cooking / breads

Thin Crust Pizza Dough (Two 18-Inch Pizzas)

serves 2 large 18-inch pizzas · about 2 hours · 15 minutes hands on · easy

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups warm water, 105-110°F (not hotter, or it kills the yeast)
  • 1½ tsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (heaping 2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
  • 4½ cups flour (bread flour preferred; all-purpose works)
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Bloom the yeast. Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir gently and let sit 5 minutes — it should get foamy. If not, the yeast is dead; start over.
  2. Make the dough. Add the flour, salt, and olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 5-8 minutes until smooth and elastic — it should spring back when poked.
  3. First rise. Oil the bowl, return the dough and turn to coat, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, 1-1.5 hours.
  4. Shape and second rise. Punch down, divide into 2 equal pieces, and shape each into a smooth ball, tucking the edges under. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
  5. Stretch and bake. Preheat the oven to 500-550°F with a pizza stone for 45-60 minutes. On a floured surface, stretch the dough with your knuckles from the center outward, draping it over your fists and rotating to let gravity help. Stretch all the way to the edges — no puffy rim for thin crust; it should be thin enough to almost see through in places. Top and bake 6-8 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Notes

Altitude adjustments (Denver / 5,000+ ft)

  • The dough may rise faster or slower than expected — go by size, not time.
  • Refrigerate the dough balls after shaping to prevent over-proofing; pull them out 20-30 minutes before stretching. Cold dough also stretches easier, with less spring-back.

Crispy crust

  • A high-smoke-point oil (like algae cooking oil) can stand in for olive oil.
  • Make sure the stone is fully preheated — the full 45-60 minutes — and use 550°F if your oven goes that high.

Make-ahead

  • Dough balls can refrigerate overnight (a slow rise means more flavor) or freeze up to 1 month.