account, but wanted to ask a question. If I don't have a good processor, can I mix the dough by hand? please answer 🙂

    Reply
  35. Kevin says

    March 8, 2011 at 11:50 am

    Nicole: I don't think that I would try this recipe with regular whole wheat flour. If you have access to the white whole wheat flour, that might work but since I have not been able to find it, I have not tried it yet.

    Anonymous: This is a very dry dough with a low water to flour ratio. I have tried mixing the dough by hand and I found that I needed to add a lot more water to
    make it hold together and it did not give the same results.

    Reply
  36. Kevin says

    March 16, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    Love your blog BUT I tried this recipe 3 different times with disastrous results. Every time the dough turns out dry and crumbly – like a pile of dustballs. It won't hold together when I try to roll it out (after resting for 24 hours). Any ideas? Add more water?

    Reply
  37. Kevin says

    March 17, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    Kevin: This dough is definitely a dry one but it should just hold together in a ball when you pull it out of the food processor and as it sits the moisture will spread out. By the time that you pull it out 24 hours later it should be a dough that you can roll. Some ideas: Try processing it a bit more in the food processor to make sure that the water is well distributed. You can try adding an extra tablespoon of water if absolutely needed. Make sure that when you are measuring the flour that it is light and fluffy rather than packed, you can sift it to make sure that it is. Are you at a high altitude? That can change baking parameters.

    Reply
  38. Anonymous says

    October 22, 2012 at 11:30 pm

    Hi Kevin- this might be a stupid question, but where do you let it "rest" for 24 hours?? on the countertop or in the fridge??

    Reply
  39. Kevin says

    October 29, 2012 at 11:19 pm

    Anonymous: Not at all; let it rest on the counter for the 24 hours.

    Reply
  40. Moira says

    November 30, 2012 at 12:08 am

    Canned't we just find a perfect crust out of a can ? I'm a total failure at dough-making. LOL.

    Reply
  41. Anonymous says

    March 16, 2013 at 6:48 pm

    I might be late to the party, but have tried your thin crust dough a few times now (don't know if you have seen the other products – wine/vodka – but we call it "skinny girl pizza") anyways, for those suffering from dry crumbing dough, a couple of ideas (1) add one 1/2 T-sp of high gluten flour (2) coat with olive/veg oil before letting it rest, and (3) let it rest 24 hrs in the oven with the oven light on.

    BTW, just for fun, I have put this dough thru my pasta maker ( on a variety of roller setting down to #2) and then spliced two pieces together to make a nice sized pizza! But still enjoy hand rolling 🙂

    Reply
  42. pizza franchise says

    January 17, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    Looks amazing gorgeous

    Reply
  43. J. Davis says

    January 14, 2016 at 11:43 pm

    Thanks for keeping this posted…it sure helped!

    Reply
  44. Richard Kloc says

    January 13, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    Love this recipe. Easy to make in a bread machine. Lite and thin crust.

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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