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This recipe for Thin and Crispy Pizza is one of the best thin pizza crusts I’ve tried. It’s quick and easy to make and so delicious. I think you’re going to love this one!
(Post modified with new photos on 3/9/24.)
My family loves all types of pizza, but I’ve always been fond of a thin and crispy pizza. Unfortunately, that cracker thin crust that stands on it’s own has always been hard for me to achieve–until now! I’m happy to say that I’ve finally figured out a few of the secrets to making this yummy crispy crust.
One of the secrets is in the flour. For this recipe you’ll want to use a 00 Pizzeria flour. 00 stands for Double Zero or doppio flour, which is a finely ground Italian flour. It can sometimes be hard to find. I’ve tried King Arthur’s Italian Flour, but have to admit that I like Antimo Caputo 00 Pizzeria Flour better. It really turns out a fabulous dough to work with. And so flavorful. Our entire family agrees.
Tools for Cracker Thin Crust
You’ll also need a couple of tools to achieve the cracker-thin crust that we love. First, you’ll want to have a small pastry/pizza roller. This is a great tool for finishing crackers and pizza dough. It will fit into small spaces or corners, and just does a great job of thinning out dough.
The second tool is a pizza docker, which will help punch holes in the dough. I also use this tool when I make my homemade sourdough crackers, and also for shortbread cookies, so it has multiple uses. Of course, you could use a fork, but that’s a lot of work that this tool will finish in seconds.
More Pizza Recipes to Try
Ingredients for Thin and Crusty Pizza
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- 00 Pizzeria Flour
- nonfat dry milk
- granulated sugar
- instant yeast
- kosher salt
- warm water
- extra virgin olive oil, divided
Pizza Toppings
- Pizza sauce – See my homemade Recipe Here.
- MEAT: Your choice of pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground sausage, hamburger, Canadian Bacon
- VEGETABLES: Your choice of sliced bell peppers, sweet onion, black olives, mushrooms
- CHEESE: Your choice of (shredded) mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, Parmesan cheese and/or sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
Recommended Tools for Making Homemade Pizza
In my years making homemade pizza, I’ve collected a few kitchen items to make the job easier. And which will also turn out a better product. My recommendations are:
- A Baking Stone. Be sure to purchase one that is big enough to hold your largest pizza. A also use my baking stone for baking sourdough and flatbreads.
- Pizza Peel. This is just a handy tool for lifting your pizza in and out of the oven. You may use it with or without parchment paper, but I recommend beginning users to try it with parchment paper. Once you get the hang of it, you can move on to direct placement.
- A Pizza Cutter. You’ll need some way to slice your pizza. A knife. A pizza roller. Or a Pizza Rocker Cutter, which is how I like to cut our pizza. I’ve tried them all and prefer this way best.
- And a Pizza Serving Pan. Since you’ll be baking your pizza on a stone, you’ll need a pan to serve the pizza on. I like these simple and inexpensive aluminum pizza pans. You can buy them in several sizes, but I would recommend either 12-inch or 14-inch. Better for it to be too big, than not big enough.
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Preheat oven to 450° F. Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Make the Dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 00 Italian Pizzeria Flour, nonfat dry milk, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt. Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Mix together to make a soft dough.
Knead for 5 minutes, either by hand or by dough hook.
Divide the dough in half and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to relax for 15-30 minutes.
Prepare the Ingredients
While the dough is resting, prepare your topping ingredients. Grate and/or slice the mozzarella cheese. If desired, brown sausage or hamburger. Slice vegetables.
I like making one meat and one vegetable pizza with this recipe. Try pepperoni and Italian sausage with mozzarella cheese, or veggie toppings of sliced bell peppers, sweet onion, mushrooms, and black olives. I also use my recipe for Zesty Pizza Sauce when I make these thin pizzas, which I prepare at this time also.
Roll and Assemble the Pizza
Lay out two 14″ squares of parchment paper on a work surface. Spray each with baking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 10-12″ circle, about 1/8″ thick. You may use a rolling pin, but a small pastry roller works even better.
Transfer the dough to the parchment paper and roll the dough a few more times to achieve an even thinner crust.
Next, roll a dough docker over the dough to punch holes in the dough. This will help create a cracker-thin crust when it bakes in the hot oven. If you don’t have a roller docker, you may use a pastry fork blender.
Smooth tops of dough with extra-virgin olive oil.
Using a pizza peel, place the parchment sheets and crusts directly on the hot stone in the preheated oven. Bake for 4-5 minutes until edges begin to turn brown. Remove from oven before crust begins to bubble in the center.
If necessary, flatten any bubbles that may have occurred.
Next, top with your favorite sauce and prepared toppings.
I always begin with the sauce and then add any browned meat. After that, I top it with the shredded cheese, followed by vegetables and pepperoni or Canadian bacon. If using fresh mozzarella, I’ll place that on the very top. Use whatever toppings you like best, whether it’s simply cheese or pepperoni, barbecued meat, or a Supreme pizza!
Return crusts to hot stone and bake an additional 7-8 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. The crust will have darkened along the edges. That’s exactly what you want to achieve the cracker thin crunch.
Remove from oven and transfer the pizza to a serving pizza tray. Remove the parchment paper and allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes before slicing into triangles. Slice into 8-10 pieces using a pizza wheel or rocker blade.
This recipe will make two 12″ thin-crust pizzas.
See more Pizza Recipes Here. Browse Italian Recipes Here.
Wine Recommendation: Castellare Chianti Classico
Thin and Crispy Pizza
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
- 3 cups 00 Pizzeria Flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
Pizza Toppings
- 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce (See my homemade Recipe Here.)
- 8 oz pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground sausage, hamburger, Canadian Bacon (Your choice)
- 1 cup sliced bell peppers, onions, black olives, mushrooms, (Your choice)
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (Your choice)
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (Your choice)
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Preheat oven to 450℉.
Make the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 00 Italian Pizzeria Flour, nonfat dry milk, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt. Add the warm water and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- Mix together to make a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes, either by hand or by dough hook.
- Divide the dough in half and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to relax for 15-30 minutes.
Prepare the Ingredients
- While the dough is resting, prepare your topping ingredients. Grate and/or slice the mozzarella cheese. If desired, brown sausage or hamburger. Slice vegetables.
Roll and Assemble the Pizza
- Lay out two 14″ squares of parchment paper on a work surface. Spray each with baking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 10-12″ circle, about 1/8″ thick. You may use a rolling pin, but a small pastry roller works even better.
- Transfer the dough to the parchment paper and roll the dough a few more times to achieve an even thinner crust.
- Next, roll a dough docker over the dough to punch holes in the dough. This will help create a cracker-thin crust when it bakes in the hot oven. If you don’t have a roller docker, you may use a pastry fork blender.
- Smooth tops of dough with extra-virgin olive oil.
- Using a pizza peel, place the parchment sheets and crusts directly on the hot stone in the preheated oven. Bake for 4-5 minutes until edges begin to turn brown. Remove from oven before crust begins to bubble in the center. (If necessary, flatten any bubbles that may have occurred.)
- Next, top with your favorite sauce and prepared toppings.I always begin with the sauce and then add any browned meat. After that, I top it with the shredded cheese, followed by vegetables and pepperoni or Canadian bacon. If using fresh mozzarella, I’ll place that on the very top. Use whatever toppings you like best, whether it’s simply cheese or pepperoni, barbecued meat, or a Supreme pizza!
- Return crusts to hot stone and bake an additional 7-8 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. The crust will have darkened along the edges. That’s exactly what you want to achieve the cracker thin crunch.
- Remove from oven and transfer the pizza to a serving pizza tray. Remove the parchment paper and allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes before slicing into triangles. Slice into 8-10 pieces using a pizza wheel or rocker blade. Makes 2 pizzas and serves 4-6.
Notes
Nutrition