Crispy Thin-Crust Pizza Dough Recipe for Perfect Homemade Pizza

Attention, pizza lovers! This recipe is for you.

Although I bake often, homemade pizza dough used to be rare in our house. If I had known sooner how easy and delicious authentic Italian pizza dough can be, I would have started earlier. The real push to try a homemade version was simple: my husband bought a pizza stone 😉.

Taste and Occasion

Here is our favorite thin crust pizza dough recipe. There’s no big secret: all you need is flour, olive oil, yeast and salt. That’s it. With just a few good ingredients you’ll get a light, crisp crust.

I promise: once you’ve made this easy thin crust dough, you’ll be skipping delivery more often 😉.

Ingredients

I recommend fresh yeast for this recipe and allowing the dough plenty of time to rise. The actual baking is quick—especially if you use a pizza stone. On a preheated pizza stone the pizzas take about 5–6 minutes at a very high oven temperature (around 570°F / 300°C), which gives a crisp base and nicely blistered edges.

If you don’t own a pizza stone, you can bake on a regular baking sheet at a moderately lower temperature; the pizzas will still be tasty, though they may take a little longer to brown.

How to make the Easy Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Let’s get started.

Begin by crumbling the fresh yeast into lukewarm water with the sugar. Stir until the yeast and sugar dissolve and let the mixture sit for a few minutes until frothy.

Put the flour, salt and olive oil into the bowl of a food processor (or a mixing bowl if kneading by hand). Add the yeast water and knead with the dough hook for about 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. If you prefer to knead by hand, it works too but requires more effort.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least one hour; longer is better for flavor. After that, divide the dough into four equal pieces, form them into balls, place them on a board or baking sheet and let them rest, covered, for another 30 minutes.

Dust your hands with flour and shape each dough ball by flattening and turning it to stretch into a circle. A rolling pin makes the job easier. Aim for a slightly thicker edge to create a nice rim on the crust.

Now for the toppings: spread tomato sauce on the dough, leaving a border. Add grated cheese or sliced mozzarella and your chosen toppings. Bake the pizza on a preheated pizza stone if possible, or on a baking sheet, in an oven set between 450°F (230°C) and 570°F (300°C) until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

Enjoy topping, baking and, of course, eating!

Top Tip

Top the pizza right after rolling it out so it doesn’t stick to the countertop. Our advice: less is often more—don’t overload the dough with toppings to keep a crisp base.

Recipe Card

Variations

If you’re short on time, try a no-yeast dough such as a 10-minute pizza dough. For a different approach, low-carb versions with a crispy crust are also available. There are plenty of options for every pizza lover.