I’m an equal opportunity pizza lover. I love fancy hand tossed pizza as much as I love a $3 frozen pizza. I love thick pizza crust, thin and crispy pizza crust, and everything in between. And I love trying to make them all at home. This super fast, 30-minute thin and crispy pizza crust has quickly become one of my favorites because it’s just so fast and easy. No rise time means I get my pizza fix FAST.
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My love for thin crust has grown over the past few years and I’ve been on the hunt for a good thin and crispy pizza crust recipe. I’ve tried a few with less than stellar results, but when thekitchn.com claimed that their recipe was the result of “years of very meticulous testing,” I couldn’t help but trust their word. I tried their recipe with two small variations, the use of more yeast (one standard 0.25 oz. packet) and a little sugar to help super charge the yeast. I was very happy with the results!
This crust is crispy, but not dense (thank you, yeast), and has just enough “give” to keep you from thinking you’re eating off of a saltine cracker.
Can I Make the Pizza Dough Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can make this dough ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator up to two days, or freeze it for about three months. To thaw the frozen dough, place it in the refrigerator the day before, or place it on the counter top for about an hour to thaw at room temperature.
What Kind of Pizza Pan is Best?
The more heat that hits this thin and crispy pizza crust, the crispier it will be, so try to use a pizza pan that is perforated, or a preheated pizza stone.
My pizza is topped with fresh mozzarella, a few vegetables from the salad bar, and leftover pepperoni from my Three Pepper Pasta with Crispy Pepperoni. It’s important not to choose toppings that are very wet when working with a thin crust.
Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust
Servings 2 12-inch pizzasIngredients
- 3/4 cup warm water ($0.00)
- 1/2 tsp sugar ($0.01)
- 2 tsp active dry or instant yeast (or one 0.25oz. packet) ($0.19)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting) ($0.34)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to its highest position. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or its highest setting.
- Dissolve the sugar and yeast into the warm water and let it sit until foamy (about 5 minutes).
- While the yeast is soaking, combine 1 cup of the flour and the salt in a separate large bowl. Stir until the salt is evenly mixed into the flour.
- Pour the yeast water into the bowl of flour, then stir with a wooden spoon until fairly smooth. Stir in an additional 1/2 cup flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, slowly adding up to 1/2 cup more flour as you go. Be sure to add the flour slowly as you knead to prevent it from becoming too dry and stiff.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Divide it into two equal portions and form each piece into a ball. If you do not wish to make two pizzas immediately, the second ball of dough can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Press the dough down into a flattened circular disk, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a thin circle, about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick.
- Prepare a pizza pan with either non-stick spray or a combination of spray and cornmeal, then carefully place the dough onto the pan. Spread a thin layer of your favorite sauce over the surface, then bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or just until the edges develop a hint of color.
- Remove the crust from the oven, add the rest of your toppings, then bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is a medium golden brown.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating your oven to 500 degrees, or as close to 500 as you can get it. It may take a while to get up that high, so start preheating as soon as possible. Also, move your oven rack to the highest position because that’s where the air will be hottest. Hotter is better when it comes to pizza.
Next, dissolve 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp (or one 0.25oz. packet) of yeast into 3/4 cup warm water. Let that sit until it forms a thick layer of foam like the photo above (that should take about 5 minutes).
While you’re waiting on the yeast, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Make sure to stir them until the salt is evenly distributed throughout (or as best you can tell).
Pour the foamy yeast water into the bowl of flour and stir until fairly smooth.
Stir in an additional 1/2 cup flour, then turn the shaggy dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Slowly add up to 1/2 cup more flour as you knead. Add the flour slowly so that the dough does not become dry and stiff. It should remain soft and supple.
Let the dough rest for at least five minutes. This helps the gluten relax a bit, which will make it easier to roll out.
Divide the dough into two pieces and form each into a smooth ball. If you’re not going to make two pizzas at this time, wrap one in plastic and store it in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to a few months.
Flatten the ball of dough into a circular disc with your hands. People always ask me how I get my pizzas so round and the answer is (in addition to having YEARS of pizza making experience) this first “pat down” step. This is where the shape begins. If it’s not a circle before you start rolling, good luck making it into one later! :P
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using a rolling pin is very important to making the crust thin and crispy. It flattens out the tiny air pockets and kind of compresses everything down. If you simply stretch it with your hands (like hand tossed crust), it remains more pliable and will become more fluffy when baked.
Prepare whatever pizza pan you prefer to use. I highly suggest using a perforated pan if you don’t have a pizza stone because it allows air to get up under the crust to make it crispy. I like to use a thin layer of non-stick spray and then a generous sprinkle of cornmeal, but that’s just my preference.
Carefully transfer the dough to the pizza pan. Folding it in half before picking it up will help it maintain its shape without further stretching. Then once it’s on the pan, you simply unfold the dough. Spread a thin layer of your favorite sauce over the crust.
Bake the crust in the fully preheated oven for five minutes. This helps dry it out and prepares it for it’s final crispy form. If you top it with everything first, it probably won’t get enough heat and air exposure to fully crisp, so partially bake the crust and sauce first.
After baking for five minutes, add the rest of your toppings. Remember not to use anything too wet or heavy (like fresh tomatoes) because you don’t want lakes to form on the pizza.
Pop the pizza back into the oven for 7-10 minutes more, or until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese is bubbly. When cooking at such a high temperature, the time will vary quite a bit from oven to oven, so just keep an eye on it and use those visual cues to tell you when it’s done.
The edges have a nice crispy texture and the interior has a nice crunch on the bottom. Thin and crispy pizza crust heaven!
Super thin, but strong enough to hold up to toppings!
If you like your pizza thin, but not necessarily crispy, add 2 TBSP of olive oil to this recipe, as well as a 1/2 tsp baking soda. The baking soda gives the dough a bit of extra lift, and the olive oil keeps the dough from crusting so aggressively. You can also slow it down by spreading the sauce right to the edge of the dough, rather than leaving a crust .
I’m excited to try your pizza crust recipe. It’s just my husband and I these days and we only eat a couple of slices each, so I wonder if the dough can be frozen.
Tammy, you should absolutely be able to freeze this dough. Separate the dough into the proper size by weight for the diameter pizza you’ll be making and roll those into dough balls, coat with a light oil or pan spray and put into separate zipper bags and freeze immediately. (If you are freezing many, you can always place them on a sprayed cookie sheet and wrap with saran wrap and place the whole thing in the freezer. When they are frozen solid, transfer to a large airtight container and keep in the freezer.)
When you are ready to use one, place it into the fridge the day before (If you made bulk ones, place into a separate zipper bag with room to grow or a covered bowl.) Pull from the fridge about 30-45 minutes before you begin to shape the pizza to allow the dough to come to about 60-65 degrees F. This will allow it to roll out better.
A really delicious pizza recipe. I have tried out many with unsuccessful results. However I made this one with my 7 year old sone and it was delicious. He could not get enough of it. Well worth the little bit of effort over eating a frozen pizza. Thanks for sharing.
The crust was like a piece of leather, wasted my time and ingredients!
Don’t over sauce the crust. A lot of people do this. It will leave the center of the pizza soggy. You want just enough sauce to coat, this way you get the tomato taste and a crisper crust.
My go to pizza crust recipe for game night. Cheap, fast, and easy. I usually just use Trader Joe’s premade sauce and whatever mozarella that was on sale that week. Little pepperon or browned ground beef or sliced up ham lunch meat and the guys love it.
Hi Beth, I usually use a commercial pizza stone, any suggestions of how to adapt this recipe for baking on a stone?
I’m not very experienced with pizza stones, but I would imagine that you would use it the same as you do with a normal pizza crust, but the cooking time might be slightly faster.
This was great. Preheated my pizza stone at 450, rolled the dough thin, smeared it with olive oil and baked it for about 5 minutes. Took the crust out, coated it with sauce and baked for about 3 minutes then took it out and applied the cheese and toppings and finished it until perfectly melted and bubbly. Will definitely make this recipe again, can’t find a good take out pizza around here with thin crust?
Hi beth. This is beth!😊 how about a pizza stone is this a good tool for a pizza?
Pizza stones are great for cooking pizza, but it may change the cooking time. :)
Hi Beth tried your recipe, turned out well but not 100%
Pizza become chewy and also is thr a way of layering toppings on the base.your tips will be appreciated
If you use a lot of toppings or very wet toppings, that might slow down the cooking of the crust and prevent it from getting nice and crispy. Also, try to use a perforated pizza pan. The holes allow the hot air to reach the middle of the crust and help dry it to a nice crispy finish.
Thabk u so much for the tips..
:)
Hi Beth
Just love your recipe. I am going to try this weekend but I have a question.
I don’t have perforated pizza pan but I have rectangle baking pan with cuts in it. Will that work ?
I’ve used it on regular baking sheets and it still works pretty good. Not quite as crispy on the bottom as with a perforated pan, but it works.
This was awesome… just had it and none of us could believe how good it turned out. I will probably part baje the crust alone first next time.
With all the toppings this probably cost us 1/5th of what most places will charge for a pizza like this and with these toppings. Plus no body sells organic pizza crust!!
This turned out amazing! Finally – home made pizza that is do-able on a weeknight :). I hesitated that this wasn’t enough time to let the dough rise – but I’m so glad I was wrong and tried it out. I love your site, I always have success with your recipes!
Beth, is there a reason you don’t use olive oil in the dough at all?
Olive oil tends to produce a more tender dough, so leaving it out helps the dough be a bit more crispy. :)
Thanks! Have made about 10 of these so far and have finally found a sauce I like. Really appreciate you putting this up.
Eu adoro piza caseira e normalmente faço-a com a típica massa do pão. Esta parece-me bastante prática e têm um ar apetitoso, é com certeza uma mais valia a esperimentar ;)
http://www.pecadosnoprato.com
Hi – can you please tell me what kind of yeast you use for this recipe? I see that “pizza crust” yeast is available as well as “quick rise”. Please advise.
I’ve never used “pizza crust” yeast, but quick rise would be comparable to what I have.