The best, easy, thin and crispy crust rustic Italian pizza dough recipe you will ever make. Step by step how to video included below.
A quick, authentic, thin and crispy, Neopolitan style homemade Italian pizza dough recipe that is also perfect for freezing!
With a name like Florentina you would probably be willing to bet that I live La Bella Vita Under The Tuscan Sun and I can toss a pizza like no-body’s business. The truth is I do live La Bella Vita but under the California Sun, and I can’t toss a pizza for the life of me.
Tough you can make this Italian pizza dough recipe by hand, it is way easier to use a mixer. No tossing required! Honestly this is the reason why I got a Kitchen Aid mixer, and a pizza stone, (<–amazon links) so we can make the best homemade pizza ever. I even made us a video:
After constantly trying new recipes and formulas, and after having gone to Italy in the search of the perfect rustic authentic Italian pizza dough, I am even more confident that this is the best recipe out there.
What makes this the best Italian pizza dough recipe ever:
- Quick and Easy to make by hand, food processor or Kitchen Aid Mixer!
- Made with active dry yeast, (<–amazon), flour and COLD water (no proofing required)
- Thin and crispy crust, yet still a little chewy
- Make ahead and refrigerate for tomorrow, freeze for later or use right away.
- Perfect for strombolli, calzone, focaccia, bread sticks and even for the outdoor pizza oven.
I go with simple toppings at Casa Florentina: a simple but thick homemade puttanesca, arrabiata or marinara sauce, ricotta meatballs, roasted cherry tomatoes, whole milk mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil.
The Secret to Italian Pizza Dough Perfection ?
Must bake your rustic pizza on a Pizza Stone! Lightly brushed with some olive oil and a little sprinkling of parmigiano reggianno, as soon as the poe comes out of the oven, top it with wedges of fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano and slices of fresh mozzarella di buffala.
There’s no food on Earth like a homemade pizza, but even the best recipe will be lacking without the magic of a pizza stone. Even the most basic one gives you a close result to a wood burning pizza oven. Just remember to heat it up with your oven or it will crack. Give it plenty of time to warm up, even an hour if you aren’t in a rush.
Note worthy:
If you are looking for those charred little fire kisses on your pizza crust but your oven doesn’t go higher than 500″F, I strongly suggest finishing it under the broiler flames, just for the last minute or so. It will give you a similar effect as a wood burning pizza oven. Magical!
P.S. more pizza recipes to make:
- 5 cups flour + some for dusting
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 1/4 cups COLD water
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- Caramelized onions
- Arrabiata Sauce
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Green Onions
- Smoked Mozzarella Cheese
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Ricotta Meatballs
- Preheat your oven as high as it will go for at least 45 minutes to one hour.
In the bowl of your kitchen aid and using the paddle attachment mix the flour, sea salt and active dry yeast (<--amazon) on low speed until all is incorporated then add the COLD water.
- Switch to the dough hook and mix together on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and sticky but should not stick to the sides of the bowl, only a little to the bottom.
- (If the dough sticks to the sides sprinkle in a little more flour, if it is too dry then add a bit more water).
- After the 8 minutes have passed remove the dough from the kitchen aid and cut it into 6 pieces and form them into rounds. Place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature and rise for 2 hours in a draft free area. ( I prefer the oven )
- Sprinkle the counter with a little bit of flour, take one piece of dough and press down on it with your fingers until you have 1/2" thick circle or oval. Using your fists and knuckles start stretching the dough until 10" in diameter making sure not to tear it ( this should be easy since it is a small pie).
- Dust your pizza peel (or a piece of cardboard) very well with semolina flour or corn meal and set your pizza dough on it making sure it slides easily when moved. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the pizza sauce in the center and spread it around with the back of a spoon leaving 1 inch of space at the edges and making sure not to get any on the peel. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and add your favorite toppings. ( Don't add too many toppings, keep in mind this is a thin crust and a couple of toppings will suffice ).
- Gently slide the pie on the preheated pizza stone in a hot 525 degree or more oven, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. When making the breakfast pizza I find that the egg cooks perfectly in 6 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil and freshly grated parmigiano reggianno. Allow to rest for a few minute for the cheese to set.
Pour the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast, salt and cold water and using a wooden spoon mix to combine well.
Sprinkle some flour on a work surface/kitchen counter and dump the pizza dough. Sprinkle some more flour on top and using your hand knead the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes until a smooth ball forms but still a little bit sticky on the bottom. Follow the steps above afterwards.
Make sure to preheat your oven with the pizza stone in it for at least 45 minutes, and finish cooking the pizza under the broiler for a nice charred touch.
If topping with heirloom tomato slices, make sure to use the firm ones, otherwise the pizza would be watery. Thin firm slices is what you want.
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Florentinas rustic pizza dough and toppings inspired me as they always do to create taste and enjoy lovely lady keep em coming i tip a glass of wine in salute
Salute!
I am a genuine italian man and i will salute you any time
Grazie Mille Guido! ~ Florentina
Going to try this one, have a wood Pizza oven I build,,,like to see it,,, still looking for a great dough receipt and hope this is it. 4 stars cuz it looks so good, but without egg and fresh heirlooms ! I like simple
So love all your receipt’s ,,,,,send me to Italy now.
Douglas
Pizza Party at my house !
This pizza dough is the best I have ever tried..and it was super easy to make!!! It cooked up great on the pizza stone. It was so good we didn’t have any left over!!
Yay! That’s fantastic !
Hi Tina! I just posted this recipe in http://www.dinnerreviews.com ‘s Food For Thought and Recipe Section! Check it out! Thanks for allowing me to use your excellent recipes! I am sending lots of readers your way!
Love, Tommy Boy
Grazie Tommy boy !
When I went home for the holidays, we had homemade pizza twice, and my god! It was soooooo delicious I want to eat about 10 of them now! Thank you for this! 🙂
Ciao Florentina! (‘ciao’ really goes hand-in-hand with your name…) Your friend Diana introduced me to your blog. She recommended the strawberry-spinach salad and here I am… browsing your blog, fascinated by your talent. I love the recipes and the way you talk about them. I’ve always thought a good recipe is even better, accompanied by an interesting story. I’ll definitely stop by more often. Nice meeting you!
Thanks so much, nice to meet you as well!
I have made this dough before and it was good, but I just got a acorn karnado and was able to cook at at 550 for 7 minutes, perfect
Woohoo! High temperatures and a pizza stone makes Pizza Magic! Love it!
Homemade pizzas are terrific! A classic at my place…
Cheers,
Rosa
I agree, baking pizza on pizza stone is so much better
Although I have used a recipe close to this, this was one of the best pizza recipes I have made. I made one mistake, though. I let the entire dough rise for 1.5 hours before splitting it into 4 separate dough balls. I let them rise for 30 mins and then formed them into pizza crusts. I also used two pizza stones rather than one, one at the very bottom and another two racks down from the top. Put the pizza in at the bottom for about 4 mins. and then move it to the top for 3-4 mins. You will have a firm pizza bottom and chewy crust with a nice golden toasted cheese layer. Thank you for helping to refine my pizza baking.
My pleasure Jon! I am so happy you enjoyed it so much, it makes me 🙂
Buonissima!!!
Do you have any experience cooking pizza or bread in a convection oven. My oven has a convection mode also. I am hoping to get your input on using convection mode over regular bake mode
I do not use a convection oven but I would give it a try. It should cook the food more evenly at lower temperatures. When it comes to baking pizza you should still use high temperature and a pizza stone, unless of course you have a pizza oven 🙂 in which case high temperature is all you need.
I used the convection oven with a pizza stone. I wish I could have a dedicated pizza oven, that would be nice. have you ever cooked a loaf of bread without a pan?
used this recipe to make a taco pizza http://distillery.s3.amazonaws.com/media/2011/05/03/5d1f3c909b03449b8b21a9e5687b5c01_7.jpg
That looks great! I used it for a BBQ pizza two weeks ago too !
Hi there! Great pizza advise. Haven’t tried it but was curious about the recipe which indicates cold water. I was always taught warm water and sugar to proof the yeast. Thanks for your help!!
It used to be warm water and sugar to proof the yeast but with the dry instant yeast you can get at the store nowadays that really isn’ t necessary. I never had an issue and it’s much simpler. Go for it!
It used to be warm water and sugar to proof the yeast but with the dry instant yeast you can get at the store nowadays that really isn’ t necessary. I also used two pizza stones rather than one, one at the very bottom and another two racks down from the top. It was so good we didn’t have any left over!! She recommended the strawberry-spinach salad and here I am… browsing your blog, fascinated by your talent.
Thank you so much Gayle, I appreciate the love. Enjoy your time here, stop by often!
I just made this with carmelized onions, feta, mozzarella and zucchini. It was killer. I didn’t have a pizza stone so I used a cookie sheet with parchment paper. It was perfect.
Can u freeze the dough.?
@Sandy Yes you can freeze the pizza dough. After forming it into balls just place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and throw them in the freezer. Once frozen you can transfer them to individual plastic bags and use at your convenience.
My grandson and I make pizza every time we’re together but continue to look for the perfect recipe. I can’t wait to try your’s. A couple of questions… If you freeze the dough, do you freeze before rising and then let it rise for 2 hours after it comes to room temperature? Also, can this be cooked on a pizza stone on the grill? I have one stone for the oven and one for the grill. I prefer to use the grill in the warm summer months.l
Hi Vicky ! Yes you can use this dough on your pizza stone on the grill. If you want to freeze it, just make sure to spray it well with some olive oil and pop it in some freezer bags, squeezing out as much air as you can. No need to let it rise. When ready to make it, let it defrost on the kitchen counter for about 1 1/2 hours, it will do what it needs to do and you are ready to roll. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
The absolute best pizza dough I have ever had, I’ve only had a similar pizza in Italy .
Sunday is pizza and movies day with the family. We are making this pizza dough again and again, perfect every time especially since we got a pizza stone. Killer !
I do not have a stand mixer. Can I knead it by hand and still get good results?
Yes you may. I would suggest putting a little extra time into it , like 5 minutes or so.
I’m wondering about the yeast and how it might not dissolve in the cold water. Was it dry active yeast or instant yeast?
Hi Jodie, it is Active Dry Yeast, works perfect every single time. Enjoy !
What kind of specific yeast?
Active Dry Yeast is all you need, I use the all natural gluten free packets available at the grocery store.
My kids love making piza so I am excited to try yoour version with them.
Oh yes, Pizza fun with the kids is such a blast !
I can’t toss a pizza either but I can sure eat one. This looks great
Hahaha your opening line got me laughing out loud. Florentina’s Rustic Californian Pizza is just fine by me 🙂 I’ve always had that hook attachment that came with my stand mixer though we don’t own a pizza stone. We’ll definitely check out your suggestions…that pizza looks amazing!
Thanks Jolina, hope you are having a great week!
All of your pizzas look to die for and this recipe looks so easy! Sounds like this may need to be a part of our next date night in! Fresh pizza with homemade dough sounds amazing! Yum!
Oh yes, Date night pizza is the best ever ! Report back 😉
I love making pizza at home, it’s such a money saver, it’s easier than a lot of people think!
we make homemade pizza all the time. I will need to give this recipe a try
Florentina, this pizza looks absolutely positively divine! My Italian Grandma would have swooned!
Ha ! I bet I would have loved your grandma, she sounds awesome !
Someone else likes a thin crust pizza! With just a touch of sauce, a li… right! Even here in NYC they’re making thicker crusts these days – oh, well…
That looks beautiful.
No way, not in NY i can’t believe it ! Now we are really gonna have to make all our thin crust pizza at home.
Absolutely!
kitchen aid has made making pizza sooo easy for me too. this looks great!
Homemade pizza is the best!! We love doing it on the BBQ and this dough sounds like it would work really well!!
Yes and Yes Gloria. I use this pizza dough for everything including the grill and it cooks perfectly. Hope you try it ! ~ florentina!
Hi you have a lot of lovely pizza recipes. So its ok to use normal water or cold water instead of the warm water?
Yes, I only use very cold water to make my pizza dough, never fails. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
I usually make my pizza dough the night before and refrigerate until ready to use. Do you think that would affect the quality of this recipe?
You can definitely make the dough in advance and refrigerate it. Make sure to cut it into smaller rounds and individually wrap them in plastic wrap with a little olive oil. Place it on the kitchen counter a couple of hours before you want to make your pizza and allow it to rise and proof just sitting there.
I’m honestly SO excited to try this!! My husband and I never recovered from our trip to Italy when it comes to pizza. We make our own very often in order to try and get it as close to the “real” thing as possible. This recipe might just change our whole approach. THANK YOU!
Hi Quin, please report back on your pizza adventure 🙂 This is one of my most treasured recipes.
Hello there, Thanks so much for the pizza dough recipe. I have a wood fired oven and have been struggling with many dough recipes. The first time I tried yours it was a miracle in the difference compared to the ones I have tried. It was the final touch I needed to make my pizzas almost perfect. Thank you so much and I hope to try many of your other recipes. Thanks again , much appreciated. Rock on. Mark
My pleasure Mark. I am so happy it turned out so amazing, we absolutely love this pizza dough. And lucky you, wood fire pizza oven ? I’m so jelly 😉
Hi Florentina:
I had been trying and searching for Pizza Dough recipe, here i am, may i know what type of flour the recipe used? The amount water may varies , right ? Do you have the recipe by weight ?
Thanks
Hi Simon, it is just regular all purpose flour. I don’t have it by weight, but honestly you will have to add more or less depending on how much water your flour will take.Just make sure the dough sticks only a little bit to the bottom of your bowl.
Best pizza dough ever!!! Easy to make, fast cooked and delicious taste. I used parchment paper… Super easy to manipulate from countertop to oven and back.
Thanks a lot!
Cheers
Yann
I’m so stoked to hear 🙂 Doing the happy dance over here, now I wanna have pizza night ~Florentina
I don’t have a pizza stone for the oven. What do you reccomend i do?
Hi Vanessa, well I recommend you get one lol But meanwhile If you have a cast iron skillet just use that instead. Heat it up with the oven just like you would do a pizza stone and use it as such. Maybe turn it upside down so it is easy to transfer the pizza in and out. Let me know how it goes 🙂
HI Florentina. I am very excited to try you pizza dough recipe but I do not own a kitchen aid. Would my kneading time be the same the old fashion way?
Hi Darlene, you can definitely make it by hand, it will take a little elbow grease, I’d say give it about 10 minutes extra. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Hi Florentina!
Just got a pizza stone, and found your site searching for a great pizza dough recipe. I’m curious though that there is no sweetener noted, like sugar or honey. I have instant yeast, but I’ve never seen a pizza dough recipe without some sort of sugar added for the yeast. Did I miss it somewhere? Thank you!
Hi Denise, you are correct, there is NO sweetener at all, none needed 🙂 Enjoy and let me know how it turned out ~ Florentina
I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful pizza dough recipe!!! It is not gummy or too doughy!
Ever since I visited Italy finding true Italian foods has been hard! Also being a vegetarian Italian foods have been a godsend!
I have tried to find Italian recipes so I can cook at home myself! Also I have moved to the West coast from NYC and trying to find true Italian food has been rough!
This has been the best dough recipe ever! Thank you! You Rock. I’ll be bookmarking your site.
*I am Asian and according to my friends I can cook Italian really well for an Asian Girl 🙂
My pleasure Liz, I’m so happy it was such a hit for you as well. I bet you are a great cook at more than just Italian food, ha! ~ Florentina Xo’s
How many individual pizzas/dough balls does this recipe make?
6
Hello Florentina.
This sounds funny but I am very nervous around yeast. I have been putting the yeast in warm water with sugar to “feed” it and finally making nice bread and such. I’m confused as to how the recipe uses cold water please help me understand this yeast mystery. Off to the kitchen I go……we love pizza. Thx jojo
Nothing to be worried about JoJo. I swear by this method, actually the coldest the water, the better. The yeast is already active, I’ve made this countless times and have never ever had an issue. Let me know how it goes 🙂 ~ Florentina
can you bake this on a bake sheet
Sure, but it won’t be as crispy and amazing as If you baked it on a pizza stone. Just being honest 🙂
I have a question, should I be using all purpose flour or bread flour?
Also, any tips for the pizza stone? I have the Emile Henry one and for some reason, we can’t seem to get it right. Either the bottom of the pie never crisps due to possibly too much flour, or we don’t use enough and it burns. We tried cornmeal but didn’t enjoy the taste. Any advice (from anyone) would be appreciated.
Hi Erica, I use organic all purpose flour and also have the Emille Henry pizza stone. It is important that you warm it up with the oven for at least 30 minutes, I usually do it for 1 hour. Sprinkle just a little bit of flour on the pizza stone right before sliding the pizza on top. Then use a long spatula and carefully drag the leftover flour onto a plate after removing the pizza from the oven. Then start fresh again. Very little four is actually needed as your dough should already have some flour on it from when you stretch it out. Keep me posted on how this goes next time. ~ Florentina
Hi. Has anyone tried making this on a grill?
Hi Silvi, yes i have made it on the grill as well. Makes sure to grill both sides before adding any toppings then move away from direct flame and cook until the cheese has melted.
Hi there! Does it matter what kind of yeast you use? For my rustic bread I use rapid rise/instant yeast can I use that?
Hi Pam yes it matters. I use an Active Dry Yeast since this is the cold water method, sounds like you are describing a similar product. Le me know how it goes 🙂
This recipe is amazing! I have been searching for a good pizza dough recipe and I have tried a bunch, but this is our family’s favorite. My husband begs me to make pizzas pretty much weekly. I was wondering, can I make a smaller number of larger pizzas with this dough? What would the cooking time need to be adjusted to? We have guests coming and I wanted to just make a couple of pizzas instead of a bunch of smaller ones.
Hi Hayleigh, you sure can make larger pizzas, just cook them a couple of extra minutes. If it isn’t done to your liking just give it more time, it isn’t a fussy recipe, you’ll find your sweet spot. Soooo happy this is your new favorite dough Xo’s ~Florentina
You mentioned that you can freeze the dough. How long does it keep before spoiling and does it affect the consistency of the dough? Do you freeze it whole or portioned and shaped? Thanks
Hi! Here is the step by step tutorial on how to freeze pizza dough: https://ciaoflorentina.com/how-to-freeze-pizza-dough-tutorial/
My pizza dough hasn’t risen at all in 90 minutes. I followed your instructions to the letter. I’m using “Fleishmann’s traditional active dry yeast”. Why isn’t it rising? The package of yeast said I’m supposed to put it warm water first. Help?
HI Dave, what was the end result ? Did you end up baking the pizza or what happened? I’ve never had an issue with it rising at all, this is the COLD water method so ignore the package, just make sure it is active dry yeast.
Remember to keep your yeast in a cool place! I couldn’t figure out why my yeast wasn’t working, and then I realized I had been keeping it in the cupboard above the oven and it got too hot. Also make sure it’s not expired.
Yes absolutely!
Hi this recipe looks great I’m going to try it, i will be making by hand donyou have instructions please?
Hi Tania, you’ll need to give your arm a little workout and knead the dough for about 20 minutes or so.
This was the first time I’ve ever made pizza dough (or anything involving flour and yeast). Had trouble when mixing initially. It wasn’t sticking to the sides of my mixer, but was way too sticky to handle and get off the hook. Eventually got it but had to add more flour than I expected. I fired these with a pizza stone on my kamado grill. Stone was 700 degrees when I put them in. Cooked nicely in about 4 minutes (they were small pizzas). Perfect crispy crust but it puffed up thicker than expected. Wasn’t really a thin crust pizza at that point.
Hi Jared, just make sure to stretch out the pies thinner next time. Also you can use a fork to poke the sides of it so it doesn’t puff up too much while baking. Depending on the flour we use sometimes it might take more or less, cooking is never 100% exact formula, just trust your instincts, you’ll do great!
Hi there! I am very excited on try this recipe, but I don’t have a mixer or processor. Would you mind giving instructions to make this by hand?
Hi Liem, I just added the instructions by hand to the recipe as well. You just need a little elbow grease to knead it a little bit longer, so pretty much the same process just using your hand and your kitchen counter. Enjoy!
After many pizza dough recipes I think this is the one! This dough has a nice soft texture and is easy to work with. I divided it into 4’s instead of 6’s. After the 2 hour rise I froze 2 and put 2 in the frig for later in the day. One thing that I have found after trying many recipes is not to rush the dough. I start to shape the dough in the pizza pan but once the dough starts to resist I let it rest. If you keep stretching the dough you will end up with those dreaded holes in your dough. Once the dough starts to resist just leave it alone for 10 minutes or so, drink your wine and come back to it. The dough will have relaxed and is much easier to continue to shape. That’s been my experience anyway. That said I found this recipe one of the easiest pizza doughs to work with. Also think that is why those quick pizza dough recipes are never as good or as easy to work with as these that have at least a couple hour rise time. Thanks for this recipe. Really Good!
My pleasure, so glad you loved it!
Hi this is my first time with making pizza dough and your recipe was so simple I loved It!!! Just one question, I did use the active dry yeast, I just noticed that after all the mixing the yeast was still in its little pebble form, is that normally?
Hi Claudia, yes that is fine I would not worry about it 🙂
Can this be baked in a wood burning pizza oven. I am looking for a good dough because all the ones I have tried making were a real disappointment.
Yes definitely! It is a thin crust style so keep an eye on it and report back!
Absolutely the best pizza dough recipe ! If you don’t want to heat the house up in the summer, put it on the grill. Love it both ways !!!
Thank you Robin! We will have to agree on that one 😉 Yes and Yes to grilling pizza inside on a cast iron skillet. The thinner you stretch it the quicker it cooks and the crispier it gets!
Just wondering, can the dough be made and then left in the fridge for a while before needing the 2 hrs to rise? Like could I make this first thing in the am and then take out early afternoon, to rise and make in the early evening?
Yes you can refrigerate it as soon as you mixed the dough. You can also freeze it individually and then take out what you need about 3 hours before cooking.
This has become my go to recipe for pizza dough! I’m always getting compliments on it and people always ask for the recipe!
I’m so excited Anna, nothing like nailing pizza night at home, right ? Xo’s ~ Florentina
Best pizza crust recipe ever, easy to make and comes out so crispy and thin and tasty.
Where is the video? Would like to watch.
Sorry, we had some tech issues that affected the video player performance, hope to have it back up and running soon. Thanks for understanding!
this is a great pizza dough it very easy to mske loved it.
Florentina .. I’ve tried so many pizza dough recipes. Yours is the best, my pizza turns thin crust perfectly. What appealed me to try your dough is three things related to the ingredients : The water, I used to add warm water. The cold water added many attributes to the dough; softness and the dough doesn’t tear when rolling. The other interesting ingredient is the “amount” of the dry active yeast which is low compared to other recipes I used to follow. The third ingredient you excluded is the sugar, I think all of above contibuted to have a crust pizza. I also like the technique of kneadling in a low speed .. now I’m done with dough ! It’s time to find the best recipe for fried chicken and get a flavour as KFC ! .. Thx Florentina 🙂
That’s super awesome Edd!You should try freezing it next time see If you like it that way too, makes life so much easier. Can’t help you with the fried chicken as we went full speed plant based now, but there is a recipe in the files here for crispy oven baked chicken wings that were killer on game day drenched in chimichurri or garlic butter. Let me know if you give those a go 🙂