No Knead Pizza Crust Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (2024)

I owe y’all an apology.

Several years ago, I wrote a post in which I claimed tohave found the ultimate pizza dough recipe.

I lied.

This past summer I stumbled upon a technique that has since blown every homemade pizza crust I’ve ever made out of the water.

I’ve waited to share this no knead pizza crust recipe with you because I wanted to absolutely perfect it first. And after making it many, many times over the last 8 months, I can finally say it’s ready.

It’s delightfully chewy, perfectly irregular, and has a depth of flavor you won’t find in your run-of-the-mill crust recipes.

Prairie Husband has officially banned all other pizza recipes from our home… It requires a few more steps than my old recipe, but that doesn’t matter. Once you taste you, you won’t care if you have to climb Mt. Everest to make it. Just try it. Seriously.

No Knead Pizza Crust

• 3 1/2 cups warm water
• 7 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (where to purchase)
• 1 tablespoon active dryyeast
• 1 tablespoon salt* (I use and love this one)
• Your choice of pizza toppings (I like to keep mine simple to allow the beauty of the crust to shine through. I usually choose a simple fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves, sliced mozzarella, and a dab of pepperoni, and maybe a sprinkle of garlic salt…)

Recommended Tools:

(This post contains affiliate links)

• Pizza peel (this one from Lehman’s looks really nice)
• Large plastic bucket for dough (I got this one on Amazon— be sure to get the lid, too)
• Pizza stone (I have one like this— have used it for years! This cast iron pizza pan works really well, too!)

*Think the ingredients sound pretty basic? You’re right. They are. The magic of this recipe comes not in the ingredients, but rather in the technique.

In a large container (with a lid) mix the yeast and water together, then stir in the salt and flour.

You don’t need to knead the dough, simply use a wooden spoon to incorporate the ingredients. It will look like a sloppy mess, and that’s exactly what we want.

Loosely cover with the lid (you don’t want it airtight) and set aside to rise for 2-3 hours.

Once the dough has risen, you can use it immediately or refrigerate it. I generally mix up my dough the day before I need it, refrigerate it overnight, and use it the following day. Chilled dough is easier to handle, and the longer the dough ages, the better the flavor.

To Make the Pizza:

Prepare your sauce, cheese, and other toppings ahead of time. You’ll need to work efficiently in an assembly-line process.

Using the highest possible temp your oven will allow (this will usually be 550-600 degrees Fahrenheit), preheat your oven and pizza stone for at least 30-45 minutes before you start cooking pizzas. It’s tempting to skip this part, but don’t. It makes all the difference.

Measure a 13 oz ball of dough from your bucket. I use my kitchen scale for this to make sure I’m semi-accurate., but it doesn’t have to be perfect. I usually get 4-5 pizzas from this recipe. They are smaller than your average pizza, but that’s preferred as they are easier to shape and transfer that way.

Place the dough on a very well-floured surface and punch it down. Use your fists/knuckles to stretch the dough (gravity will help, too. Here’s a video if you need a visual.). We’re trying to preserve the air pockets in the dough, so avoid smashing it as much as possible. Place it on your well-floured pizza peel and continue to gently shape into a circle (ish), just avoid flattening the edges too much, as we want them to stay puffy and chewy.

If the dough tears as you work it, no worries. Just patch it together and keep going. And if you’re anything like me, it’ll probably end up in a slightly irregular shape, but don’t sweat it. It just adds to the artisan charm.

Add your sauce and toppings to the dough, then slide onto the very hot pizza stone in the oven. This takes a bit of practice. My best advice is to make sure you have lots of flour on your pizza peel to prevent sticking. If the dough won’t budge, sometimes I’ll put it back on the counter, gently lift up the edge of the dough, and toss a bit more flour underneath. You can also try building your pizza on parchment paper, then sliding it into the oven with your peel.

Bake the pizza for 5 minutes at 550+ degrees, then switch to the broil setting and broil for 1-2 minutes. It’s done when the crust is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted.

Remove from the oven (I usually grab it with tongs and slide it onto a large cutting board so I don’t have to move the hot stone), and repeat with your remaining dough.

If you only wish to make one pizza at a time, simply refrigerate the rest of the dough until you’re ready.

Pizza Crust Notes:

• A super hot oven and pizza stone is what makes this recipe magical. Don’t skip that part!
• If the crust gets a few dark, almost charred spots on it during the broil process, that’s OK. It makes it even better.
• This pizza is best with minimal toppings. Keep it simple.
• I have no clue how to convert this recipe to gluten-free, sorry. And I’ve only ever made it with unbleached, all-purpose flour. I have not tried whole wheat flours.
• I usually use all the dough at once and make 4-5 pizzas as they work wonderfully for leftovers the following day. However, if you only want to make 1-2 pizzas at a time, no problem. Just use the dough you need, and store the rest in the fridge for up to one week.
• Wanna make your own mozzarella for a truly artisan pizza experience? Here’s my homemade mozzarella tutorial.
• And this post contains my favorite recipe for simple, fresh tomato sauce thatpairs beautifully in this recipe.

Recipe adapted from Mother Earth News and Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish.

Print