You’re probably saying “No way! This is too good to be true!” Well you better believe it! With this pizza dough you’ll be making pizza all-the-time (I make it at least once a month). It’s delicious, fast, easy, slightly sweet, you can sub half the flour for whole wheat flour (I always do unless for some odd reason I don’t have whole wheat flour), and is the base to numerous pizza variations (just you wait!).
Seriously though, the reason you don’t have to knead or wait for it to rise is because… there is like 3 times the amount of yeast (so buy yeast in the jar or better yet in bulk at Costco or Sam’s… not those dinky little packets. K?). Oh and a fun tip that I once again learned from my mama is to keep your yeast in an airtight jar in the freezer so it lasts longer. This tip is of course for when you buy in bulk and don’t plan on making a bajillion pizzas or loaves of bread in the next few months.
Guess what? I recently discovered that I have been using my pizza stone wrong my whole life! I used to just lay my rolled out dough on the room temp pizza stone, decorate it, and then put it in the oven and cook it for like 18-20 minutes. The crust would stick all the time despite the cornmeal. So, I researched a bit online to figure out what the heck was going on and came across wikihow (step-by-step process and a video at the bottom) and now homemade pizza is even more amazing! It’s like baking it in a real brick oven and it takes only 10-12 minutes to bake! Score!
My recipe directions are pretty thorough in explaining but basically you put the pizza stone (or you can use an upside down baking pan) in the cold oven and then crank up the heat to 450 degrees. You have to lay the dough (and then do the decorating) on another surface that’s covered in cornmeal so it can easily slide off. The proper way to do this is with a Pizza Paddle
If you are on the hunt for a pizza stone, I have these ones: Bialetti 3 Piece Pizza Stone Set
This dough recipe makes 2 pizzas. You can decorate both pizzas the same but I almost always make two kinds so we have some variety.
And left over pizza tastes great cold (some might think that’s weird), good in the microwave, and best reheated in the oven on the pizza stone (it keeps the crust firm and crisp).
Try these pizza topping variations: Three Cheese Caprese Pizza; Artichoke, Tomatoes, & Spinach Pizza; BBQ Chicken Pizza; Tostada Pizza (CPK copycat)
Quick & Easy Pizza Dough {No Knead, No Rise}
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 cup water, 105-110 degrees F
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, half whole wheat version: 2 cups whole wheat flour + 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-2 tablespoons cornmeal
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix yeast, sugar, and water. Cover with a towel and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to begin to bubble and foam.
- Add salt, olive oil, and honey and mix with a whisk until the honey dissolves.
- With a whisk, stir in the first 2 cups flour (the whole wheat flour if desired) until combined. Switch to a wooden spoon and mix in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until it starts to form a ball (you may not need all the flour). Push the dough to the middle of the bowl. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place pizza stone in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees F.
- Sprinkle some cornmeal on pizza paddle, large cutting board, or second pizza stone. (This will allow the pizza to slide off onto the hot pizza stone.)
- Get your desired sauce and toppings chopped, shredded,...
- Divide dough in half and set one half on a lightly floured surface. Form it into a disk and then roll out into a circle. (To make sure the dough doesn't stick I like to make a few rolls, sprinkle with a little flour, and then flip and continue rolling.)
- Transfer rolled out dough to cornmeal covered pizza paddle (I fold my dough in half, transfer, unfold, and gently reshape). Give the board a shake to make sure that the dough can easily move over the cornmeal. Add more cornmeal if it sticks.
- Layer on sauce and toppings.
- Place pizza in the oven by pulling out the rack/pizza stone as far as possible and gently slide the pizza off the paddle by slightly shaking it. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is melted. (I get the next pizza ready while the first one bakes.)
- Remove pizza with the paddle or I like to just lift the stone with the pizza on it (using thick hot pads) and slide it off onto a bread board. I then put the stone back in the oven for the next pizza.
- Repeat the process for the second pizza.
Recipe Source: Garnish & Glaze original recipe
My calzone came out picture perfect with this pizza dough recipe! Having said that, it is a very sweet dough. Next time I make it I will definitely cut down on the sugar, probably omitting the honey all together. I made a cheese calzone with it today and did not use any marinara sauce for dipping. The acidity in the marinara may have helped cut the sweetness too. The dough has a specific taste and I could place it initially. It just came to me—it tastes like a kolache dough!!! I think I will use the remainder for kolaches and see how they come out.
UPDATE: I used the remaining dough for kolaches!!! They are amazing, too. I made potato and cheese and then a mini calzone. I let the dough get to room temperature, then also let it prove until doubled. I punched it down and then filled them, rolling them into a ball with the tiny seams on the bottom. I brushed them with a beaten egg and put them in a cold oven and set it for 350 degrees for 20 minutes. They came out like a dream!!! Love this recipe!!!! For pizza, less sugar. For kolaches, keep the same. Thanks, Melanie!!!
Have been using this recipe for pizza dough for nearly 6 years! Easy to make and my picky husband brags to everyone about “my wife’s homemade pizza dough.” Thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh! That makes my day to hear! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe for so long.
Hi Melanie, made the no knead or rise pizza dough and shaped into buns as I had no bread in the house, the fastest and tastiest buns I have made. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe
Thank you so much for sharing Janna! I haven’t ever tried that but now it’s on my list. Did you eat them plain or use them as a bun for sandwiches/hamburgers?
Fantastic pizza dough, easy, tasty and it’s my go to that the whole family loves. We do our pizza on the bbq with parchment paper and it is fantastic!Thank you, for sharing.
That sounds so good! I will have to give that a try.
I’m sold. This recipe is delish! The easiest recipe I’ve made to date! It rolled perfectly and my pizza looked store bought by the time it was done! I love how quick and easy it came together!!! I’m never going to order pizza for takeout again!!!
Yay! That’s so great to hear Shania! Thank you for leaving a review! 🙂
OMG!! Tried this today. By far the best homemade recipie I’ve ever done. I fully recommend it! Can I give it a 20/10 ???
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much! 🙂
I’m a rookie pizza dough maker and this was easy.
Thanks
nice and great
I want to try this recipe, but I can’t believe you just stir in flour and let it sit 10 minutes and then roll it out. I can’t believe there is no kneading or anything. I must be missing something.
Seriously the best pizza recipe ever! It is not only good for pizza but also for rolls. Really quick and ready within 30 min. Is fluffy and tastes amazing. Each time I make it, everyone loves it. Definitely recommend!
That’s awesome Lily! I’m glad you’ve found more ways to enjoy it!
I have made your pizza dough many times over the past few years, but have never said thank you for sharing your recipe! The no knead and no rise method makes it so fast and easy! I do one thing differently because I don’t have a pizza paddle and usually don’t have cornmeal on hand. I make the pizzas on parchment paper (like others), but place the paper on rimless cookie sheets first. (I have a southern living one and a couple of cushion-air.) When transferring pizza to the hot oven, they slide right off the baking sheet onto the baking stone. When taking them out of the oven, I can tug one of the corners of the parchment paper, and the cooked pizza slides right back onto to rimless cookie sheet. I can then slide it onto a cutting board to cool and serve. This is also the method I use for placing and retrieving foods I cook directly on the oven rack as well. Works like a sturdy pan sized spatula. Thanks again for your recipe! My family loves it!
Thank you for coming back and leaving a review! I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying it. And thank you as well for sharing your method of cooking/transferring the pizza. I’m sure that will be beneficial to others who don’t have a pizza paddle.
I made this pizza dough last night and my family and friends loved it! Thanks for such a great recipe. We will definitely make Again!!
I’m so happy you guys loved it! Thanks for the review! 🙂
This is an excellent recipe. I love the fact that it is very light and tender. I modified it a bit since I have very large pizza pans. I upped the yeast to 3T, used 5 cups of flour, one of which was whole wheat, and left out the honey since I don t like a sweet crust. I also kneaded it a little. Thank you for this great recipe. I will definitely use it from now on.
I made this tonight and I just had to tell you that we were wowed! My boyfriend made what I call his “yummy noises” the entire time he was eating (think Homer Simpson sounds!) and ate way more than he should have. He even said it just might be the best pizza ever on earth. I have for years made King Arthur Flour dough recipes and they taste great – I see no reason to spend that much time on pizza dough now (still love KAF, though). This dough tastes just as good, the crumb is amazing, there’s a chewy texture inside a nice, crispy crust…and I had dinner on the table in just over an hour!! Win-win! Thanks for the amazing recipe. This will be my go-to from now on!
This pizza dough is fantastic. I used the second portion of dough for Carmel rolls. Somehow they turned out better my Mother’s! Plus it was easy and quick, not something you can usually say about a dough recipe. Thanks!!
Yay! Glad you’ve been loving it! What are Carmel rolls??? That sounds amazing!
is this using dry or fresh yeast? plz answer quickly
This works great and is delicious! I didn’t even bother with using a cookie sheet as a pizza stone, but I will try it next time. I just baked two pizzas in cookie sheets and they were fine. The dough was very easy to cut too…some pizza dough is just hard to cut. This was a nice, light dough, the perfect balance between a super thin and very bready crust.
Thanks.
Paul
Thanks Paul! Glad you liked it.
Great dough!! A must try 🙂
Thank you! It’s great! We use it for pizza and stromboli.
I wanted to stop by to comment that this recipe is AMAZING! My husband and I were so impressed. This is going to be a weekly staple in our house. Thank you!
Thank you for your comment Samantha! I’m so glad you guys are making it a regular. 🙂
Just wanted to say that my husband and I can’t get enough of this dough. We used to buy the Betty Crocker pre-mix (2 packets a week at a buck a piece). We are saving so much money AND not eating the gross chemicals they add to preserve it too. WIN and WIN. Thank you Melanie!!!
This is the best pizza dough recipe I’ve ever used! I followed the directions exactly, and it turned out perfectly. I’ve used a lot of other pizza dough recipes online before, but I’ve never had as good of results as I had with this one. I used it to make calzones, and cinnamon bread, and both turned out delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, This will definitely be my “Go to” recipe. 🙂
This recipe looks lovely! Just wondering, did you use dry yeast? Or fresh?
Thanks!
Dry yeast.
Active or instant dry yeast?
Active
I love this recipe! I’m planning to make this pizza dough and use some leftover spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and sausages!!
This is now my go to pizza dough recipe, I can’t even tell you how many compliments I get when I make these during parties. People think I’m a fantastic cook and slaved in the kitchen but i just seek out recipes like this that a quick, easy, and of which I have the ingredients in my kitchen already. Thank you!
Haha! I’m glad you have them fooled but you actually are a good cook if you can please people with your food right?! Simple scrumptious recipes are the best!
This pizza dough is the absolute best! I won’t make any other pizza dough recipe after trying this one. I don’t follow blogs but I will definitely be checking out yours and more of your recipes. Thank you!
Katie- That is the best compliment ever! Thank you so much! You seriously made my day. Thanks for following! I hope you find more recipes you like. 🙂
Hi Melanie. This recipe looks so easy and delicious- perfect for a weeknight! Any tips on storing the second half of the dough if you can’t use it right away? Do you know if it freezes well? Thanks!
Emily, We really like pizza in my house so we always make two but you can follow this tutorial for freezing it or just half the recipe to make one pizza.
I’ve discovered recently that this dough makes excellent bread. Very tender crumb without a crazy tough crust. This is what I do whenever I make pizza now. Then we also get fresh bread for a couple of days afterwards. You can add things to the dough really easily as well. I just made some today with about a cup and a half of shredded extra sharp white cheddar and it’s definitely my favorite bread ever.
Is there anything different you do to bake the extra dough as bread, or just throw it in a loaf and bake?
I’ve never made it into a loaf but that works. I prefer to make two pizzas so we have variety and leftovers. 🙂
I just shape it into a round loaf and score it with scissors, bake it on a cookie sheet. You could toss it in a loaf and bake just as easily.
Great recipe! I use my sourdough for pizza. My stone lives in the oven. It’s a soopstone tile. I recommend preheating for at least 10 minutes after the oven reaches temp and use convection if you have it. It makes me feel less guilty if I roast some potatoes, cauliflower, or beets for salad while the oven is on.
This recipe is fantastic! Thanks for sharing. My husband says this should be my go to recipe for pizza crust from now on. And the kids have already requested bread sticks. I think it would be a great base to a dessert pizza too.
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit at your house Lisa! I’ve never tried bread sticks or dessert pizza with it so I’ll have to give that a try too.
Oh my goodness! I just tried this pizza dough recipe and it turned out great! Soft, but chewy, dense yet airy… I will definitely be making it again. This is the perfect recipe for lazy at-home cooks like me. I love that there was no kneading and no significant time needed for rising. I didn’t have a pizza stone or paddle, and followed your alternate options of a cookie sheet and parchment paper… worked great! The cornmeal helped to not to stick too. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Allison- You just made my day! I’m so happy you enjoyed this pizza dough so much. I think you do an even better job at describing it than I do. haha! Thanks for following! 🙂
Love this recipe! Made it over the long weekend and loved the sweetness in the crust. Was wondering if you had thoughts on making the dough and freezing until ready to use? Timing for thawing? Thanks!
I haven’t got it in the oven yet, but I’m what is the purpose of the honey and what substitutes do you suggest? I plan on making some more but my friend is vegan.
I love how easy it is though, kudos for that (it saves so much time).
Thank you Pivilio! 🙂 The honey is to just add a hint of sweetness. You can leave it out or substitute with regular sugar.
Great recipe; can’t wait to try it! Incidentally, the folks at America’s Test Kitchen have improved upon the standard method of using the pizza stone. It starts much the same way: place the pizza stone on the lowest oven rack and move the top rack to the very top of your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Once it reaches 450, carefully (it’s hot!) move the pizza stone to the top rack, turn off the oven, and turn on the broiler to high for 2-3 minutes. Preheating the oven takes care of heating the bottom of the stone; the broiler heats the top.
Then, when you are ready to bake your pizza, turn off the broiler and set the oven back at 450 degrees again. Then put your pizza on the stone and bake. It really only takes about 5-7 minutes in my oven. Also, I move the bottom rack up to the second from the top position, and move the pizza stone to that rack before putting my pizza on it. I do this because the crust will bubble up, so I don’t want it to hit the broiler.
Basically, this method is a closer simulation to baking in a brick pizza oven.
Another tip I have is that I roll out my dough on parchment paper, build the pizza, then slide the whole thing onto the blazing hot pizza stone. The edges of the parchment brown up, but it makes it SO easy to slide the pizza in and out of the oven.
Thanks Karen! I’ll definitely have to try that cooking method of putting it near the top. I have done the parchment paper thing and did so with my Caprese Pizza but the crust seemed to not be as crisp/firm especially as the pizza sat. Definitely easier though.
Any suggestions for high altitude? We’ve been making your pizza at least 2 times a week at home and want to make it for family we are visiting but now we’re at 6200 ft and I’m not sure how to adjust the recipe.
Jordan- I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe so frequently and want to share it! Pizza is the best!
So baking at a high altitude becomes tricky because yeast rises faster and the dry air can make the bread dry. I haven’t tried this but I just read up on adjusting for high-altitude baking so for this recipe I recommend using only 3 1/2 teaspoons yeast (you’re cutting it down by 1 teaspoon), decrease cooking time or at least start checking the pizza for doneness 2 minutes earlier than usual, and increase the water by 2 1/2 tablespoons (you can always add more flour if you think the dough is too wet). Let me know how it turns out with these adjustments. Good Luck! 🙂
I am always looking for new pizza crust – will try this one soon.
It’s the only crust recipe I use because it’s so fast. I hope you get a chance to make it soon!
what temp. are you baking the crust?
Alair- You bake the crust with all the toppings on it in a preheated 450 degree oven.
I just left you a message on the Pinterest,
Thanks you. It’s a great recipe!