Thank you everyone for your well wishes last week! We are feeling much better after a very restful weekend.
I try and make a point of making as many things from scratch as possible. Not only is it healthier and cheaper then eating out, but it’s darn satisfying when you are able to make something that is better then store-bought or is restaurant quality.
Pizza was always one of those things that I didn’t make at home very often because my husband simply preferred the frozen or pizza shop variety. In large part, it was because most homemade pizzas are doughy and heavy. But, I’m happy to say that I finally perfected the perfect pizza crust for my husband and he now prefers my pizza over all others. Woot!
This dough is perfect because it draws all the attention to the toppings rather then the crust, which is just the way we like it. The dough is so pliable (due to the amount of vinegar) that it can be easily stretched to the thickness desired. It also freezes like a dream with no adverse affects. When I make it for us I always throw one ball of dough in the freezer immediately, along with half the sauce, and then I have it on hand for a busy day.
I’m still on search for the perfect pizza sauce, but this is so far the favorite and my go to for now. I will share my findings if that perfect pizza sauce ever smacks me in the face.
Are you a pizza topping or thick and crusty dough person? I think for me it depends on my mood and if the crust is done right. Feel free to share any yummy pizza sauces or perfect crusty dough’s in the comment section below.
Thin Crust Pizza Dough
Step by step photos at bottom of post.
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1.5 tsp. yeast
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3-4 cups flour
- Stir together water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let proof for 10 min.
- Stir in oil, salt, vinegar and 2 cups flour until well incorporated.
- Add additional flour and knead until pliable and barely sticky.
- Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
- Once doubled. Punch down and divide into two portions.
- Roll and stretch each piece of dough to cover a large un-greased baking sheet. Cover with pizza sauce and toppings of choice.
- Bake at 500ºF for 10-12 min. until browned and bubbly.
1 pizza serves: 4
* You can either bake this on a large cookie sheet or an 12×15 inch jelly roll pan.
* If you are only making one pizza now you can freeze the other dough for later use. Grease the inside of a ziploc bag with cooking spray, drop the dough ball in and seal. To use later: take the dough out in the morning or at lunch time and allow to thaw at room temperature (it needs approximately 5-6 hours). Remove from bag and proceed as usual.
Simple Pizza Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 can diced italian seasoned tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp. oregano
- Cook onions in oil until soft. Add garlic and allow to cook until softened. Do not brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 min.
Makes enough sauce for 2 pizza’s
* For a smooth sauce, puree once cooked.
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(click to enlarge)
Pizza is my life blood. I think you just saved my life <3
I second that statement! I have always bought dough balls at the store and made pizza from there, now I can do it all!! WOOHOO!!
Love it! Just what I’ve been searching for. Thanks so much.
i enjoy a thinnish crust. in fact, if the edges aren’t stuffed with cheese, they’re useless to me. i like this recipe, cheri–your pizza looks so appetizing!
It’s so easy to order out when you’re really busy, isn’t it? I have more time now and if I’m going to have pizza, it will be homemade. I also prefer a crispy thin crust. Looks like a super recipe and thanks for the simple sauce recipe!
Thin crust is my absolute favorite! I try to always keep pizza dough on hand for when the mood strikes…which is often.
Great site! I just found you through Simple Bites.
I love your pizza sauce recipe. I’m wondering with the small can of tomato paste, if the sauce is too “tomatoey”?
We don’t like things too “tomatoey” here either and I have never thought that of this sauce. Most sauce recipes I have made are thinned out tomato paste with spices, so this tastes a lot less “tomatoey” then those. :) If you give it a try let me know your thoughts!
Wow…I’ve been on a quest to find our favourite pizza crust and while I have one that I enjoy very much, I know it isn’t the best that is out there. This one really intrigues me, especially with the addition of the vinegar, and I can’t wait to test it out this weekend!
Let me know how it turns out!
Made your recipe tonight, never really liked pizza but this is so crunchy and thin, LOVED it. Another + it’s ready in a hour.
This is a sure keeper, thank you.
Yay! So glad it turned out for you. Thanks for commenting back. :)
Thanks Cheri! =)
I’m wondering if you can freeze this dough so I can make it ahead? Thanks!
Yes you can. See the notes after the pizza dough recipe. :)
This was my first time trying to make my own dough and I think I failed it pretty hard. My dough is crumbly and I couldn’t knead in the extra flour because it was so crumbly. Where did I go wrong? Is there any way to salvage this?
It was crumbly after adding only 2 cups of flour? I would normally think that you added too much flour as dough recipes can vary a lot in the amount of flour needed depending on the climate and altitude of where you are living. When I first started making dough I tended to add far too much flour and my dough’s were always very dry. If this is the case you can add more water to make it a pliable dough again. If you have any more in-depth questions you can email me (address in the about page). Getting the hang of dough can be intimidating at first but all it takes is practice. I hope that helps! :)
What a perfect-looking pizza! I’m bookmarking this recipe. Thanks!
Question, if i don’t have apple cider vinegar, but because i’m moving in a month i don’t want to buy it, is there a substitute, or could i leave it out until i have it?
You can substitute white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar or regular white vinegar if you don’t have those, but the flavour will be a little different. I definitely wouldn’t leave it out because it’s what helps to loosen the dough up so that it can stretch so thinly. Let us know your results. ;)
nice. thanks
IT WORKED!!! it was probably a little more vinegary (not that i have anything to compare it to), but it worked and it tasted great. thanks Cheri!
There are so many pizza recipes but this one sticks, made it for friends with little children and first they go, is this pizza? Than they love it. Have found that a little flour after two cups goes a long way, think it has to do with the temperature and humidity? The other day I used three cups easily. Have stuffed it up in the freezer and better, let it get to room temperature, it stretches out better and there you go. For a none pizza lover?……….. we had it a lot since you placed this recipe.
Yeah I was back, sorry had to say this, there is always reason to change, right? Can’t get over it from a pizza hater to a pizza lover, who is going to convince me know to love ice cream?
That is so great! Maybe we’ll have to conquer the ice cream next. ;)
Hmm. I’m wondering what we did wrong. The dough just didn’t rise. Should I have gotten quick rise yeast instead of the traditional yeast that we bought? We’ve never cooked with yeast before so I didn’t know.
Thanks for any help! We’ll definitely be trying this recipe again!!
There are a couple of things that could have gone wrong. Is the yeast new? Check the expiration date of the yeast, perhaps it’s outdated? Another one of the major causes of dough not rising is if the dough is too cold. How cold was your house when you tried to make the dough? A simple solution would be to turn on the oven just for a minute or two and then shut it off. If you allow the dough to rise in there it will create a warm, draft free environment. Allowing the yeast to sit for 10 minutes in the warm water is also very important if you are using traditional yeast, as this is the time that the yeast activates. If it is properly activated is should be smooth when stirred and there should be no more granules. The only other thing I can think of is the temperature of the water you used. If it is too cold the yeast won’t activate and if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast. The desired temperature is about 120ºF but if you don’t have a thermometer then you can test the water on the back of your wrist as you would a baby bottle. You want it to be around body temperature.
I hope that helps! Feel free to ask more questions if you have any.
Thanks Cheri,
It’s definitely new yeast, so it must have been too cold. We’ll try the oven trick and we’ll make sure the water is the right temperature.
Thanks so much for your help!
Hey! I credited you for your pizza dough here.
http://www.buttered-up.com/2010/04/dear-pizza-you-make-me-pudgy.html
It was such a success in our home. Thank you for sharing your wonderful secrets. I’m glad I took the chance and trusted your recipe. :D
Your blog is really cool.
HI Cheri
I am still looking for the perfect pizza crust and sauce recipe so thanks for this recipe.
Im just wondering if the vinegar in the crust can be tasted? What is the idea behind adding vinegar..Ive never seen that before in a pizza crust recipe.
Hi Amanda,
The acidic properties of the vinegar help to relax the gluten so that the dough can be easily stretched and rolled. I have heard that you can taste it a bit if the dough is thicker.. but if you get it nice thin (like in the picture) you shouldn’t be able to taste it. I hope that helps!
I made a pizza using this recipe this afternoon. I used a bottled sauce as I wasnt in the mood to cook everything, so just used the recipe for the crust. I must say it was a huge success. As Cheri said, you cant taste vinegar and this made a great thin crust that tasted really good. I will keep using this recipe.
I have enough dough left over for another one and a half pizza’s; Cheri, can the raw dough be successfully frozen and then used at a later date?
Great I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for adding your review. :)
I freeze my dough all the time and it works just as good as fresh.
To freeze: Grease the inside of a ziploc bag with cooking spray, drop the dough ball in and seal. (This is after the dough has risen)
To use later: take the dough out in the morning or at lunch time and allow to thaw at room temperature (it needs approximately 5-6 hours). Remove from bag and proceed as usual. (or you can thaw it in the fridge overnight)
I didnt grease the bag, does that matter? thanks.
I actually covered the dough in cling wrap film then put into a freezer bag and then an airtight container. Is that ok?
Also, Cheri, can you clarify; when you say a small can of tomato paste, how many tablespoons, or grams is that?
Do you puree your sauce or is the sauce youre using in the picture how the recipe turns out as is? I also par bake my crusts to ensure theyre sufficiently browned and slightly crispy. I note from your pictures that you havent done that, do you find that this recipe cooks nicely without par baking? thanks Cheri
That will be fine Amanda. It may stick a bit, so you just might have to peel some of it off the bag, but it won’t affect the final result.
I would say the small can of tomato paste is probably about 6 tablespoons.
The sauce shown in the photo is not pureed.
I don’t par bake this crust and it cooks nicely for me… but no it is not overly crispy. If you prefer yours extra crispy there’s nothing wrong with baking it up a bit before you add the toppings.
All the best!
This crust is simply wonderful. Many thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ve tried a dozen or more, but this pliable dough was a pleasure to work with. My husband has patiently chomped his way through many fluffy, heavy pizzas, and he is totally delighted with the pizza we had for dinner. We grew up in a city where there were many fine pizza shops with thin crusts and good tomato sauce, and have been unable to find anything like that in our suburban locality. Until now!
Thanks again!
So glad to hear that! :)
Hi Cherie, I just stumbled across your site while I was looking for wonton wrappers to buy online. (We live in Somerset in England and although we have great local produce to cook with, buying wonton wrappers locally would be a struggle!)
I was so impressed with your site that I had to leave a post, I’ve downloaded several recipes already and I think we might just be having thin crust pizza for tea tomorrow….
Thanks, really great website and lots of inspiring photography.
Thanks so much Michelle! You’ll have to let me know how it all turns out. ;)