No-Knead Pizza Dough

Pizza making doesn’t get much easier than starting with this simple No-Knead Pizza Dough recipe! Combine the ingredients, cover and in 24 hours you have dough that’s ready to be shaped, sauced and sprinkled with your favorite toppings. Baking on a pizza stone in a very hot oven really gives this pizza that brick oven look and taste. This recipe will yield 1 large, 2 medium, or 4 personal pizzas.

I ❤️ pizza.

And if you’ve been following along the last few years, you know I love a good no-knead bread recipe. Well that got me thinking, what about pizza dough? So I took my old but tried and true pizza dough recipe and adapted it to make this no-knead version.

The results were amazing! I now make pizza at least once a week because it’s so simple. If you’re even the little bit hesitant about working with pizza dough. This is the recipe for you. I highly recommend reading through this post as I do give lots of helpful tips and tricks.

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To Make This No-Knead Pizza Dough Recipe You Will Need:

• unbleached bread flour
• active dry yeast
• sugar
• kosher salt
• lukewarm water

All-purpose vs. Bread Flour?

It all boils down to high protein. Protein content will affect many aspects of the flour and doughs/batters such as water absorption, cohesiveness, viscoelasticity, dough strength, texture, loaf volume, and crumb grain. <—I learned that from the bakerpedia.com. Typically (not always) if a recipe is yeast leavened (i.e breads) you should use bread flour. If a recipe is chemically leavened (baking powder and/or baking soda) it will need less protein and all-purpose flour is usually called for. Like in biscuits, cakes and cookies, for example.

Start by dissolving 1/8 teaspoon of active dry yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water.

However, while developing this recipe, I also tested mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl, added water and used a spatula to combine. Both yield the same results. So you choose which method you’re comfortable with.

In a mixing bowl, measure and add 2 cups bread flour with 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

What Is the Best Way to Dry Measure Flour?

Give the flour a quick stir to fluff it up a tad. Spoon flour into measuring cup and then level it off with the flat side of a knife.

Whisk to combine.

Pour in the yeast/sugar-water.

Switch over to a rubber spatula and stir to combine.

Keep stirring, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go, until the dough has come together. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter for 24 hours.

Can you refrigerate this no-knead Pizza dough?

Yes! After the 24 hours you can either decide to use or refrigerated for up to 6 days, where it will develop even more in flavor. If refrigerated, give this dough 2 to 3 hours in a dry warm spot to come to room temperature before using.

If you want brick oven-style pizza, I highly recommend getting a quality baking stone or steel.

I have zero experience with the steel, but I LOVE my pizza stone – obviously. Read the manufacturers instructions so you are aware of the do’s and don’ts  for cleaning and specific preheating instructions.

For example, this pizza stone I purchased from Pampered Chef, and according to their website, the stone can only be in the oven (without a pizza or food on it) for 30 minutes. Other brands might be longer, so do your research and know your pizza stone.

When I’m ready to start shaping the dough, I preheat my oven and stone.

I place my stone on the lower third of my oven and preheat my oven (and stone) to 500°. Once my oven is preheated, I set a timer for 30 minutes. I don’t slide my pizza onto the stone until the timer goes off. Preheating your stone is crucial to getting a good crust on your pizza.

Another pizza making necessity is a pizza peel.

I found mine at Target (maybe?) years ago, but you can find them on Amazon too. And load it up with cornmeal or semolina flour. I you think you have enough, you don’t, so add more. You want to ensure there’s not one millimeter of pizza dough that’s able to stick.

After 24 hours, your dough should have doubled in size and is sticky with lots of bubbles.

Generously flour a clean work surface with 1/4 cup of bread flour before using a rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl.

This dough is sticky and can handle the extra flour. Promiser.

Divide the dough in half, setting one half off to the side. Starting with the first half, generously dust with flour.

Use your fingertips to shape the first half of the dough into a ball.

Use your fingers to press and gently stretch the dough into a circle, being mindful to leave an edge or “crust” handle.

It’s a good idea to stretch the dough a little larger than you think because it tends to shrink a smidge when in the oven.

And whatever your do, DO NOT pop any air bubbles. These are what gives pizza that authentic, brick oven look and we want that!

Carefully transfer the dough to the pizza peel with the cornmeal and give it a few shakes. The pizza dough should effortlessly slide to the front and back of the peel. Position the dough towards the back of the peel and then add your favorite sauce and toppings.

I personally try to keep the toppings light so the pizza easily slides off the peel and onto the stone.

Bake each pizza for 5 to 6 minutes or until the crust is golden and cheese is gooey and melted.

I’ve never made a better pizza in my life. This is now my go-to method for pizza crust. Not only is it easy, but the texture is spot on and I love all the bubbles in the crust. And it also tastes as amazing as it looks.

Key takeaways For making the best pizza:

• Using bread flour gives the pizza that chewy crust you know and love.
• Dissolve the yeast in water or don’t! But…
• … definitely allow the no-knead pizza dough recipe to sit on your counter for no less than 24 hours.
• Use a pizza stone (or steel) and get yourself a pizza peel (you can use one with out the other! trust me!!)
• Load up that pizza peel with fine cornmeal or semolina to avoid sticking.
• Be sure to read the stone (or steel) instructions for specific preheating and cleaning.
• Preheat your stone (according to instructions of course) but for no less than 30 minutes.
• Make sure your oven is HOT! And hot means 500° – your pizza will cook up quickly and get that bubbly brown crust

Enjoy! And if you give this No-Knead Pizza Dough recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!