Thin Crust Pizza
Homemade pizza can be a quick weeknight meal if you prep this dough a few days ahead of time. The crust is delightfully crispy and we tailor the toppings to our needs - half real, half veggie pepperoni.
thin crust pizza ready for the oven
133 ml water
¾ teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
200 g bread flour
Sauce and toppings of your choice
Mix the water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it set until it gets foamy, about 5 minutes.
Mix in the olive oil, salt, and flour and knead for about 7 minutes. The dough is fairly wet so use a stand mixer with dough hook if available.
Slow Rise option: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or Tupperware. Turn it around to coat the dough ball with a thin layer of oil. Put the lid on the container or cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Leave it there at least 24 hours and up to a week.
Fast Option: Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in it, turning it around to cover the dough ball with a thin layer of oil. Cover the bowl and let it rise at room temperature for at least an hour, up to two.
After the rise is complete, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack in your oven and preheat the oven to the highest available temperature. In my oven that is 550°F.
Roll the dough into a thin round on a piece of parchment paper. It will be sticky. I like to put a light coating of oil on the rolling pin to help prevent sticking and also find that rolling in a single direction (instead of back and forth) helps.
Top the pizza with your favorite sauce and toppings. Go light with the sauce so that the pizza doesn't get soggy.
Cut the parchment paper close to the size of the pizza so it doesn't burn in the oven. Place the pizza (on its parchment round) into the oven on the pizza stone.
Cook the pizza for 2 to 4 minutes until the crust edges look set. Remove the parchment from under the pizza. Bake until the crust is browned and cheese is melted, another 3 to 4 minutes.