This Bread Machine Thin Crust Pizza Dough is perfect for you if you want a crispy thin crust that is still chewy underneath the toppings! Throw all ingredients in the bread machine and let it do the work for you. Ready to cook in 90 minutes.
Table Of Contents
Since we like to make pizza at home more than ordering delivery, I came up with a perfect thin crust pizza dough comparable to the delicious, thin, and crispy NY style pizza I grew up eating. It's really tough to develop the perfect thin crust pizza dough, but this recipe is comparable to a restaurant dough and is better than any packaged store bought container.
And while we love thin crust pizza, we also love this homemade thicker dough also made in the bread machine and a Neapolitan dough topped with basil and mozzarella. Both styles of dough make a delicious veggie packed Mediterranean pizza, tomato and basil pizza, pepperoni pizza, margherita pizza, or whatever kind of pizza is your favorite. One we've become obsessed with recently is a veggie supreme pizza.
Tips for the Best Dough
- Use a pizza stone. If you want that true NY style pizza with a crispy crust yet softer bread under the cheese and toppings, use a pizza stone. Using a pizza stone turned this 5 star thin crust pizza dough into 10 stars. It was truly like eating Italian restaurant quality pizza. If you don't have a pizza stone and must use the pan, your dough will still turn out fantastic. But I still suggest investing in that pizza stone if you make homemade pizza often.
- Preheat the pizza stone. Whether you use the pizza stone or pan, it is important to preheat it and then add your dough to make the pizza. It can be tricky to shape pizza dough on a heated pan, so it's important to shape the dough prior to placing it on the pan. With this method, the dough is shaped into a small circle and then is allowed to rest for 10 minutes. Then it's spread out again using a rolling pin until it's about 16 inches wide. Once the dough is completely spread, it's transferred to the preheated pan.
- Poke holes in the spread dough. The first few times we made thin crust pizza dough, the crust was uneven and lumpy. It had risen like a hill in some places and was completely flat in others. To help it rise evenly, poke holes all around the dough with a fork.
Bread Machine Instructions
It's super simple to make thin crust pizza dough in the bread machine.
Put all ingredients in the pan of the machine in the order listed (or the order your machine suggests), set to the dough function, and let the machine do all the work for you.
You should always check the dough about 15 minutes into the kneading process. The dough should be tacky to the touch but not too sticky. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour. Or, if it's too dry, add a little more warm water.
The dough function on my Cuisinart bread machine takes 90 minutes. Once the dough is ready, follow the instructions below for cooking your pizza.
I highly recommend investing in a good bread machine. While my Cuisinart bread machine is pricey, it is very well worth it. I have made all sorts of bread, dough, croissants, and jams in the bread machine. It has saved me endless amounts of money as I am not constantly buying bread. If my machine is out of your budget, you can opt for this one.
By Hand Instructions
You can also make this thin crust pizza dough by hand, and believe it or not it's actually quicker to do it this way! So if you don't have a bread machine, here is how to make it.
- First, fill a large bowl with the warm water and sprinkle in the yeast.
- Second, add the sugar, salt, and flour. Mix with a spatula until the ingredients are mixed and the dough is crumbly.
- Then lightly flour the counter and knead the dough for 7 minutes. If you're unfamiliar with kneading dough, Youtube has lots of videos to show you.
- Now form the dough into a ball and put into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a heavy cloth and put in a warm place to rise. I put mine in the microwave or oven.
- Let the dough rise for 30 minutes. The dough will not double rise, but will rise slightly. It's also okay to let it rise for longer than 30 minutes, if you lose track of time. Then follow the instructions below for cooking your thin crust pizza dough.
Cooking the Pizza
This thin crust pizza dough recipe makes one 16-18 inch pie. You can also divide it to make 2 individual 10 inch pizzas.
- First, preheat the stone or pan at 450 degrees F. While the pan preheats, spread the dough into a circle. It will be small, about half the size of the finished pizza. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Then use a rolling pin to spread it out til it's about 16 inches wide.
- Next, transfer the dough onto the warmed stone carefully. Reshape and fix any holes if necessary. Poke holes all around with a fork. Bake the plain thin crust pizza dough for 5 minutes.
- After it bakes for 5 minutes, layer with about 1 cup of sauce, 1-2 cups of cheese, and your choice of toppings. Our favorite pizza is a white pizza with tomatoes and basil. Buffalo chicken and barbecue chicken make great pizzas too.
- Put back in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes more, until the cheese starts to brown and bubble.
Enjoy!
Serving
Pizza dough will keep well in the fridge wrapped in oiled plastic wrap for about 2 days. It can be stored in the freezer for 6 months. To store in the freezer, wrap in foil in addition to the oiled plastic wrap.
I like to make this thin crust pizza dough in my bread machine while I am hanging around the house, even when it's not pizza night. I love to have dough in the freezer ready to go! It defrosts fairly quick on the counter or overnight in the fridge.
Bread Machine Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Bread Machine Thin Crust Pizza Dough is perfect for you if you want a crispy thin crust that is still chewy underneath the toppings! Throw all ingredients in the bread machine and let it do the work for you. Ready to cook in 90 minutes.
- bread machine
- ¾ cup warm water (110-120°)
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
Add all ingredients to the bread machine pan in the order listed. Set machine to the dough function and press start.
When cycle completes, spread into a circle on parchment paper. It will be small in size, about half of it's full size. Let rest for 10 minutes. Then spread again using a lightly floured rolling pin to flatten evenly until it is roughly 16 inches in diameter. Use a fork to poke holes throughout the dough.
To cook, pre-bake at 450°F for 5 minutes. Then layer with 1 cup of sauce, 2 cups of cheese, and your choice of toppings. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese begins to lightly brown and bubble.
Store in the fridge wrapped in oiled plastic wrap for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before spreading.
Stores in the freezer for 6 months wrapped tightly in oiled plastic wrap.
You can use pizza/bread flour in place of all purpose flour. This will give you a slightly thicker crust.
The dough may pull back the initial time you spread it into a circle. This is normal. The dough should be spread as much as possible, then allowed to rest for 10 minutes. You should then be able to spread it again using a rolling pin, until it reaches 16-18 inches in diameter.
The dough can also be used to make 2 small pizzas.
Nicalaine Brown says
Excellent recipe!
Tastes really good.
Nicalaine Brown says
When I freeze it, how long do I thaw it before baking? Thank you
Kristina Tipps says
You can thaw it overnight in the fridge or for a few hours at room temperature.
Sharon says
Love this recipe
Wendy says
I have tried MANY pizza dough recipes and this one is above and beyond! A tip I read and tried, says to heat your oven to 500 degrees for about an hour before baking your pizza. While the dough is in that 10 minute "rest", reduce the heat to 450 and put your stone in the oven to get hot. I roll my dough on parchment and use that to move it to the hot stone. After that first 5 minute bake, I pull the parchment out and add my toppings, then do the second bake directly on the stone. I use half the dough and I'm able to cover my stone. I just oil the surface of the other half and put it in a Ziploc for another day!
Kristina Tipps says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! That is a great tip. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Liz Schreiner says
Great recipe! Made a great pizza!
Debb says
Excellent thin crust! Thank you, never using anything else.
Allison says
Was wondering what size bread machine you have ? Mine is 1 1/2 lb loaf
Kristina says
Hi Allison, Mine can make a 1, 1.5 or 2 pound loaf.
Malana Moberg says
I was wondering why you use sugar in the recipe. My husband doesn't like added sugar - so I'm wondering if I can leave it out
Kristina says
Hi Malana, You can leave the sugar out and the results should be similar.