Quick Pizza Dough Recipe
Need a quick pizza dough recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! Then again, I’m guessing you probably already knew that when you clicked on this post {not that the title gives it away or anything ;)}.
Believe it or not, this recipe originated from the local newspaper in the town I grew up in. It was featured years ago in the section of reader submitted recipes. My Mom cut it out for us to try one evening, and, well, we haven’t looked back since. So if that isn’t a testament to this pizza dough recipe, then I don’t know what is.
Outside of how easy it is to make, I also just love how un-fussy and uncomplicated it is. It uses a mere 5 ingredients {water is a freebie}, most of which you probably have on hand. It takes all of 5 minutes to mix up. It’s basically foolproof. Like, truly, you just can’t mess this one up. And did I mention you don’t have to let it rise and you don’t have to knead it? And you don’t have to let it rise again? And knead it again? Because let’s be real, if you’re craving pizza, you want that pizza now, not in like 5 hours. I mean honestly, find me a sane person that has that kind of patience to do a whole kneading arm routine when they’re really just looking for some cheesy covered carbs. It can’t be done. That person doesn’t exist.
While I appreciate a good slow meal made with lots of love, I’m also very much of the mindset that if it can be done faster, easier and quicker, but with basically the same results, I’m going with that option 9 times out of 10. Which is really just what this pizza dough recipe is- a faster, easier and quicker recipe, but with the same pizza dough results.
I mentioned that this dough is basically foolproof {which it is}, but it’s also really quite flexible. If you want to make half the recipe for a thinner dough, go for it {we do it all the time}. If you want to double the recipe to make a bigger pizza, easy peazy. If you want to mix up the dough, then let it rise for a few minutes before using it, you totally can. But if not, that works, too. Baking it on a baking sheet? Sure. Cast iron skillet? Delicious! Fried? OMG drool! Pizza stone? Even better! And a pizza oven, well, then you just win at pizza making all around and I’m coming to your house for pizza nights from here on out. And did I mention it also makes great calzones and focaccia? I mean honestly, what can’t this pizza dough?!
P.S. Looking for some ideas on what to do with your pizza dough? I’ve got a few! This fried pizza {pictured in the header image} is insanely delicious or you could go the pizza skillet dip route {Yup, that’s a very real thing and yup, it’s every bit as droolworthy as it sounds!} or you could try out a focaccia bread.
What are some of your favorite pizza toppings?
Quick + Easy PIzza Dough
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons of rapid rise yeast (the equivalent of 1 small packet, like these)
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (you can sub brown sugar)
1 cup warm (not hot!) water
2 tablespoons of a neutral oil (I like to use a light olive oil, canola or vegetable oil)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, sugar and water. Let it rest for a minute, then add in the salt, oil and lastly the flour. Continue stirring until everything is incorporated. For this step, I find it best to use a spatula so you can gently fold the ingredients together, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix so as not to miss any of the ingredients. If the dough is too dry, add a little more water or oil, in small increments (I like to do it about a teaspoon at a time), stirring after each addition, until the dough forms together. If the dough is too wet, simply add a little more flour, again in small increments, stirring after each addition, until the dough has formed together. Towards the end of mixing the dough, I like to use my hands to work everything together, with a few kneading motions, and to form the dough into a ball. The dough should have a bit of bounce to it when it’s fully mixed and ready.
At this point, you can then proceed to use the dough immediately or let it rest anywhere from 5-30 minutes. Personally, for a thinner, crispier crust I find that I like to use the dough right away, and for a thicker crust or a crust I’m grilling or cooking in a cast-iron skillet, I like to let the dough rise for 15-30 minutes. You can also just let the dough rest while you prep your toppings. Additionally, I’ve covered the dough with plastic wrap and kept it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before using it.
To use the dough, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your baking pan (or cast-iron skillet or pizza stone). If I’m using a baking sheet, I like to grease it with a little oil then sprinkle it with a dusting of fine cornmeal, although the cornmeal isn’t necessary. For any other dish, I usually just put the dough directly on the surface, no greasing necessary. Then, use your hands to spread the dough out, directly on the prepared pan, to the desired thickness, before adding on your toppings.
Based on your preferred cooking method, here’s how long it should take to cook the pizza. Please note that cooking times will vary depending on what you’re cooking the dough in, how you’re cooking it and how thick or thin your crust is. Thinner crusts will always need less baking time where as thicker crusts will need more.
*For a baking sheet, bake the pizza for about 17-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
*For a cast-iron skillet, start with the pan on a medium heat burner for 5 minutes, then trasnfer to the preheated oven to bake for 15 minutes.
*For a pizza stone, bake 15-17 minutes.
*For the grill, preheat your pizza stone for about 20 minutes. Cook the pizza on the stone for about 5-6 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
This makes enough dough for one 10"x 13" baking sheet (but will fill a larger baking sheet if you’re making a thin crust pizza), 2 12" skillets, 1 pizza stone or about 7-8 mini pizzas.
NOTES
Use extra flour or cornmeal on the dough and your fingers when you are pressing the dough into the pan. It will keep it from sticking to your fingers and will help the dough to spread out more easily.
For thicker crusts, I like to use the full recipe of dough, but for a thinner crust pizza, we like to make half the recipe and bake it on an extra large baking sheet.
