I have been trying “easy” pizza crust recipes for years. And while I have had some moderate success along the way, there were never any recipes that were actually easy or produced a pizza that didn’t make me miss ordering out. So I set out on my own. Brave, alone, and into the darkness. Nah, just kidding. I think my kitchen is quite lovely. I just wanted to set the scene for the very difficult task that I had ahead. And so I created this Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza recipe.
I wanted a pizza dough recipe where you didn’t have to wait all day for your dough to rise. I wanted a recipe where you didn’t have to knead dough by hand. And I wanted a recipe where you didn’t have to throw soft dough onto a piping hot pizza stone. I mean, are those recipes for real? What’s the point of heating up a pizza stone only to take it out and let it cool while you build your pizza on it while trying not to burn yourself? I have put blood, sweat, and tears into creating this Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza recipe. Again, not really.
Below, I have included step by step directions with pictures if you’d like a little extra help. As far as pizza dough recipes go, this Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza recipe is super easy. The dough is super simple to put together, there is short rise time, and the pizza is easily assembled on your perfectly room-temperature pizza stone (or baking sheet). Good homemade pizza shouldn’t be super difficult to make. And with this Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza recipe, good pizza at home is absolutely attainable. I hope that you love this recipe as much as my family does. Now let’s get started!
Ingredients that you’ll need for Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza
All-Purpose Flour– this is the only flour that I have used to make this recipe. Sorry, I do not have any substitution recommendations at this time.
Warm Water– make sure that the water is warm, not hot. Think baby bottle. Water that is too hot or too cold will kill yeast.
1/4 Oz Packet Quick-Rise Instant Yeast
Honey– use a non-clover honey. You want the sweetness from the honey and not the clover flavor.
Salt
Olive Oil
Let me show you how to make this Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza👇🏻
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 3/4 cup warm water and 1 tbsp honey. Whisk them together until the honey is incorporated into the water.
Sprinkle a 1/4 oz packet of Quick-Rise Instant Yeast over the honey water.
Let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy. It’ll look like this 👇🏻
Now add 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 cups of flour, and 1/2 tsp salt. Use the dough hook attachment for your mixer and mix on low until the flour is worked in.
The dough should be smooth and not stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl. If your dough is too sticky, add ONE tablespoon of flour at a time until it no longer sticks to the side. Be sure to not add too much flour. After each addition, let the mixer knead the dough for 15 seconds before deciding if you need to add more. I usually only need to add 1 extra tablespoon of flour.
Once your dough is the right consistency and not sticking to the sides, increase the speed to medium and let the mixer knead the dough for 3 minutes.
Grease a bowl with a little olive oil. After your dough has been kneaded, remove it to the bowl, and roll it around to coat in the olive oil.
Set your oven temperature to 475 degrees and let it preheat. Cover the dough with a towel and set it someplace warm to rise- I usually set it near the oven.
The dough should rise a little in the 20 or so minutes that it’ll take your oven to heat up. If you have an oven that preheats super fast, still let the dough sit for about 20 minutes.
Take the dough out of the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
NOTE: There is enough dough for two 12” pizzas or four 6” pizzas. If you’re making the two 12” pizzas, it’s best to cook them one at a time. If cooking the four 6” pizzas, you can cook them all at once (or even 2 at a time).
Use your hands or a rolling pin to roll your dough ball out into a thin circle. You want about 1/4” thickness. Roll out one dough ball at a time.
If your dough breaks, roll it back into a ball, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again.
Personally, I don’t care about making it a perfect circle. I like the rustic, homemade look of an imperfect circle.
Ideally, you want to bake your pizza on a pizza stone. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can use a round baking sheet or any baking sheet that is big enough to cook your pizza.
Spoon some pizza sauce (or whatever sauce you want) onto your dough. If you are making two 12” pizzas, use about 1/2 cup of sauce and for the 6” pizzas, use about 1/4 cup of sauce. Spread the sauce evenly over the dough, leaving an edge for the crust.
Top the pizza dough with cheese and whatever other toppings that you want to use.
Place the pizza into the oven on the rack that is second from the bottom of the oven.
Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted, the toppings are cooked, and the crust of the pizza is a dark golden color. 18 minutes is usually the magic number for me.
After removing your pizza from the oven, let it cool on the pizza stone (or baking sheet) for a few minutes before removing to a cutting board and slicing.
Enjoy!!
These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe. These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.
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Easy & Crispy Thin Crust Pizza
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Warm Water
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1/4 Oz Packet of Quick-Rise Instant Yeast
- 2+ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
Instructions
- Add the warm water and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk them together until the honey is diluted into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the honey water and let it sit for ten minutes.
- After about 10 minutes, the yeast should be foamy. Add 2 cups of flour, the olive oil, and the salt. Use the dough hook attachment for your mixer and mix on low until the flour is mixed in.
- The dough should be smooth and not stick to the bottom or sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour ONE tablespoon at a time. After each addition, let the mixer knead the dough for about 15 seconds before deciding if you need to add more. Be sure to not add too much flour. I usually only need to add one extra tablespoon.
- When the dough is the right consistency, increase the speed to medium and let the mixer knead the dough for 3 minutes.
- Lightly grease a bowl with olive oil. Remove the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling it around to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and set someplace warm (I usually set mine near the oven).
- Set your oven temperature to 475 degrees and let your oven preheat. Let your dough rise while your oven is preheating.
- Once your oven has preheated, remove the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half for two 12” pizzas or into quarters for four 6” pizzas.
- Use your hands or a rolling pin to roll your dough out. Try for 1/4” thickness.
- Place your rolled out dough onto a pizza stone. Cook one pizza at a time if baking 12” pizzas. If you don’t have a pizza stone, a round baking sheet (or any baking sheet large enough) will work.
- Top your dough with sauce. If making two 12” pizzas, use 1/2 cup of sauce. If making 6” pizzas, use 1/4 cup of sauce. Spread the sauce evenly, leaving an edge for the crust. Top with cheese and any other desired toppings.
- Place the pizza into the oven on the rack that is second from the bottom. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted, the toppings are cooked, and the crust is a deep golden color.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool on the stone (or baking sheet) for a few minutes before sliding it onto a cutting board to slice. Enjoy!!
Welcome to Cupcakes and Sarcasm! My name is Maggie and I am the creator of C & S. I am a wife and mom of two beautiful kiddos. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and now live in Northeast Ohio with my family. I have been cooking and baking since I was a kid. I decided in 2017 that I wanted to share my passion (and recipes) with all of you! On this site, you’ll find easy and delicious recipes- both savory and sweet. I’ll also sprinkle in some stories of parenting and our adventures along the way.