No-Knead Pizza Dough Makes Homemade Pizza Night Oh-So Easy (2024)

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Simple, nearly hands free, and easy to make ahead.

Sally Vargas

Sally is the author of four cookbooks and is a regular correspondent for the Boston Globe Wednesday Food Section. She also is a food photographer.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated August 18, 2024

13 Ratings

No-Knead Pizza Dough Makes Homemade Pizza Night Oh-So Easy (3)

In This Recipe

A Dough for Your Timeline
See Also
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The Best Flour for Pizza Dough
Getting the Right Consistency
Working With Loose Dough
Storing Pizza Dough Overnight
Freezing This Fast Pizza Dough

14 Homemade Pizza Recipes for Family Movie NightFEATURED IN:

It seems that every time I decide to make pizza at home (usually on a Friday night) my well-laid plans are disrupted by a last-minute impulse to go to the movies or to meet with friends.

That’s why I love this dough recipe.

A No-Knead Pizza Dough That Works With Your Timeline

You can make it and let it rise, then use it—or change your mind and leave it in the fridge for the next day. Or even the day after that. Or even freeze it for a few weeks. It's a very forgiving dough!

And if that weren't enough to sell you on this pizza, you don’t have to do a bit of kneading.

No-Knead Pizza Dough Makes Homemade Pizza Night Oh-So Easy (4)

Furthermore, an overnight rise in the refrigerator helps develop fantastic flavor. The dough is soft and full of delicious air bubbles.

This recipe makes about two pounds of dough, which is enough for four 10-inch personal pizzas or two larger pizzas. Use it to make any pizza recipe you like!

By the way, if you like this no-knead approach, check out "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois and "My Bread" by Jim Lahey. This pizza recipe was based on their no-knead techniques.

No-Knead Pizza Dough Makes Homemade Pizza Night Oh-So Easy (5)

The Best Flour for No-Knead Pizza Dough

All-purpose flour, bread flour, or Italian 00 flour will all work, but different flours yield different results. It all has to do with the amount of gluten in the flour.

All-purpose flour is just like the name suggests—it's good for nearly anything, including pizza dough. It doesn't have the best stretch but works for thin Neapolitan or even deep-dish pizzas.
Whole-wheat flour can make pizza dough healthier but combine it with all-purpose flour for the best consistency.
Bread flour is not only for bread, but it's also great for a stretchy pizza dough that may have too much spring. It's a little hard to shape since it wants to bounce back.
Italian 00 flour (also called Caputo Tipo 00 flour) is found in Italian and specialty markets and is designed for pizzas and focaccias. A little pricey but worth it if you cook your pizza at super high temps.

For this recipe, almond flour or other gluten-free flour won't work, though (since it's all about the yeast doing the rise with the gluten). If you're looking for a gluten-free pizza dough, you are better off using one that's specifically formulated to use gluten-free flour, like our cauliflower pizza crust.

No-Knead Whole Wheat Pizza DoughREAD MORE:

Getting the Right Pizza Dough Consistency

To get the right consistency, measure your flour by weight. The dough should be slack or loose (see below). If the dough feels too dry, sprinkle some water on top before leaving to rise. The dough should be wet, but dust a little more flour when working with it if it's too tacky to shape. With the right amount of water and flour, the dough should rise to be elastic and pliable.

Working With Loose Dough

This recipe makes a dough that’s soft and a bit wet. It's what bakers call a slack dough. Most no-knead recipes work best if they are slack doughs, meaning they have high hydration (more water) and thus are looser and heavier to work with. They produce lots of bubbles in the crust, which is great for pizza!

You can't shape slack dough like other doughs. Instead of drooping it over your fist, try gently stretching it or pressing outward as you shape. Flour your work surface well and go with the flow. These doughs give you imperfect circles, but we've come to embrace the rustic shapes they make. We think it adds to that beautiful handmade feeling of our pizzas.

Storing Pizza Dough Overnight in the Fridge

This pizza dough will keep overnight (or up to three days) in your refrigerator. It's best to place it in a nonreactive (glass or metal) bowl and cover with plastic wrap (since your dough will continue to rise in the fridge).

When you're ready to make the pizza, let it warm up at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then, shape out the dough by stretching or using a flour-dusted rolling pin on a lightly dusted surface.

While the dough warms, you can prep the toppings and preheat the oven and your pizza stone or cast-iron skillet (if you're using one).

Freezing This Fast Pizza Dough

Leftover dough can be placed in a zip-topfreezer bag and frozen for up to three months. Allow the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

Homemade Pizza Recipes for No-Knead Dough

Spicy Sausage Pizza
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pizza
Cheeseburger Pizza
Meat Lovers' Sheet Pan Pizza

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Easy No-Knead Pizza Dough

Prep Time10 mins

Rising2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 10 mins

Servings6to 8

Yield2 1-pound balls

This recipe makes two 1-pound balls of pizza dough, which is enough for two large pizzas or four personal-sized 10-inch pizzas.

Instant or rapid-rise yeast is actually a different strain of yeast from the usual granulated yeast. It is designed to be mixed directly into the flour. If you can’t find it, use the equivalent amount of active dry yeast and proof it in warm water according to the package directions.

Leftover dough can be placed in a zip-topfreezer bag and frozen for up to three months. Allow the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

If halving the recipe, mix the dough by hand sincethe volumemay be too small for your mixer to properly mix.

Ingredients

4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (slightly less than a full packet) instantyeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups (350g) lukewarm water
1 teaspoon olive oil

Method

Make the dough:
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, yeast, and salt on low speed. Add the water all at once and mix until the dough comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 30 to 60 seconds. You don't need to knead it, just get all the ingredients mixed together. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, with no more visible streaks of flour on the surface.
To mix by hand, follow the same procedure using a large bowl and a wooden spoon.
Let the dough rise:
Drizzle a large, clean mixing bowl with oil. Flour your hands and form the dough into a rough ball. Transfer it to the oiled bowl and twirl it around a few times to coat it with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, until doubled in bulk.
After rising, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 48 hours. Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before shaping.
Shape and use the dough:
Once risen, the dough is ready to be shaped into pizzas and baked. Use this dough for any pizza recipe you want to make and follow recipe instructions for shaping and baking times.
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Pizzas
Yeast Breads

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
235	Calories
1g	Fat
48g	Carbs
7g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	235
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g	2%
Saturated Fat 0g	1%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 400mg	17%
Total Carbohydrate 48g	17%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 11mg	1%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 74mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.