Desperate times call for desperate measures. There’s nothing quite like a perfectly light, chewy, and crispy traditional pizza crust made with yeast, but right now we have to make do with what we’ve got and for many, yeast is hard to come by! And I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not going to give up my beloved pizza just because I can’t find any yeast at the store. 😅So for the time being I’m making this super fast and easy No-Yeast Pizza Dough to get my fix. Make sure you scroll down and read about the differences between yeast and no-yeast dough to get a better idea if this type of dough will work for you!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What is No Yeast Pizza Dough Like?
It’s important to understand that no-yeast pizza dough is not exactly like a traditional pizza dough made with yeast. No-yeast pizza dough does not go through a lot of kneading and rising, so it has a softer, fluffier, less chewy, and more bread-like texture. It’s not super crispy, it does not make those big delicate bubbles on the edges, and it doesn’t get very brown. It kind of reminds me of the old-school Dominos crust before they revamped their recipe, or some of the thicker-crust frozen pizzas. So, if you are a fan of either of those types of crusts, you might like this one as well!
Looking for a more traditional pizza dough recipe? Check out my classic Homemade Pizza Dough or Thin & Crispy Pizza Crust.
How Does No Yeast Pizza Dough Rise?
Instead of gas bubbles produced by live yeast, this pizza dough rises through gas bubbles produced by baking powder. Baking powder requires both water and heat to react, so you won’t see this dough rising as it sits at room temperature. That’s one of the great benefits of this no-yeast pizza dough—there’s no need to sit and wait for it to rise. Once it goes into the hot oven, then it springs into action!
Should I Hand Stretch or Roll Out the Dough?
As with most pizza doughs, using a rolling pin is a little easier, but it does create a flatter, more dense baked crust. If you gently stretch the dough by hand, more of the air bubbles are preserved in the dough and you’ll get a slightly more airy crust. So, take your pick based on your preferences!
What Kind of Pan Should I Use?
I baked the pizza below on a sheet pan lined with parchment because on this day I was favoring convenience over texture. A parchment lined sheet pan produces a softer bottom crust, but makes cleanup super easy. If you bake on a perforated pizza pan or a pre-heated pizza stone, you’ll get a crispier bottom crust, but you’ll need to take extra care to prevent the dough from sticking (a good dusting of flour or cornmeal under the dough).
Want some pizza topping ideas? Try my White Pizza with Parsley Pesto Drizzle, Eggs Florentine Breakfast Pizza, or Garlicky Kale and Ricotta Pizza.
No-Yeast Pizza Dough
Servings 4 ¼ pizzaIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.61)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder ($0.12)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the olive oil to the water, then pour them both into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until a shaggy ball of dough forms and no more dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough does not come together in one piece or there is still dry flour in the bowl, add a small amount of water (1 Tbsp at a time) until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead just a few times, or until the dough feels evenly mixed (no hard or dry pieces). Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Stretch or roll the dough out into your desired shape, making sure not to stretch it to less than ¼-inch thick.
- Place the dough on your preferred pan (prepared with either parchment or a good dusting of cornmeal or flour), then top the pizza with your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top. Slice and serve immediately.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Splatterware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Rolling Pin
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
I thought you might like an inside look at the texture of this no-yeast pizza!
How to Make Pizza Dough Without Yeast – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and ¾ tsp salt to a large bowl. Stir until these ingredients are well combined.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to 1 cup water, then pour them into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir the ingredients together until they form a shaggy ball of dough and no more dry flour remains on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too dry and does not come together in one piece or there is a lot of flour left on the bottom of the bowl, add a little more water (1 Tbsp at a time), until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead just a few times until the dough feels evenly mixed (no hard or dry pieces). Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes so the gluten relaxes, which makes it easier to roll or stretch out.
Roll or stretch your dough out to the desired shape or size, making sure not to stretch it to less than ¼-inch thick. Remember, while rolling is easier, it produces a flatter slightly more dense dough. Stretching makes a slightly lighter, fluffier crust. I rolled my dough about half way, then hand stretched the rest of the way.
Transfer your dough to your preferred type of pan (notes on the results you’ll get from different pans is above the recipe). I used a parchment-lined sheet pan, which will result in a softer bottom crust, but is waaaaay easier to clean up.
Add your preferred sauce and toppings (Homemade Pizza Sauce, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper in photo above).
Bake your pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.
Slice and serve immediately! 🍕🍕🍕
Just adding half a cup of water made my dough a sticky, gloopy mess. Ew! I had to add way more flour than the recommended two cups. Nonetheless, the recipe was very good for a yeastless pizza dough — maybe a bit bland, but my boyfriend (the pizza critic) ate his serving and asked for doubles, so that means something :) I’ll be making it again tomorrow with a different flour. We’ll see how it goes!
It was very good and easy and I’ll keep it for sure, but the suggested amount of water was too much for my flour. Flour “drinks” water differently depending on brand and gluten strength, that’s why some people likw me have had inconsistent results. Still, it’s not hard to adjust, just adjust the amount of water to form the shaggy dough as described in the recipe and photos.
Another tip: I used some sprinkled parmesan together with the mozzarella, since the dough is yeast-less it helps give it the missing fermented flavor (thanks to Kenji Lopez for the idea).
This was delicious. I added a little bit of garlic powder to the dough. It was sticky but I kept flouring my hands and used parchment paper and it cooked perfectly. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Do you think this would work with Bob’s Red Mil 1-1 Gluten Free Flour?
We haven’t tried it with a GF substitute yet, but you can certainly give it a try!
I actually had to add more water. It came out delicious but very dry. More sauce would have balanced it out. Great base recipe to play with though.
Followed it precisely and it was fantastic!
I use this recipe, followed it to the letter, the dough was perfect.
Cooked it for 20minutes (I like a bit crispy crust) was amazingly simple to make and my family enjoyed it more than our normal pizza place.
Hi! Wondering if this might work as a sort of flat bread if I exclude the toppings. Do you think this would work ok? Perhaps you have some suggestions about tweaks to the ingredients or method to make it work? Thanks :)
We’ve got this Spicy Flat Bread you could try!
Ah, I was looking for something without yeast.
Thanks for the advice (and deleting the duplicate post :) )!
Amazingly easy for my first time making pizza. My hubby loved it! Thank you for this great recipe during this challenging times.
I would give this recipe five stars if the dough wasn’t so incredibly sticky. It took me two extra cups of flower all over the counter and rolling pin and my hands to even remotely get this dough to unstick to anything and everything. I’ve made this a few times now and no matter what I do, this dough, while delicious, is so sticky. What can I do to fix this? Other than that, I’ve enjoyed the recipe!
I was excited to find this recipe with the shortage of yeast out there right now because everyone is hunkering down and baking. I tripled this recipe and baked the pizzas in my 10 inch cast iron pans and followed the recipe to a “T” and they turned out AMAZING. Everything I make from your website has turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing these recipes. Trying the turkey burgers with green chilies and jack cheese tonight.
Turned out perfect for us! I rolled it out to about 1/4 inch thick and it was a little crispy even with it only being baked on a sheet pan. I think I’ll make more pizza today!
I can never get the middle cooked. And I cook it for a really long time and spread it out but it still is mushy in the middle . Any tips?
I’m sorry to hear that Kaitlyn! You could try pre-baking the crust some before adding the toppings.
AP flour definitely needs more flour than the 2 cups. Could try with bread flour next time. Looks good. Cooked for 10 min in cast iron at 500F.
to much water to flour ratio. my dough was super sticky and I had to add about 1/3 cup more flour to even get it to not stick to my surface to roll out.