Best-Ever Pizza Dough Recipe (No Knead)
Save RecipeHi Bold Bakers!
As a professional baker, I naturally have a passion for bread making. And any baker worth their salt has their own tried and tested Pizza Dough recipe that they carry with them from kitchen to kitchen. I am no different and I hold my precious recipes close to my chest.
So how can I call this Pizza Dough the Best Ever? It’s simple: this dough is mixed by hand without the need for a machine. It ferments overnight to give great flavor and texture and best of all the dough lasts up to 4 days in the fridge. At the end you get restuarant quality professional pizza. The results will be the BEST-EVER Pizza you make at home, I promise you that.
Now, even though I normally would be on the sweeter side of baking I do know a thing or two about making pizza. When I lived in San Francisco I turned the sitting room of the old Georgian townhouse I rented into an underground restaurant and fed my friends, friends of friends, and hungry strangers fresh pizzas from my rickety old gas oven! I called it “Knead to Know.” I only invited my friends so you would “knead to know” one of my friends to find out about it. (Get it?)
Those of you who follow my recipes will know that I swear by the “No Knead” technique for bread making. This method uses time to develop a dough, and time equals deeply developed flavor and bubbly texture.
You can pretty much make any type of bread or yeasted dough using this method. Ever want to make soft Pretzels but are intimidated by the method? Here is my No-Knead Pretzel Recipe. They are incredibly easy to make and the results are some of the best soft Pretzels you will taste. I also have made No-Knead Brioche, No-Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread and even No-Knead Cinnamon Rolls.
My recommendation for successful No-Knead Pizza Dough is read through my method and all of my tips. Print off the recipe and take notes, what temperature you used, how long you bake, etc. Basically what works for you and what doesn’t. This helps you perfect your dough and your skills.
Make sure to check out a few of my other favorite pizza flavors including Mushroom, Mascarpone & Egg and Potato & Mint Pesto along with my 5 minute pizza sauce below.
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- 3 1/2 cups (18oz/497g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon dried yeast (I use instant)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/3 cups (10 1/2floz/ 298g) water ( at blood temperature)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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In a large bowl or a plastic container with a lid, add in the flour, salt and yeast. Do not add the yeast and salt directly on each other as this can deactivate the yeast.
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Mix all of your dry ingredients together well
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Mix the oil into the water.
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Pour the blood temperature water oil mix in all at once and stir with a wooden spoon or your hand, which is what I prefer so you can tell by the feel of the dough if you need more water early on. Adjust the water to your flour, do not over-wet it.
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Mix it until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough and is hydrated. You don’t want any lumps of flour left dry. You can see it will be a wet, saggy dough.
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With a spatula scrape the dough off the sides of the container to join the dough. Put the lid on the container tightly or cover your bowl with plastic wrap ensuring that no air gets into your dough as it rests. Air can cause the dough to form a skin which is not good for a dough.
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Allow the dough to sit at room temperature and ferment for about 12-18 hours. Keep out of direct sunlight.
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After the 18 hours if you are not planning on baking off the dough you can refrigerate the dough. The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days at this stage and baked off any time. While in the fridge the flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.
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The next day the dough will have more than doubled in size with lots of the bubbles on top. Also it will smell boozy and fermented. This is exactly what you want.
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Dust your hands and the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands. Gently turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Don’t knock out the air from the dough.
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Cut the dough into 4 pieces and using extra flour to handle if needed
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Lightly knead each portion of dough just to form a ball. Allow to rest on a floured board covered for 30 minutes. Your pizza dough is ready to use!
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On a flat baking tray or pizza peel, dust it with flour or semolina. With floured hands gently stretch your pizza dough to 10 inches. You can also use a rolling pin to stretch it out. If you find the dough is springing back and is hard to stretch then let it rest for 10 minutes on the board.
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Once you have gotten your desired thickness spread on your sauce and add your topping.
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Important note: Less is more. You don’t want to add too many heavy topping on your pizza otherwise you won’t be able to slide it off the baking tray onto the cast iron tray.
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Bake at 450oF (225oC) for roughly 10 minutes or until the base is crisp and golden brown
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Any dough that does not get used can be refrigerated or even frozen
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NOTE: As with all dough recipes, the amount of flour will vary depending on weather, brand of flour, etc. Use as much flour as you need to handle the dough, but keep in mind that the stickier the dough, the better the texture of your pizza crust will be.
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, and I’m passionate about sharing my years of experience to show you how to make game-changing baking recipes with over-the-top results! Join more than 1 Million other Bold Bakers in the community for new video recipes every week!
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Hey Gemma
Can you make a Sicilian pizza with this dough?
Yes Lisette, you absolutely can.
This is a Neapolitan pizza but I think both of those are very similar.
Best,
Gemma.
Ive finally tried it with my flour.. had to add more water to it as it was a little dry.. hope it goes well
Also can you freeze this dough or does it need to be part baked first and then frozen? Hope you can help
Here is what I do: I prepare and proof the dough overnight. Then I portion it, and immediately pop the portions into oiled freezer bags, excluding as much air as possible. Then freeze right away. Then as soon as it is defrosted and rested roll it, and bake it.
I hope this helps, but you may need to bake from fresh to get it to your own taste,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks for the reply but it never seemed to work for me.may because because i tried to half the recipe. Ive tried again with the whole recipe hope it works this time
I’m probably overlooking it but can’t see the 5 minute pizza sauce recipe referred to “below”. Do you have a link for it please?
Hi Rowan,
No worries, here you go .
Let me know how you get on with the pizza dough 🙂
Gemma.
This pizza dough is delicious! I made it with part all purpose flour and part whole wheat flour, and it still came out great!
Well done, Adina! Gemma 😊
Hi Gemma – reading through the comments I stumbled over your advice to pre-cook the pizza base. That’s neat!! But … how do I go about it correctly? I assume once pre-cooked I can also freeze them? Thanks for any tips – being just my hubby and I it sure will be a handy thing to do ;-)!
Hi Eleonora,
Sure you can make ahead and freeze. You can try my mum’s trick, she freezes these in the plastic bag which comes in a cereal box! re-use is the best form of recycling, she says!
Haha, failing that wrap well in cling wrap, and pack into a large freezer bak, exclude as much air as possible. Do not overbake the bases as they will be going back into a hot oven to finish them.
I hope this works out well for you,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks a lot, Gemma – I love your Mom’s philosophy and right she is! I’ll try your advice next time. I made a pizza today with half of your crazy dough and the rest will turn into a bread with cashew nuts tomorrow ;-). Next time I make pizza I’ll remember early enough and will try this recipe – it sounds and looks great. I must admit your recipes are not the best friends of our waist lines …
Haha! Eleanor, the waistline is another struggle for sure! We are all in it together <3
That sounds like a good plan for this dough, I hope you will enjoy it,
Gemma 🙂
LOL Gemma – I really wonder why there have to be so many calories in all the food that tastes good! BTW – I meant to tell you and forgot: did you ever try to make “Mint Bread” with your crazy dough? A must to try. Before forming the bread add a generous amount of freshly chopped mint (preferably the Moroccon or Egyptian one). Spread it on the dough and work it slightly and carefully into the dough. I usually roll up the dough, flatten it and roll it again from a different angle. I’m sure you’ll like it. I get lots of compliments for it from our guest …
Hi Eleonora,
you know they say anything we enjoy has a price, but sometimes it is a price worth paying <3
That mint bread sounds really lovely, very North African I would say with that flavor, I have never had this in a bread! I will need to try it.
Thank you for the suggestion, and your kind support,
Gemma 🙂
HI gemma can i pre cooked the dough for 5-10 min before i put it in the freezer so when i want to make pizza i just put toppings
Hi Wilma,
yes, and I have done this too in the past, good idea,
Gemma 🙂
Hi gemma what if i try to make the dough for the day only how long will it take to ferment, is it the same recipe required, if i have to knead it. How many hours does it take for fermentation.
If you are pressed for time, better to use my crazy dough recipe as pizza dough. Here is the crazy dough base recipe https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/crazy-dough/ and here is the crazy dough pizza recipe https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/crazy-dough-pizza/
Hope this helps!
Gemma 😊
THank you gemma , i made the dough last night but when i measure the flour in grams (525g) it is more than if you use by cup and weigh it what will happen to my dough, i made 525 gm.
Hi Wilma,
Cup measurements are based on an informal system of measurement, prior to home weighing scales. People would share recipes based on their kitchen cups, it did not matter the weight of the ingredients, or the size of the cup, as long as the same cup was used to measure all of the ingredients, in any one kitchen. It a measure of volume. Once the balance is right, then all will be well. Different ingredients have different equivalent weights too, so the rice will be different from sugar, cocoa to flour, and different flours will have a different weight too. Think Rocks and Feathers! So, the rule is simple, fill your cups in the same way, scoop/level/compress, however you choose, and the balance in the recipe will be good. It is not a good idea to mix cup measurements with another method, it is unnecessary, and will not be good for your recipes.
I hope I am getting the point here, but this is worth bearing in mind,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma, I tried that dough and liked it’s sour taste but I don’t know why my dough was so sticky and almost impossible to handle. I let my dough proof for 18 hours and then put in fridge to bake it the next day. ( I oiled my hands so I could handle it) could the temperature has anything to do with it?
Hi,
So, this is something that happens when making any find of dough or pastry. Depending on your flour it might not need as much liquid as mine did. This is really common when baking and it’s hard for me to factor in.
Next time, Add just enough water to bring the dough together and hydrate all the flour. You don’t want a really wet dough at this stage.
I grantee this was the issue. Honestly, it took me a while to learn this and it comes with practice.
Hope this helps,
Gemma.
Hai Gemma, can you show Honey Garlic Chicken Pizza Recipe please
Hi there,
well, there is a topping! You can google this one, and add it as a topping to your pizza, not too sure it would be too authentic. This is a popular thing in Canada, and I suspect it is Asian in origin, or adapted from an Asian recipe,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma, I tried this recipe for several times, proof it for almost 24hrs then bake right away – really awesome! However, when I made a batch and froze it, it’s totally different – dough at room temperature smells sour, and when baked, it’s quite sour with hard elastic texture. I froze it for a wk, rest it to be at room temperature then bake. Why do you think it happened? Thanks in advance..
Hi Carla,
the issue us a simple one. all baked goods are best when baked from fresh. freshly made batters and dough too. It is never the same when it has been frozen, sadly, it is a compromise.
you are doing nothing wrong, though the flavor should not change.
Here is what I do: I prepare and proof the dough overnight. Then I portion it, and immediately pop the portions into oiled freezer bags, excluding as much air as possible. Then freeze right away. Then as soon as it is defrosted and rested roll it, and bake it.
I hope this helps, but you may need to bake from fresh to get it to your own taste,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks for your recipe. It’s so yummy although I just rest my dough about 7 hour
That’s fantastic!
Next time make it the night before and try to leave for longer. The longer you leave it the better the flavor. I’m at 24 hour max.
🙂
hello, im making your pizza dough for first time. after 18 hours if I dont or cant use all the dough do i freeze it before the second proof? or do i roof a second tome then freeze?
So if you don’t use it after 18 hours then put it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can knock the air out and freeze it but just know that you don’t get the best results if you freeze the dough.
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma, can I use canola oil instead of olive oil? Tnx
Hi there,
sure, or no oil! The oil is not strictly necessary, you can carry on without it,
Gemma 🙂
I am hosting a family reunion on a camping trip for a week and I would like to make pizzas for about 30 people any tips on how I can make that much pizza dough a head of time. I will not have he refrigerator space for the much dough can freeze it? And how much dough will I need to make about 15 Med size pizzas
Mike, that is a challenge indeed! I am not too sure I would do this without refrigeration of some sort, I think the dough will overdevelop and will become unmanageable. You can freeze the dough in portions of course, but it will defrost quickly enough, and then the problem remains the same. I think I would pre-bake the bases, stack them up, top them as required, and away you go, no stress!
I had a pop-up pizza gig in SF one time and that is what I used to do, anything other than that is just stress, it will take ages to get them served too.
I hope this is of help, I think that will make your life easier and will be just as well appreciated too.
Gemma 🙂
This recipe for no knead dough is amazing……meat lovers for the boys and mushroom for me….no sauce just sliced fresh mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme and equal quantities of smoked cheese and Parmesan OMG & that base was to die for
WOW, that sounds awesome! Great job, i love all of those flavors!
Hi Gemma,
Great recipe which has become my gold standard ( I do veganize the toppings with dried tomatoes in olive oil, mushrooms, onions, green peppers etc. with a marinara sauce topped with shards of basil , pizza salt and garlic infused olive oil as a finishing oil.) I usually use all purpose flour but want to experiment with durum wheat. Do you have any suggestions on what percentage of the dough should be durum wheat vs. apf? Anything else I should be aware of using durum flour? Thank you!!
Hi, for this i would do half durum and half regular 😀
Hi Gemma, I made the dough just awhile ago & currently proofing.. I just noticed that it’s quite dry, so for me to make sure that all the flour is wet, I needed to knead it for some time.. I think my water is warm, do you think that have caused it to dry? Do you have an idea what could be it’s result?
Hi there,
If the dough is too dry, that is if it is breaking up, then sprinkle it with a little water, it will take very little to bring it back.
Flour in different places behaves in different ways, depending on how, where, when, and even the type of wheat being milled. It absorbs liquids differently too, depending on humidity, temperature etc. It is much easier to add more than to take some out! So, next time stop when the dough comes together into a clean ball. This is what you want. Add 3/4 of the liquids in one go, then the remainder more slowly, until the dough comes together. That is the secret! I hope this makes sense to you. Do not give up!
Gemma 🙂
Is it possible to make the pizzas then freeze instead of cooking. 8f so is there anything extra i have to do?
Hi, yes that works very well! Just thaw from frozen then bake as directed.
Hi Gemma,
Accidentally, this dough recipe got put in the fridge after 2 hrs of making it. Will it still rise and work out in the end?
Please let me know your input.
Thank you!
Hi, yes no worries just allow it to come to room temp them proof again.
Hi Gemma, I recently started following ur Fb videos and I loved it, checked your website and couldnt resist baking, tried your best ever no kneed pizza dough and its amazing!!! It makes me love making bread now!
Its so easy yet so comforting and tasty! Cant wait to try more recipes.
-Also I wanted to ask, can we add some oats into pizza dough just to make it more healthier for kids? if yes what —proportions should we use?
-Can you teach how to make white alferedo sauce for pizza or any white garlic sauce for pizza too? would really appreciate!
Hi Arifa,
Thanks so much for your lovely message. I’m really glad you like my recipes. I don’t know if the oats will really add anything of benefit to the dough. If you want you can use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white and that will be better.
I’ll have a think about the pizza sauces. It makes sense because I love pizza!
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma!
Which dough do you suggest me to try for pizza? The above one or the other one which says crazy dough?
Hi Anusha,
The no knead dough is my go to when I remember to get it together the night before I need it. If you wish you can knead this one and have it ready for use in about 3 hours.
The crazy dough is a quick dough. A handy one to get to in a hurry, it is a choice!
Try one of these, then the other, soon you too will have a favorite,
Gemma 🙂
Haha 😀
Sure I’m going to try pizza with crazy dough today then I will do this one. Thank you.
That is the idea Anusha, keep at it,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma, i’ve encountered a video tutorial where the dough for proofing is being placed in a covered box or may also be inside the oven with a container of hot water in it to create a warm temperature for the dough. Is that alright? Tnx
Hi there,
Yes! this is a trick if you will, and is very useful if you live in a cold place. My mum who lives in Ireland, pre-heats her oven as low as it will go, switches it off and pops the covered bowl in if she is rushing. However, if you are fermenting a dough, as in the best ever pizza dough, a cold fermentation works really well, even in the fridge the dough will rise if given enough time to do so.
I hope this helps, you can experiment!
Gemma 🙂
OMG, so good. Look no further, this is the best pizza crust, not to mention the easiest recipe I have ever used. Got out the pizza stone, and baked pizza like I do it every day. We made four…no pics. Margherita, Hawaiian, Six Cheese with Spicy Sausage and Pepperoni, and lastly one with the works. So, heeding Gemma’s advice about keeping the toppings at a minimum, I put the dough and sauce on the peel. I pulled the HOT stone out of the over, put the pizza on the stone and then put on all the toppings. Back in the oven for 10 minutes. It worked! So if you like lots of goodies on your pizza like my family, you can still make this wonderful pizza! Thank you Gemma!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Sandi!!!! thanks for trying it out 🙂
Make sure you save the recipe for the future.
Best,
Gemma
Can u pls explain clearly…as i always put more toppings on my pizza
I am confused about your amount of yeast . all other recipies include 1 pac yeast for 3 cups flour. is it because you gave it along rest I mean 1/4 teaspoon sounds very little. thankyou.
Hi Marium,
No knead doughs like this use very little yeast because over the fermenting of the dough the dough feeds off yeast in the air. That’s why you don’t use as much.
Fun fact: lots of recipes have you using more yeast then you actually need.
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma, I wondering if I could
I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hi,
Yes you absolutely can use bread flour. Bread flour absorbs more water than ap flour so just note you might need a little more liquid.
Best,
Gemma.
Hi Gemma, Im new into baking and I really want to try your recipes. However, I am to use a convection-oven, could you please advice how shall I adjust? Thanks.
Hi for this i might just reduce the temperature by 25 degrees, for pizza convection is great though. It creates a great crust!
Hi Gemma, fantastic recipe, I make it nearly every week now, and it works so well! Thank you.
I am experimenting with a little kneading before I cover it, just to have that smooth ball look, but works either way.
Do you have any garlic pizza recipes? (or any other garlic-y variations) I’ve not tried making that kind of pizza yet, so would like to get it right first time. It’d be a great “side order”, or starter whenever I make pizza for my family. 😀
Speaking of side orders, how about some recipes on that front? (with pizza) Like garlic butter, garlic cream, relishes, salsas, dips etc. That’d be great!
Hi Jake,
Sorry for my late reply. i have been traveling. I haven’t tried a garlic pizza or bread roll but I’ll definitely add it to my list.
I love your ideas of the spread for breads. Huge fan of fat on carbs!! HUGE!
Thanks for the great suggestions. Ill have a good think about them.
Best,
Gemma.
Are you able to freeze leftover dough for later use?
Yes, that’s a great idea!