The best, easy, thin and crispy crust rustic Italian pizza dough recipe you will ever make. Step by step how to video included below.
Neopolitan style homemade Italian pizza dough recipe!
A quick, authentic, thin and crispy crust 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.
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.
- Vegan, perfect for strombolli, calzone, focaccia, bread sticks and even for the outdoor pizza oven.
what is the best flour for pizza dough ?
In my humble opinion an organic unbleached all purpose flour is ideal especially when making a thin Neopolitan crust. No fancy flour is required.
what is a Neopolitan pizza crust ?
An authentic Italian thin and crisp crust with charred edges and only a few toppings.
I go with simple toppings at Casa Florentina:
- a simple but thick homemade puttanesca, arrabiata or marinara sauce
- ricotta meatballs
- roasted cherry tomatoes
- fresh mozzarella cheese
- spinach & artichoke
- caramelized onions,
- heirloom tomatoes & fresh basil.
The Secret to Italian Pizza Dough Perfection ?
- You must bake your rustic pizza on a Pizza Stone! Lightly brush it with some olive oil and as soon as the pie 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 or more if you aren’t in a rush.
note worthy:
If you are looking for those authentic charred little fire kisses on your Italian 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!
watch how to make the best Italian pizza dough:
Rustic Italian Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups all purpose or 00 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
Your favorite toppings:
- Caramelized onions
- Arrabiata Sauce
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Green Onions
- Smoked Mozzarella Cheese
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Ricotta Meatballs
Instructions
- 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.
Hand Method
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
You’ll Also Love:
Breakfast Egg Pizza
Ricotta Spinach Pizza
Zuppa Toscana
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
Only one thing florentina you couldn’t leave the doe to rest in the oven if your preheating it for an hour lol
Of course not hahahahahah
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I used oo flour to make dough for Sicilian pie and I added garlic to the dough and let it sit for 2 and a half hours. I added italian sausage onions green pepper s oregano and pecorino romano. Sheer perfecton!!!
The crust was amazing. I loved this recipe
Can the dough be made ahead and frozen?
Yes, here’s the freezing tutorial: https://ciaoflorentina.com/how-to-freeze-pizza-dough-tutorial/
Could I use instant yeast? This is what I have on hand.
Yes you can!
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
So if you were to use your dough the next day would you let it rise before putting it in the fridge? Or after?
After, a couple of hours before baking it should be enough.
Where can I buy Thais flour at?
All purpose flour you should be able to find it at any grocery store.
How many pizzas does this make?? 5 cups of flour is a lot. You made 7 balls of dough, so 7 pizzas?? And if so do you freeze the ones you’re not making??
Thanks so much
Yes, freeze whatever you aren’t cooking before rising. How to freeze instruction with step by step photos are linked.
If I wanted to use this but make larger pizzas, can I just separate it into 3 or 4 balls instead?
Absolutely!
I am 50/50 Italian Irish. I loved the pizza in Italy but have yet to find an authentic recipe here in the US without using 00 flour. I came across your this recipe by accident and I’m at the rising stage. I am a chef at heart. So far I have yet to find a smoother, more elastic dough than yours and am so very excited for the final product. Thank you for sharing!
Is it ok to 1/2 the recipe to make 3 10-12. I would think it would be by just halfing all the ingredients but I’m a pizza noobie. 🙂
You can safely half this pizza dough recipe but might as well make the whole batch and freeze half for later.
I’m trying this recipe right now and I’m afraid I just wasted 5 cups of Caputo. I followed your recipe exactly and after 10 minutes it still looks like soup.
How many grams in 1 cup of Caputo? The internet says 50 different things. Thank you!
Stephen, all you need to do is add more flour. It’s never going to be the exact amount as flour sometimes requires more water sometimes less. The goal is to achieve a dough that is still sticky on the bottom but definitely not a soup. Just sprinkle in more flour and incorporate well, no need to weigh anything at all, you can save this and have an amazing pizza tonight.
Love this recipe I am also using it to make fried dough for the 4th of july.
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 !
Mama Mia that’s a good dough. Magnifico!
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!
We have the Akron and I first tried pizzas in there and was lucky enough to have found this recipe for that first time…-& it’s the only one I use now! Love it!!!! I even add a piece of ironbark wood to the charcoal, what a flavour!!! I’ve gone thru one stone already, broke straight across lol such high temps in the Akron! Perfect for pizzas and this recipe!
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.
Do you let it rise or does it go straight into the freezer? What’s the best way to thaw it?
Straight into the freezer, when ready to cook just place it at room temperature for 2-3 hours, it will proof while thawing out too. It works!
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 🙂
Thank you for the recipe. Cold water and small amount of yeast makes all the difference. Pizza came out great.
can I make this recipe in a bread maker? if I set it to the dough setting
Joanne, I haven’t experimented with the bread maker so I wouldn’t want to mislead you.
Can you use 00 flour in this recipe?
Sure!
I do have to say, I was skeptical about the dough using cold water went against everything I knew about pizza dough, warm water and yeast. It worked though. Portioning out the dough for the rise worked well for individual pizzas and freezing the doughs. Good dough. Turned out good. Would make again.
Will the cold water method still work if I use the rapid rise yeast?
I believe so Joanna 🙂
Was the pizza pictured here done on a grill? Most oven swill burn the cheese before the crust is crusty at such high temps.
This was done in the oven. Don’t worry the cheese won’t burn because this crust is very thin so it cooks super fast.
It looks very good, but I haven’t met the video
The video is at the beginning after the second paragraph. You might wanna give it a second to load 🙂
Hi Floentina, Your recipe looks terrific. I don’t have a Kitchen Aid but I do have a food processor. Any tips you’d like to give me before I try your recipe out???
Nothing to worry about, mix everything well and you can even knead it by hand. Report back 🙂
Do you use bread flour or all purpose?
Whichever I have in the pantry 🙂
Hey, fantastic recipe, very crispy :))
My dough was very sticky but ended up well.
Delicious
Thank you!
I’ve tried multiple pizza dough recipes and this is one of the easiest and most delicious. I knead the dough by hand and it comes out perfectly. I have frozen it for weeks and defrosted one day in advance and it is just as delicious. Thank you
That’s so great Matthew! So happy it worked out so well for you. It is most definitely our favorite pizza dough of all times too 🙂
I have tried many dough recipes, as many others have. Especially by not first proofing the yeast with warm water, honey and oil in the dough…This one was super easy and delicious!..took no time to make. It kneaded perfectly with the dough hook until I had to remove it….it was sooo sticky I couldn’t get it off my hands ( that took longer than making the dough, lol) Does this happen to you? I only use King Arthur flour…AP, bread and sometimes whole wheat. Any suggestions?…don’t want to use too much flour. Once I got it handled and let it rise, it rolled out easily without resistance! Will definitely make again. Thank you, Florentina
Hi Gig, you can always sprinkle in a little more If it is too sticky to handle. Even the same brand of flour can behave differently at times. Once you get a feel for how the dough should feel when handled you’ll be a pro. Sometimes I have to add more flour myself, just add a little bit and then a little bit more. It will never be exactly 100% the same every time. You got thi!
Did you use a packet of yeast or 1 1/2 cups of it? Help please
1.5 teaspoons of active dry yeast, NOT cups.
I just thought I would stop by and say we LOVE this crust and we have successfully frozen it in a ball, par cooked and either topped or not all with great success. I do flash freeze each pizza before sealing it in a foodsaver bag and have found that oblong seems to fit best in our freezer rather than round. Thank you for a simple crispy crust with a nice chewy texture if it is a bit thicker.
Sorry, I meant to say in a ball OR rolled out and par-cooked like 8 or 9 minutes. I would hate to cause confusion.
I rode the dough for 3 hours instead by accident. Will my pizza still turn out??
Yes!
Ciao Florentina,
This rustic pizza dough recipe was Perfetto per mi! I played basketball in Italy for six years and was spoiled by the simplistic way that the foods are made! I’m spoiled now and won’t settle! Now, as a chef, I simply want good…nay, great food that’s easily prepared. You’ve done that with this recipe.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It’s both simple and bakes up perfectly. My family loved it! My son started speaking Italian after eating his pie and he doesn’t even speak Italian! Lol.
All the best and continued success to you.
Thank you so much Marty! I’m sitting here laughing at your awesome comment! Good pizza will make you speak in tongues LOL
Hi, your pizza looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it out.. what type of flour did you use? I read that ‘00’ flour is the best flour for pizza and was just wondering what you used for yours.
Organic all purpose flour.
I won’t even bother looking for another pizza dough recipe. This was delicious! I cooked the pizza on a pizza stone and finished it under the broiler as suggested, and it was amazing. I’ve made pizza dough before and it wasn’t even close to this good. I also made breakfast pizza the following morning with leftover dough, and once again, it didn’t disappoint. Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s fantastic! So happy it turned out great for you! Enjoy!
What kind of flour do you use
Organic, all purpose flour!
Hello, the recipe and the photos look really good. I have two questions though – ok if i just bake it in the oven without the stone, its not available anywhere where i Live and also, can i knead it by hand instead of the dough kneader. and if yes approx how much time would be good enough? Thanks in advance.
Yes you can bake it on a cast iron plate or skillet if you have that otherwise it won’t be as crispy. You can also knead it by hand, i’d say a good 10-15 minutes would be great!
Hi! Your pizza looks delicious, what kind of flour do you use in the recipe? Thanks in advance! 😉
Just organic all purpose flour.
This was the most amazing pizza dough I have ever made. I made 4 pieces of dough. We cooked them on the grill and it was TOTAL PERFECTION! Thank you for sharing. I did add one Tablespoon of honey. I will use this recipe whenever I make pizza. Again……AMAZING! Everything you look for in a pizza crust! Viki D
I always hate it when someone alters a recipe before trying it. Having said that, I used bread flour (higher gluten content) and I was short on time so I only let the dough raise about 40 minutes or so. I made one half of a recipe and one large pizza, therefore my crust was on the thick side, and needed longer to bake . The crust was soft in texture-really nice with a chewy crust. Next time I would use one half recipe to make 2pizzas instead of one and I think it will hit my crust thickness preference just right. This is a beautiful recipe that I will use for years to come. Thanks!
Excellent recipe! Easy quick and extremely versatile. Thank you for sharing.
This Pizza was crispy, tasty, and delicious! The whole family loved it! For sure I will make it again!
It’s impossible to miss this. This is just like in restaurants!! SOOOO GOOOODDDDD
Absolutely delicious base! Five stars hands down!
No kidding, the best pizza I’ve ever made in my entire life and as good as the ones I’ve had in Italy. 10 stars from me!
I’m seriously the worst at pizza dough because it never comes out good enough for my liking however, this recipe came out PERFECT. I love that you use cold water for the yeast because the yeast is always what I screw up. Thank you for this recipe!!
HELP! I just made the dough and it was a disaster! the dough was so sticky and I kept adding flour but it just continued to be sticky. I couldn’t stretch it out, it just kept bouncing back. I put corn meal in the pizza paddle and it still kept sticking. Because I couldn’t get it thin I had to cook it for a long time. My oven was at 525 for 25 minutes. What when wrong???????
Hi Judy, sounds like the dough just needed more flour. Some types of the flour just take way more water than others. The trick is to keep adding flour until the proper dough forms or just start with less liquid next time.
The fresh pizza dough was a dream to handle though I noticed When making pizza from the frozen dough, even though I let it rise it was very hard to handle and very sticky any suggestions?
I would let it rise maybe a little longer and just add more flour when stretching it out.
Do you think this dough recipe would work if cooked on the grill.?
Absolutely!
I put my pizza stone in my gas grill and with this recipe produced the best pizza I have ever made. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I added slowly more flour than called for but otherwise followed the recipe closely.
I LOVE this pizza dough. It was exactly what I was looking for. I actually prefer and even thinner crust so I split the dough into 8 pieces rather than 6. I also par-bake the crust about 4 to 5 mins, on the bottom of my large cast iron skillet, @500°. I will then make up all 8 pizzas and freeze 4 of them. I take the other 4 and bake directly on the oven rack. I have had the best results with the crust this way. I’ve made this many times and not once have I disliked it. Thank you so so much for this amazing reciepe!
Maggie- Arizona
By the way..I only made the alterations after making the recipe as written many times. It was delicious as written. I only shared the alterations as ideas for others. I’ve made this recipe at least 20x now. It’s amazing!
So good! Just like in Italy! I used OO flour from Italy that I bought at a local Italian store and I think it made a difference. This is the second time I made the recipe. Much stretchier although needed a tiny bit more flour. Otherwise made it exactly as stated. Used a pizza peel and stone. Just added a bit of olives, fresh tomatoe from the garden and a bit of bacon. I love this pizza so much!, Thank you for posting this!
Omg yum! I made this dough along with your marinara and margherita recipes and everything was just delicious! The recipes are also so simple and flavorful. Instant favorites for sure, thank you!
Hi! I made this the first time leaving it in the fridge and it was amazing! Just a question, can I leave this to prove with the proof setting on my oven. Will the proof time change if I do that?
Thanks so much!
I have not experimented with that, I suspect it will be a faster process.
I’ve been trying pizza dough recipes forever. I think this one may end my search. I used freshly ground white whole wheat flour and unbleached all purpose flour in a 3:1 ratio, everything else just as written. It was sooo good – soft and light inside and slightly crispy outside. Bravo!!!
So happy you loved it and thank you for reporting back 🙂
The Best Crust Ive it in my mouth!!!
I made a breakfast pizza and it it just Delicious!! Wish i could post a pic. Thank you for this recipe!! ❤️
This was great!! Easy, quick, and good! There wasn’t enough time to take a picture because as soon as they came out of the oven they were gone!
I would love to try this recipe! Looks fabulous!! One request though…would you be able to update site for a share on Pinterest? I would love to pin this recipe and maybe there’s another way? Thanks so much!!
When scrolling over the image a red Pin button should pop up so you can pin it.
Can I use a baking sheet if I don’t have a pizza stone?
Sure, just preheat with the oven and make sure it’s hot.
This recipe is a total game-changer! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
amazing recipe. thank you so much !!
The recipe is the yummiest fluffiest pizza dough ever I made it by hand and it was awesome can you use a electric beater.
If you only have instant dry yeast it’s fine you just use 1 1/4 tsp yeast it’s still yum
We have a pizza oven (gas) if we left a pizza in for 7 mins it would cremate it… is your 525 fahrenheit or cels?
Fahrenheit
When would you freeze the extra dough? Before or after it has risen.
This is my first attempt at pizza.
Before!
So Yummy! It was super simple to make and absolutely delicious! One question….I made too much – can it be refrigerated or frozen? Or will it over prove?
Yes you can refrigerate or freeze half of it or all of it, here are the step by step instructions: https://ciaoflorentina.com/how-to-freeze-pizza-dough-tutorial/
I’ve been using this recipe for months. I have a wood fire pizza oven and and after months of trying to find a great pizza dough recipe, I came across this one. It’s perfect! I love all of your recipes and look forward to trying many more. Thank you!
Really great recipe and I’ve been looking for a long time!! Thank you so much 🙂
This is now our go to for pizza. My family does not ask for any other kind of pizza anymore. The last time I made this I added some diced up Rosemary to the dough which gave it a beautiful aroma and taste. I also found that using a cast iron skillet is another way to cook this it acts just like a pizza stone.
This was a fun cooking adventure, and the results were well worth it. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I used the hand method.
It was impossible for me to decide whether the goat cheese, anchovy stuffed olive, caramelized onion, and basil or the bacon, corn, and caramelized onion pizza was the best. Both pizzas had a homemade ranch base with a mixture of Gouda and Oaxaca cheese.
We ate 3 pizzas and froze 3 dough balls. I will definitely be making this again very soon.
BEST PIZZA EVER! And I’m a beginner!!!!! If I can do it, so can you! Great recipe.
I have tried many pizza dough recipes and this one was by far the best one ever! My boys loved it!❤ Thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe! Using the cold water made it a lot easier to work with yeast. Becomes fluffy and really good! I baked my pizza on 525 for about 10 mins then broiled for about 2 mins.
Tried with whole wheat flour and it definitely isn’t the same! Didn’t rise as much but still so good.
This is probably the best pizza dough recipe on the internet. I know there are probably many that are similar but I found it here so that’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it. I replaced the dry yeast with fresh yeast (about 13 grams) as it was more readily available at my corner bakery during these quarantine times. Dissolve it in 1/4 cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar for 10 minutes and add in with the cold water when mixing. I baked it in my gas oven at 550° on my pizza stone and it was cooked in 4 minutes. My favorite toppings are what you would typically find on a Calabrese pizza at a pizza place; tomato sauce, infornata black olives, hot soppressata, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and gorgonzola cheese. It came out as good as any wood oven pizza I’ve ever had, including Italy (minus that little bit of smoke flavor from the real wood-burning oven). The dough is crispy yet still had that little bit of “chew” that is typical of wood oven pizza. My kids absolutely love it and I don’t think I’ll use another recipe ever (save for when I make Chicago deep dish pizza). Thank you very much for this Florentina.
Thank you for the recipe, my family’s love it, now we have tradition for pizza night once in forthrightly.
This recipe has been my go-to recipe since I found it! I can’t even start to explain the pizza crust failures I have had and there is no turning back from pizza success after this recipe 🙂 Everyone loves it at home and that is the best feeling ever!!! Thank you so much for this <3
Made it
Do I need to dissolve the yeast in water first before adding the flour?
no you do not, it’s a slow rise it will be fine.
This looks great and I will use it in my homemade wood-fired brick oven this evening. Question for you, i see a lot of recipes using bread flour instead of AP for brick oven pizzas. Will this AP recipe work well with wood fired oven, cooking about 700*F?
Yes works perfect in a wood fired on and it will be done fast depending on how thin you want your crust.
It was perfect! Thank you.
We haven’t made actual pizza from this. But I did use the dough to make garlic knots and bread sticks. They turned out sooooo good! We can’t wait to try it with pizza next! Thank you!!!
If making the dough in the morning, to be used for pizzas that night, Can the dough be refrigerated after rising for a couple hours? And then taken out of fridge and used later that same day?
Refrigerate or freeze before rising. 2-4 hours before you wanna cook it just set the dough on the kitchen counter to rise. Workd every time.
Absolutely the best pizza dough recipe ever!
Over the years I have tried so many different recipes for pizza dough, striving to find the perfect one. Now I need look no more: your recipe is utterly delicious! I must admit that I was very worried about using cold water instead of warm as it goes against everything we’ve been told but so glad that I did as it works amazingly. My family love this dough sooo much! Thank you 🙂
Hi, i dont have a pizza stone. How long should i bake it if using a regular baking tray? Thanks!
Same amount of time but keep an eye on it you might like to give it a few extra minutes if not crisp enough to your liking.
Hello! Thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious!! I don’t have a pizza store and can’t get one where I live. At what temperature should i bake the pizza in a normal oven?? Thank you!!
Bake it on a cookie sheet as high as your oven will go and keep an eye on it, just bake it a little longer if your oven doesn’t go that high, you’ll find the perfect timing for your oven after the first batch.
Tried 4 recipes before i found yours, simple and perfect!
Nice rise, crusty and chewy…thank you, got alot of compliments.
Yummy! Cooked it In a Smokey Mountain pizza oven and it was probably the best pizza I have ever had. The dough was absolutely amazing. Going to use the left overs for dough balls!
Amazing pizza dough! I make this one all the time and I always get compliments on how delicious it is!
As there are many, many positive comments on this recipe, I feel it redundant to add my own. But I will, anyway. I was super skeptical about using COLD water with the yeast. But this worked like a charm. In fact, the recipe exceeded my expectations. I unfortunately don’t have an oven that goes above 450°F but I just baked a few mins longer and the pizzas came out delicious. Thank you, for sharing what has become my go-to recipe for pizza.
So happy you loved the pizza dough and thank you for taking the time to report back ~ Florentina Xo’s
Hi Florentina!
I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been using your recipe for I think about 2 years now and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
It’s awesome!! Thank you!!!
I’m so happy you love it Sylvina!
Dough didn’t rise. Went and proofed my dry active yeast afterward to make sure my yeast worked, it does…. I think this author owes me 6 cups of OO Flower. Annoyed.
Hi Arose, this is a slow rise method and you are the first person who didn’t have success with the Best Italian Pizza Dough.