The Yellow Oven

Go-to Yeasted Pizza Crust

by

Jump to Recipe

The details

I was one of those people who made frozen pizza (or got takeout) on pizza night. But not anymore!!! It turns out that making pizza crust from scratch is just about as much effort as driving to grab a takeout pizza, and soooo much more fresh and delicious. This is my go-to, classic New York-style pizza crust. It’s heavy on the yeast (because that’s how it should be) and has just enough salt and sugar to impart some flavor without overpowering the amazing-ness of your toppings. Stretch this pizza crust nice and thin, and you’ll have nice crisp crust on the bottom and bubbly, chewy dough on the crust. That’s the dream, right?? Ditch the frozen pizza forever. Seriously!

The process

  1. Mix and knead your dough.
  2. Allow to rise in the fridge overnight (or 1-2 hours at room temp)
  3. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F
  4. Shape your pizza dough
  5. Transfer to pizza slide and add toppings
  6. Transfer to pizza stone/pan in preheated oven
  7. Bake in oven for 5-10 mins
  8. Serve and eat!

Equipment Needed

  • Stand mixer with bread hook (or knead by hand)
  • Large bowl for proofing
  • Large pizza spatula or pizza slide (recommended)
  • Pizza stone, pizza pan, or baking sheet (I use a pizza stone)

Pizza Tips

We recently had some friends from Dallas, Laura + Teddy, stay with us and we had a pizza-making night while our kiddos slept upstairs. Teddy claims he was “born in a pizza” and honestly, I learned a lot from him! Here are some tips I picked up from him, my own research, and trials making my pizza babies over the past few weeks:

  • Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F 30 mins-1 hour BEFORE you bake your pizza, with the pizza stone or pan in the oven! This makes sure your pan/stone is super duper hot and makes for a crispy bottom.
  • Use LOTS of semolina (or cornmeal, if you can’t find the good stuff) on the bottom of the pizza spatula and the pizza stone. Be generous, since you need the pizza to slide right off without becoming too mishapen. And a stuck pizza is a sad pizza.
  • To shape your pizza, push it out with your hands then press down as you kinda swivel the pizza on your floured surface. Toss it if you can–or if you’re too scared like I am, keep working it until the bottom is super thin with a slightly thicker crust area.
  • It’s hard to mess up a pizza! Sure, it may end of looking a little rustic (exhibit A, below) but it will still taste scrumptious and you will be so proud of yourself no matter what!
  • Splurge on the toppings. High quality ingredients (like buffalo mozzarella, nice sauce/homemade pizza sauce, good proscuitto, whole fat fresh mozz) make all the difference.
  • HAVE FUN! Pizza making is such a fun baking activity, especially for those who usually do more cooking than baking.

Favorite Pizza Topping Combos

  • fig jam, fontina, blue cheese, proscuitto, arugula
  • tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella rounds, lots of basil
  • pesto, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes
  • tomato sauce, whole milk ricotta, Italian sausage, mushrooms

Bake to this music

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
yeasted pizza crust

Go-To Yeasted Pizza Crust

Print Recipe

My go-to yeasted pizza dough is so simple and comes together with just one no-fuss proof in the fridge! It makes two delicious yeasty, thin-crust pizzas. You’ll never go back to store-bought crusts!

  • Yield: 2 12-inch pizzas 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp + 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup + 6 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup bread flour
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp semolina flour

Instructions

  1. Make your dough. In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, active dry yeast, and warm water. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 15 minutes, until foamy.
  2. Add flours, salt, and 2 tbsp olive oil to the foamy mixture. Mix by hand with a spatula until the mixture begins to come together. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment (or knead with hands), knead the pizza dough on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until it is a cohesive dough ball and bounces back when poked. If the dough is too wet, add flour 1 tsp at a time. If it is too dry, you can add room temp water 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
  3. Add 2 tbsp olive oil total to 2 medium mixing bowls (1 tbsp each) to coat. Using a dough cutter, divide pizza dough in half and shape each piece into a ball. Place each half in an oil coated bowl. Cover and place in the fridge to proof at least 8 hours or overnight. You can leave the pizza dough in the fridge up to 3 days before using.
  4. When ready to make your pizza, take dough out of the fridge and allow to come to room temp for 30 mins-1 hour. Shape your pizza dough on well-floured surface. Transfer to a pizza slide or pizza pan covered with semolina flour, and brush the whole crust with olive oil. Add your toppings to your heart’s desire.
  5. Place your pan or pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Once preheated, carefully transfer pizza crust to hot pan with a spatula/pizza slide.
  6. Bake in the oven on the top rack for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and the crust is browned. For me, this takes only 5 minutes so keep your eye on the pizza.
  7. Slice & enjoy immediately!

Notes

  • Once proofed in the fridge for 8 hours, you can wrap the proofed dough tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow to defrost in fridge overnight and come to room temp 30 mins-1 hour before using.
  • If you don’t want to wait for the pizza dough to proof overnight in the fridge, you can also just proof at room temp for 1-2 hours until doubled in size. I just like the convenience of making the pizza dough ahead!
  • If your yeast/sugar/water mixture does not foam in step 1, discard and try again with new yeast. Yeast that doesn’t foam is dead and won’t rise properly. Water should be warm (not hot) to avoid killing yeast.
  • My preferred method for making pizza with crunchy crust is preheating the pizza stone in the oven for at least 30 minutes until super hot, then using a pizza slide coated with semolina to transfer the pizza to the oven. You could instead shape and make your pizza on a pan, and bake it on the top rack when you’re ready. This pizza will still be delicious, just less crunchy.
  • Author: Caroline Crockett
  • Category: bread, pizza crust

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us @the_yellowoven — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!