No-Knead Pizza Dough

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Best No-Knead Pizza Crust
(video recipe)

You don't have to work hard for your pizza with this no-knead pizza dough. The easiest pizza you will ever make because it takes just 5 minutes to prepare the dough. The slow six hours of proofing is what gives this pizza crust its structure and flavor.

It's pizza time again. Yes, I will admit we do have a lot of pizza and Italian food in our home. I've shared with you my classic pizza dough as well as my overnight pizza dough. Today, I bring you another pizza dough. This is my no-knead pizza dough. The best thing about this pizza crust is that it's perfect for thin-crust pizzas. So, if you are into thin crust pizza. Try this one.

About this no-knead pizza recipe

This dough is perfect for anyone that loves pizza but does not want to knead it. If you have never made bread before, this an easy bread to learn. The dough is soft, wet and sticky, and yet that is what gives this pizza a wonderful crisp chewy crust.

While we do not knead the dough, it's the slow proofing of 6 hours, compared to the usual hour, that helps develop the gluten as well as flavor in this dough. The longer you leave it to proof, the more flavorful the dough becomes. You can leave it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

The process for this crust is simple and easy too.

• Prepare the dough - 5 minutes
• Place in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours up to 24 hours
• Make the pizzas - 30 mins

Today, I am making my three-cheese pizza using this no-knead pizza dough. I'm using my quick pizza sauce in 5 mins with canned tomatoes. And yet, you can also use my tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes made with fresh tomatoes. If you don't want to use a tomato sauce, you can also make it a white pizza with white sauce. Read my tips on making better homemade pizzas.

Useful tools and tips

• Use a small mixing bowl or measuring cup to activate the yeast. I prefer to use glass over metal. If the metal is cold, it can lower the temperature of the liquid ingredients. Not a big deal. And yet, it's nice to get the yeast activated quickly and move on with the recipe.
• I like mixing pizza dough by hand. It's quite therapeutic. But pizza dough can be difficult to handle. Not just because it needs more kneading, but also because it's often a soft, sticky mess. And yet, keeping the dough soft and sticky is important for good bread baking. So, I highly recommend using a stand mixer such as Kenwood, or kitchen-aid. I also have a hand mixer. And yet, I don't use it for baking pizza. Because pizza dough is dense compared to cakes. So, it might harm my hand mixer. (recommended read - which stand-mixer is good for home bakers)
• Baking bread is a science. So, measuring ingredients correctly is important. Also, do not wing the measurements. Use a measuring cup for liquid ingredients and measuring spoons for dry ingredients.
• When making pizza, I highly recommend using a pizza peel with parchment paper or a pizza pan. A pizza pan has holes on the bottom which facilitates air circulation. This makes a nice crispy crust and ensures the base is not soggy later.
• Every oven works differently. So, the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of bread, a hollow sound on the bottom of the bread is a great indication. If the bread bakes too quick or too slow, compared to the time given, it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration.
• Also, an oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do is adjust the temperature accordingly.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Flour - I have always used all-purpose flour for this pizza.
• Water - It is very important to use warm water, not cold or hot. The cold water will not revive the yeast and hot water will kill the yeast.
• Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. If you have to use active dry yeast, you will need 2 1/4 tsp or one packet. And if you use fresh yeast, you will need about 21 grams. Also, it’s not necessary to activate the yeast, but I like to take the guesswork out and make sure my dough will rise.
• Sugar – The sugar here is not really to add sweetness. So no, the one tablespoon won’t make your pizza sweet. The sugar and fat in the recipe are there to feed the yeast. Just as you need warm liquid to activate the yeast you need sugar and fat to strengthen it and let it grow. If you prefer, you can substitute sugar with 2 tbsp of honey.
• Olive oil - A good source of food for the yeast and adds a nice flavor as well.

Quick video

Easy no-knead pizza dough (save/pin)

Prepare the dough

• In a bowl, combine flour and salt – and set aside.
• In a measuring cup – measure the warm water, add olive oil, sugar, and yeast. Combine well.
• Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture.
• Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine it well making sure no dry flour is left on the bottom.
• This is a very wet dough, so don’t try touching it with your hand.
• Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
• Let on the countertop for an hour.
• Then, place in the fridge for 4 hours – up to 12 hours. I like to leave it overnight.
• Tip - Make sure the dough is well covered with plastic wrap so it does not dry out in the fridge.

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures1

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures3

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures2

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures4

Divide, rest, and roll

• Preheat oven with pizza stone for at 200 C / 390 F for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the fridge.
• The dough will have become three times its size, but still be very soft, sticky, and elastic with lots of air pockets.
• Dust your work surface generously with flour.
• Remove the dough on to the floured work surface. It is best to use a bench scraper or spatula.
• Divide the dough with a bench scraper. This dough makes three (for 3 x 12-inch thin-crust pizzas).
• Tip - Let the dough rest again for 10 minutes.
• Using a rolling pin, roll one piece of dough to about 12 inches (see video).
• Transfer pizza to a pizza pan or baking tray (or pizza peel). The video below uses a pizza pan.
• Tip - Place parchment paper on a pizza peel (parchment is less messy than cornmeal or flour).
• Tip - Let the base rest for 5 to 10 minutes - this will proof the base just a little which makes those edges puffy. (optional)

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures10

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures11

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures1

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures12

Top and bake

• Tip - Brush the edges of the pizza with olive oil (this will give a nice golden crisp crust).
• Spread pizza sauce and toppings - margarita pizza, Hawaiian pizza, onion Olive pizza, mushroom pizza, three-cheese pizza or white pizza.
• Sprinkle the parmesan and place the mozzarella slices. The video shows my three-cheese pizza.
• Transfer the pizza to the preheated oven.
• Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are crisp and golden and the cheese is melted beautifully.

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures2

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures6

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures3

Three Cheese Pizza with No Knead Pizza Dough Progress Pictures7

No-knead Pizza Dough

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Proofing Time: 6 hrs

Total Time: 6 hrs 32 mins

Calories: 237kcal

Adjust Servings Here: 18 Slices

Description

You don't have to work hard for your pizza with this no-knead pizza dough. The easiest pizza you will ever make because it takes just 5 minutes to prepare the dough. The slow six hours of proofing is what gives this pizza crust its structure and flavor.

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE - 18 Slices

Ingredients

• 4 cups (500 g) All-purpose flour4 cups (500 g) All-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Instant dry yeast1 tsp Instant dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) Water warm1 1/2 cup (360 ml) Water warm
• 1 tbsp Olive oil1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Sugar1 tbsp Sugar

Plus

• 3 cups Pizza Sauce3 cups Pizza Sauce
• 6 cups Cheeses Mozarella or similar6 cups Cheeses Mozarella or similar

Instructions

Prepare the dough

• In a bowl, combine flour and salt – and set aside.
• In a measuring cup – measure the warm water, add olive oil, sugar, and yeast. Combine well.
• Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture.
• Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine it well making sure no dry flour is left on the bottom.
• This is a very wet dough, so don’t try touching it with your hand.
• Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
• Let on the countertop for an hour.
• Then, place in the fridge for 4 hours – up to 12 hours. I like to leave it overnight.
• Tip - Make sure the dough is well covered with plastic wrap so it does not dry out in the fridge.

Divide, rest, and roll

• Preheat oven with pizza stone for at 200 C / 390 F for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the fridge.
• The dough will have become three times its size but still be very soft, sticky, and elastic with lots of air pockets.
• Dust your work surface generously with flour.
• Remove the dough on to the floured work surface. It is best to use a bench scraper or spatula.
• Divide the dough with a bench scraper. This dough makes three (for 3 x 12-inch thin-crust pizzas).
• Tip - Let the dough rest again for 10 minutes.
• Using a rolling pin, roll one piece of dough to about 12 inches (see video).
• Transfer pizza to a pizza pan or baking tray (or pizza peel). The video below uses a pizza pan.
• Tip - Place parchment paper on a pizza peel (parchment is less messy than cornmeal or flour).
• Tip - Let the base rest for 5 to 10 minutes - this will proof the base just a little which makes those edges puffy. (optional)

Top and bake

• Tip - Brush the edges of the pizza with olive oil (this will give a nice golden crisp crust).
• Spread pizza sauce and toppings - margarita pizza, Hawaiian pizza, onion Olive pizza, mushroom pizza, three-cheese pizza or white pizza.
• Sprinkle the parmesan and place the mozzarella slices. The video shows my three-cheese pizza.
• Transfer the pizza to the preheated oven.
• Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are crisp and golden and the cheese is melted beautifully.

Recipe Notes

Tips for no-knead pizza dough

1. This dough is a high hydration bread, which means it has to be soft, wet, and sticky. Don't add more flour.
2. Use warm water - not hot, not cold. The cold water will not revive the yeast, hot water will kill the yeast. Read here - baking with yeast a beginner's guide.
3. Do not try to knead it. Because it has too much water, and trying to knead it will be not just difficult but also not worth the effort.
4. Don't make haste with the proofing. We use less yeast in this bread so the proofing is slow. But it also helps develop flavor and structure.

Tips for making better homemade pizza

I have explained these tips in detail here, but I thought I'd give you just the main points as a takeaway.

1. Use a pizza stone.
2. Pizza peel or pizza tray work better.
3. Use parchment paper on the pizza peel for a less messy affair.
4. Work with soft, room temperature dough.
5. A well-preheated oven is best for pizza.
6. Don't overdo the sauce and toppings.
7. Choose the right toppings.
8. Brush the edges with oil.
9. Let the rolled pizza base rest.
10. Hold on to the cheese for a crips pizza crust.

For a crisp crust

• Prebake the pizza without the cheese. 
• Bake for 7 minutes 
• Then top with cheese and bake until crisp and golden

Freezing pizza 

• If you don't want to make all three pizzas, you can freeze the dough balls in a ziplock bag. Remove all the air and make a tight ball. Freeze for up to 3 months. 
• Prepare pizza slices can be frozen for up to a month in the freezer as well. Again place them in freezer-safe storage bags

 

Recipe adaptations and referenced - adapted from King Arthur Flour, referenced from - Bread Bakers Apprentice and Flour, water, salt and yeast

 

 

Equipment

Pizza Peel

Pizza Pan

Pizza wheel

Mixing Bowl SS

Nutrition Information

Calories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 13gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 487mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 177IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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Frequently asked questions

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