By Suzanne Lenzer
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(2,425)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The trouble with most homemade pizza dough recipes is that they’re sort of a pain. You have to plan ahead. Knead the dough. Let it rise. Clean up after it. This might be the pizza dough recipe that finally persuades you it’s worth the effort — what little effort is required. With the help of two allies in the kitchen — your food processor and your freezer — now homemade pizza dough is nearly as simple as taking a chicken breast out of the freezer to thaw on your way out the door in the morning.
Featured in: Homemade Pizza, Easier and Faster
Learn: How to Make Pizza
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Ingredients
Yield:2 crusts (4 servings)
- 2¾cups/390 grams bread flour
- 2½teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 2teaspoons sea salt
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1cup warm water
- 2 or 3tablespoons medium or coarse cornmeal
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
500 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 76 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 414 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Make the Dough
Step
1
Put the flour, yeast and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, pour the oil through the feed tube, then add the water in a slow, steady stream. Continue to process for 2 to 3 minutes (the dough should form a rough ball and ride around in the processor). The finished dough should be soft, slightly sticky and elastic. If too dry, add a bit more water; if too wet, a tablespoon or so more flour.
Step
2
Lay a 12-inch-long piece of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Work the dough into a rectangle on the plastic, about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Press your fingers into the top of the dough all over, making indentations as though it were a focaccia. Fold the left third of the dough over (as you would a letter) and repeat the indentations. Fold the right third over and make the indentations again. Cover the folded dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
Step
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Cut the dough in half, form each piece into a neat ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. The morning before you want to make pizza, transfer the dough to the refrigerator to thaw.
Make the Pizza
Step
4
Bring the dough to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 550 degrees. (If you don’t have a stone, oil a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.) Dust a peel or the greased baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Working with the dough in your hands (not flat on a work surface), gently begin to stretch the dough into a circular shape, pressing your fist into the center of the dough and pulling at the edges with your other hand. With both hands, stretch the dough, being careful not to tear it. Working in a circular motion, pull the thicker edges of the dough outward, letting gravity help you. Continue to stretch the dough until it’s relatively even in thickness (the edges will be thicker) and you have the size you want. Carefully lay it on the peel or baking sheet.
Step
5
Top the pizza as desired and either slide it off the peel and onto your heated stone, or place the baking sheet into the oven. Cook the pizza for 6 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Ratings
4
out of 5
2,425
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Cooking Notes
Bri
15 min pizza dough
2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 whole wheat)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp instant yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup hot tap water
Mix the dry & wet ingredients separately, then combine. Knead in the food processor until it holds into a ball (adding more flour through the feed tube). By hand, knead in ~1/4 cup more flour ~5 minutes. Turn the bowl over the dough (upside down) and let rise 15 minutes (prep your toppings now). Stretch, top and bake 425F ~20 minutes. 2 crusts.
Roudy
The recipe calls for freezing. Can the dough be made fresh and then cooked? Would you start shaping the dough after the 20 minute rise, or should you wait longer? Or does it require freezing?
Tess
My husband likes to put new sacks of flour away in jars. He didn't realize one of the jars was half full of powdered sugar, and filled it with flour. I didn't know and used that jar to make the pizza dough. Wasn't coming together no matter how much more flour I added. Finally I realized what happened and we decided to bake it because why not? It tasted okay with butter and jam. Made the recipe with only flour tonight, it's much better.
roberta breton
Where can I find Roberta's dough recipe?
kate
This dough is so easy to make and easy to work with. And delicious. Now I have 4 in the freezer. If you're going to make a mess with the food processor, you might as well make a double batch.
teresa
This is my go-to recipe, after trying lots of others. My husband and I usually make 10 doughs, using an entire bag of King Arthur bread flour. It only takes 30 minutes total. I use it for pizza, calzones, stuffed breads, like sausage or pastrami, and simple fried dough, which we top with a slice of American cheese. It’s wonderful having these balls of dough in my freezer, always ready to make something delicious!
KR
What if you don't have a food processor? Can this be done by hand?
Peg
Nice flavor. Easy to make. With the first half I stretched the dough as instructed, I could use some practice at that. The second half I rolled it out. Much easier and I didn't notice a difference in the finished products.
linda Vellucci
Try not to add any salt, it interferes with the yeast. Also, if you have time, allow the water and flour to mingle for about 20 minutes BEFORE you apply the yeast. This really does make a difference, but I realize this is for a quick dough. I make pizza on "pizza crispers", round pans with many holes, makes the pizza bottom cook better and nothing sticks to the pans. I also like to rub the bottom of the pizza with olive oil so it isn't dry. I never use the cornmeal.
maxcan
Don't you have to proof active dry yeast? Should the recipe be made with instant yeast instead? There is a real difference between active dry and instant yeast, albeit they look identical.
terrid
I have made this recipe for pizza dough many times and agree the quantity of salt recommended in the recipe is too great. I've used sea salt and kosher salt when making in the past. I believe you can reduce the salt by half and still have a great, flavorful dough. The ease of this recipe removes all concerns that you can't make great pizza dough at home!
Bob271878
This has become my go-to dough recipe, with modifications: I follow the directions for step 1 and then knead the dough for a minute and put it in a covered oiled bowl in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. I then use the dough or freeze for a later date. The slow rise in the refrigerator gives the dough extra flavor and is even easier than step 2 (which is already quite easy).
Neil
I thought you were supposed to put the stone in a cold oven and preheat them together. Putting a stone in a hot oven could expose the stone to thermal shock and cause cracking, no?
Alma Elizondo
Best one is selfrising flour and Greek yogurt! Easy 2 ingredient pizza dough best ever
fmm
See Linda Vellucci note.Add salt later because it interferes with yeast.Mix water and flour for 20 min before adding yeast.
Ron Lockhart
I use the original recipe for Roberta's Pizza Dough and then freeze them in an airtight container. They're good for about a month. I take out one frozen pizza ball in the morning, and by dinner, it's ready to be shaped and cooked. I've done it dozens of times and it works every time.
Cam
This is a go-to if you want a quick pizza dough. I sub half the white flour for whole wheat flour. The blend makes the pizza perfect for getting a real thin crust and not getting floppy once it comes out of the oven. Also love the taste of whole wheat.
CynInDen
Since NYT charges for Cooking, perhaps they could devote a tiny bit of resources to answering questions, such as the one posed by Roudy FIVE YEARS AGO, below:The recipe calls for freezing. Can the dough be made fresh and then cooked? Would you start shaping the dough after the 20 minute rise, or should you wait longer? Or does it require freezing?
David
This way way too salty and did not rise or develop any flavor, I think due to salt inhibiting any yeast activity.
Patrice
This is my go to for pizza on a weeknight. I cut the salt in half based on other's reviews. I also combine the water l, olive oil, and yeast for 10 minutes before I add to the flour.
mallory
Dough did not thaw in 15-20 minutes from frozen. Not sure if that’s a typo… that you should thaw and then let sit out for 15-20
Alli L.
Nope! Says to take out and move to fridge the day want to use it. Most stores also sell dough balls fresh, BTW. Not AS good ‘course, but great for more immediate cravings!
Angela is Organic
I baked mine at 425 as I was concerned my kitchen would catch on fire at 550... lol. I doubled the recipe and it turned out wonderfully. I used organic unbleached flour. I did have to add a bit of flour at the end as the oil and water left it pretty sticky. All in all, this is not the tastiest crust I have ever had but it baked well and suited the purpose.
TL
No need to wait or freeze; I kneaded by hand for 5 minutes, let it rise in warm oven for 30 minutes, divided it into four portions and shaped and topped them 15 minutes later.
Doris
This has become my favorite pizza dough. My secret is to leave it in the refrigerator in covered oiled bowl for 2-3 days to develop complexity before freezing. And I just discovered an added bonus! We had a power outage for 8 days - my dough was thawing in the freezer for the entire time and it was the best pizza I've ever made. So light, fluffy, and full of flavor. I will leave in the refrigerator for up to a week from now on. Absolutely beautiful. I bake at 500 convection for 7 minutes.
roxanneb
This is my go to pizza dough recipe when I want to make pizza last minute. I use KAF pizza flour and it turns out perfect everytime, it rises up beautifully. I usually double or triple the recipe and then freeze the rest for future. You can never have too much pizza dough in the freezer!
Clee525
What am I missing? This recipe doesn’t look any easier than most of the other pizza dough recipes out there. It still involves rising (and freezing — which presumes making ahead-forward-planning). The NYT “Roberta’s Pizza Dough” which uses 00 flour is still the best.
Kyle
I think the "easier" part is just that it's batched ahead of time and can be thawed same-day when you want to eat it. And that it uses a food processor in the directions. The recipe itself is just a straightforward pizza dough, just with some additional "tricks" that maybe not all home cooks would think to do.
Clee525
PS: (Again, I don’t get how this dough recipe is a time saver.) When I’m in a hurry, I bypass the pizza dough altogether and put pizza toppings on a (hard) Vietnanese paper round (found in nearly any market). I just throw the disc onto a hot skillet, brush lightly w/(roasted red pepper) olive oil and it softens almost immediately. The whole process takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. Dinner is served. Voilá.
Anne
Can I substitute All Purpose Gluten-Free flour for the bread flour?
Kandie Trenary
What size pizza crusts does this recipe yield? I need six, 7" pizza crusts for an individual pizza making party. Should I make 2 batches cut into four balls instead of two?
gail
Heat oven to 450, cook pizza 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400, cook ten minutes
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