decorvow Pizza Dough (With Video)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Servings:

6 to 8

Yield:

2 pounds

This no-knead crust is our favorite decorvow pizza dough. It's easy enough for beginners, so you can treat the family to an at-home pizza night with no stress. It's a simple recipe that uses just six ingredients—and they're probably ones you already have on hand (the exception might be the sachets of active dry yeast).

There is no need to buy specialty flour imported from Italy; we use all-purpose flour for this recipe. The dough comes together quickly but needs about an hour to rest in a warm place so it can double in size before you form it into a pizza crust. Crispy, chewy, and a breeze to work with, this pizza dough recipe is a winner every time.

How to Ensure Your Yeast Is Active

The first step of this recipe calls for sprinkling yeast into a bowl of warm water and letting it stand for five minutes. The yeast should start to foam fairly quickly, and by the end of the five minutes, the whole surface of the water should be covered in a rich layer. If it looks just the same as it did when you started, the yeast is dead, and therefore your pizza crust won't rise. If the yeast is not active, toss out the mixture and start the recipe over with fresh yeast packets.

Store yeast in the fridge to extend its shelf life.

The Right Way to Measure Flour

The success of your pizza dough depends on measuring the flour accurately. The most precise way of measuring is by weight, but not everyone owns a kitchen scale. Correctly measuring flour by volume involves the spoon and level technique, which prevents you from packing the flour down (and winding up with too much).

How Long Should Pizza Dough Rise?

Rising time can vary, depending on the temperature of the rising place as well as the age of the yeast. This dough will take about an hour to rise, but the more accurate way to judge readiness is when the dough has doubled in size.

Making Pizza With This Dough

Our recipe makes enough dough for one very large pizza, two medium pizzas, or four small pizzas. Once your dough has risen, it's time to bake:

Heat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper middle. Place a baking sheet upside down on rack to heat.
Divide dough and stretch: You can use this dough to make one large pizza, two medium pizzas, or four small pizzas. Flour your work surface and divide dough as desired, then stretch and press it into rounds.
Place dough rounds on a well oiled baking sheet and top with sauce and desired toppings. (Tip: Make like Sarah Carey and wait to add your cheese until your pizzas have baked for 5 to 6 minutes; it can help keep it from becoming too brown before the crust has had a chance to cook.)
Place baking sheet with assembled pizzas on preheated pan in oven. (This will provide an extra boost of heat that will help pizzas cook more quickly.) Bake until crusts are well browned and cheese is bubbling, about 12 minutes.

How to Make Pizza Crust Ahead

You can make this dough up to two hours ahead of time and keep it in an oiled bowl in the fridge. You can also freeze dough for up to 3 months; wrap it well in plastic and freeze in a resealable freezer bag. (If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.)

Directions

Quick Basic Pizza Dough Ingredients — Grant Webster

Proof the yeast:

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Grant Webster

Grant Webster
Add sugar and oil:

Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture.

Grant Webster
Mix dough:

Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms.

Grant Webster

Grant Webster
Place dough in bowl:

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil.

Grant Webster
Let dough rise:

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Grant Webster
Knead dough:

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.

Grant Webster

Grant Webster

Using This Pizza Dough in Pizza Recipes

This recipe makes two pounds of pizza dough. Since most recipes call for a one-pound ball of dough, it's easy to swap this dough in when a homemade or store-bought dough is called for in a recipe.

If you're keeping it classic, our simple margarita pizza recipe won't let you down. For something more substantial, try our steak pizza with peppers and onions or this sausage, mushroom, and pickled-pepper combination. And if you're feeling adventurous, we strongly recommend this citrusy pie which is a favorite of Martha's—it features not one but two Italian cheeses.

Of course, there are non-pizza uses for this pizza crust. Use it for a calzone or stromboli, tie it into garlic knots or shape it into a pillowy pull-apart bread. You can even go the sweet route and whip up some irresistible sticky buns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you let pizza dough rise too long?

Yes, you can let pizza dough rise too long. This is known as overproofing. The dough becomes too light and airy and may collapse in the oven, resulting in dense, tough pizza crust. You can tell dough is overproofed if you poke it with your finger and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back. However, you can usually fix overproofed dough by punching it back down to squeeze out all the air bubbles, then resting at room temperature for 15 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
Should pizza dough be at room temperature before you roll it out?

Yes, pizza dough should always be at room temperature when you start to roll it out. Cold pizza dough will be almost impossible to roll out—it will just keep springing back to its original shape. The dough needs to come to room temperature for proper shaping.
How do I know the pizza dough is ready?

You will know your pizza dough is ready by its size and texture. The dough is perfectly risen and ready to use when it has doubled in size. The other test is that it springs back when you poke it with your finger.
Can you use whole wheat flour for pizza crust?

Yes, you can use whole-wheat flour for pizza crust, but we wouldn't recommend completely swapping in whole-wheat flour, it would result in a dense crust with a pronounced wheat taste. It may also be dry and require more water as whole-wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour. A better option would be to use white whole-wheat flour or a 50-50 mix of whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour or bread flour (depending on what your recipe calls for originally.)