Crisp to Perfection: The Ultimate Thin and Crispy Pizza Recipe
If you’re a fan of pizza with that satisfying, crispy crunch in every bite, then you’re in the right place. Forget about thick, doughy crusts and say hello to a beautifully thin, crisp pizza base that will elevate your homemade pizza game to new heights. Making the perfect thin and crispy pizza crust at home is easier than you think, and the results are far better than what you’ll find at most pizzerias.
The key to a great thin crust starts with the dough. You want it to be light, but strong enough to hold all your toppings without becoming soggy. The secret lies in using just the right amount of yeast and water to create a dough that’s elastic and easy to roll out as thin as possible. Letting the dough rest for a bit will also make it easier to handle and ensure a better texture after baking.
Once your dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface until it’s nearly paper-thin. For extra crispiness, you can even bake the dough on a preheated pizza stone or steel, which will give it that perfect, golden crust on the bottom. Another pro tip is to lightly brush the crust with olive oil before adding your toppings—this helps it crisp up even more during baking.
When it comes to toppings, less is more. Since the crust is thin, it can’t support heavy layers of sauce, cheese, and meat. Stick to a light layer of sauce and your favorite simple toppings, like fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil, for a classic Margherita or experiment with your own combinations!
In just a few steps, you’ll have a thin and crispy pizza that’s “Crisp to Perfection”—perfect for pizza lovers who crave crunch with every bite. Enjoy!
Use a Pizza Steel
Cooking a pizza at home can be difficult, because most home ovens to not reach a high enough temperature. My oven only gets around 495 degrees, and this pizza would cook best around 650 degrees.
I used pizza stones for years, but they do not hold enough thermal energy. I made my own pizza steels with a sheet of 1/4 inch plate steel that is the same size as my rack. This helps buy you will have to slightly caramelize the cheese to cook the dough long enough.
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Steps to Create a Perfect Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust
Mix Dough
The first step in creating a perfect pizza dough, is to lightly mix all the ingredients and let it sit for 30 minutes. This lets the flour absorb the water.
Knead and Shape Dough
Step 2 is to knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Form into a taught ball and let rise for 2 hours. If your house is cold, place the dough in the oven with the light on. This starts the process of forming the gluten.
Dough after Two Hour Rise
This is what your thin and crispy pizza will look like after rising for 2 hours.
- Yeast: When yeast (a microorganism) is added to the dough, it consumes the sugars present in the flour.
- Fermentation: As the yeast digests the sugars, it produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) and alcohol as byproducts.
- Gas Expansion: The carbon dioxide gas gets trapped in the gluten network (the stretchy structure formed by proteins in flour when mixed with water), causing the dough to expand and rise.
- Gluten Development: Kneading the dough helps develop this gluten network, making it strong enough to trap the gas and stretch without breaking.
Second Knead
After to the 2 hour rise, I knead my dough a second time. Form into a taught ball and either refrigerate overnight, or let rise again for use that day. This will fully develop the gluten.
Proof Dough
The last step before shaping the dough is to divide into three equal parts and let proof for 1 hour. This helps relax the dough.
Flour and Shape Dough
After your dough as proofed for 1 hour, flour both sides and shape into 10 inch round pizza. You can do this by hand or with a rolling pin. This is a very elastic dough.
Ingredient of the Day-“00” Pizza Flour
When it comes to making the perfect pizza, the flour you choose plays a crucial role in determining the texture, chew, and overall quality of your crust. While you can technically use all-purpose flour for pizza dough, true pizza flour is a finely milled type of flour known as “00” flour, specially designed for pizza-making and other Italian breads.
The term “00” refers to the grading system used in Italy to classify how finely the flour is milled. “00” is the finest grade, with a powder-like texture, making it perfect for producing a smooth, elastic dough. This flour has a lower gluten content than bread flour, but it still contains enough gluten to provide the structure needed for a chewy crust. When you roll out dough made with 00 flour, you’ll notice how easily it stretches without tearing, allowing you to achieve that paper-thin crust that is the hallmark of authentic pizzas.
Another benefit of pizza flour is its ability to hold up under high baking temperatures. Traditional wood-fired pizza ovens can reach temperatures of 800-900°F, and 00 flour is specifically formulated to withstand this heat without burning too quickly. This results in a crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior, which is what you want for a perfect pizza crust.
For those who don’t have access to 00 flour, a high-protein bread flour can be a good substitute, providing a slightly chewier texture that still bakes well at lower oven temperatures. However, if you’re aiming for a truly authentic pizza experience, investing in pizza flour like Caputo 00 is well worth it.
In summary, pizza flour is essential for achieving the perfect combination of crispy, chewy, and flavorful crust that’s central to every great pizza.
Thin and Crispy Pizza made at Home
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
- 1 stand mixer or hands optional
- 1 proofing tray optional
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 300 grams pizza flour or bread flour
- 180 grams warm water
- 2 grams dry yeast
- 5 grams salt
- 15 grams olive oil
- 3 grams sugar
A Pizza Sauce-This is a zesty one!
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ½-1 clove garlic chopped-I like garlic
- 1 tsp red pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 16 oz good crushed tomatoes
Pizza Cheese and Toppings
- 16 oz Good Part Skim Mozzarella-whole milk is creamier but might be watery.
- Toppings of your choice
- fresh basil
- grated pecornio/romano chese
Pizza Forming
- flour
- corn meal
Instructions
Pizza Sauce
- Mix all ingredients together and set aside until ready to use. Do this ahead of time and do not cook.1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp dried oregano, ½-1 clove garlic chopped-I like garlic, 1 tsp red pepper (optional), 1 tsp kosher salt, 16 oz good crushed tomatoes, 1 pinch sugar
Pizza Dough
- Add yeast, sugar, and water glass or plastic glass and set aside for 5 minutes180 grams warm water, 2 grams dry yeast, 3 grams sugar
- Add rest of ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir300 grams pizza flour or bread flour, 5 grams salt, 15 grams olive oil
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until combined
- Cover with plastic wrap or damp warm towel for 30 minutes
- Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and form into a taught ball. I use the fold under and pinch method. Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover for 2 hours
- Knead for 5 more minutes and either put in refrigerator over night, or divide into three equal balls.
Use that day
- Form the three dough balls into taught balls, and place dough into lightly oiled proofing box and cover for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven and pizza steel for 30-40 minutes to 500-550 degrees. You can try a pizza stone. Hotter the better.
- place dough in bowl with flour. Flour both sides.Place
- Form into pizza crust on a floured surface.flour
- Flour or add cornmeal pizza peel and add cheese and toppingscorn meal
- Bake for 10 minutes or less depending the oven temperature
Use Next Day
- Remove from refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
- 2 hours prior to cooking form into 3 equal taught balls.
- Place dough into lightly oiled proofing box and cover for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven and pizza steel for 30-40 minutes to 500-550 degrees. You can try a pizza stone. Hotter the better.
- place dough in bowl with flour. Flour both sides.flour
- Form into pizza crust on a floured surface.
- Flour or add cornmeal pizza peel and add cheese and toppingscorn meal
- Bake for 10 minutes or less depending the oven temperature
- serve and enjoy!
