Rustic Italian Pizza Dough Recipe Video
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The best, easy, thin and crispy crust rustic Italian pizza dough recipe you will ever make. Step by step how to video included below.
Italian Pizza Dough Recipe – Homemade Neopolitan Style!
A quick, authentic, thin and crispy crust that is also perfect for freezing.
With a name like Florentina you would probably be willing to bet that I live La Bella Vita Under the Tuscan Sun and can toss a pizza like nobody’s business. The truth is I do live La Bella Vita but under the California sun and I can’t toss a pizza for the life of me.
Although you can make this authentic Italian pizza dough recipe by hand, it is way easier to use a mixer. Fail proof, No tossing required! Honestly this is the real reason I got a Kitchen Aid mixer and a pizza stone, so we can make the best homemade pizza ever.
After constantly trying new recipes and formulas, and after having gone to Italy in search of the perfect rustic authentic Italian pizza dough, I am even more confident that this is the best recipe out there. Beep-beep!
What makes this the best Italian pizza dough recipe ever?
- Quick and easy to make by hand, food processor or Kitchen Aid Mixer!
- Made with Instant or active dry yeast, (<–amazon), flour and COLD water (no proofing required).
- Thin and crispy crust, yet still a little chewy.
- Make ahead and refrigerate for tomorrow, freeze for later or use right away.
- Naturally vegan, perfect for garlic knots, Stromboli, calzone, focaccia, breadsticks and even for the outdoor pizza oven.
What Is the best flour for pizza dough?
In my humble opinion, an organic unbleached all purpose flour is ideal especially when making a thin Neopolitan crust. No fancy flour is required.
What is a Neopolitan Pizza Crust?
An authentic Italian thin crisp crust pizza with charred edges and only a few toppings.
Simple Topping from Casa Florentina
- A thick homemade pomodoro sauce, arrabiata, puttanesca or marinara sauce.
- ricotta meatballs
- roasted cherry tomatoes
- fresh vegan mozzarella cheese (<–sooo good)
- spinach & artichoke
- caramelized onions
- heirloom tomatoes & fresh basil
- marinated roasted peppers.
The Secret to Italian Pizza Dough Perfection
- You must bake your rustic pizza on a Pizza Stone! Lightly brush it with some olive oil just before baking and as soon as the pie comes out of the oven top it with wedges of fresh heirloom tomatoes, basil, oregano and slices of fresh mozzarella di buffala.
- There’s no food on Earth like a homemade pizza, but even the best recipe will be lacking something without the magic of a pizza stone. Even the most basic one gives you a close result to a wood burning pizza oven. Just remember to heat it up with your oven so it won’t crack. Give it plenty of time to warm up, eve an hour or more if you aren’t in a rush or it’s cold outside.
Note Worthy
If you are looking for those authentic charred little fire kisses on the edges of your Italian pizza crust but your oven doesn’t go higher than 500″F, I strongly suggest finished it under the broiler, just for the last minute or so. It will give you a similar effect as a wood burning pizza oven with a subtle smokiness. Magical!
watch how to make the best Italian pizza dough
Rustic Italian Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups all purpose (or 00 flour ) + some for dusting
- 1.5 tsp instant dry yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 2.25 cups COLD water
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Favorite Toppings
- Caramelized onions
- Arrabiata Sauce
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Green Onions
- Smoked Mozzarella Cheese
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Ricotta Meatballs
- Roasted Peppers
Instructions
- Preheat your oven as high as it will go for at least 45 minutes to one hour with the pizza stone already inside. (I baked at 525"F but check your pizza stone for max temperature).
- In the bowl of your kitchen aid and using the paddle attachment mix the flour, sea salt and yeast on low speed until all is incorporated then add the COLD water.5 cups all purpose (or 00 flour ), 1.5 tsp instant dry yeast, 1.5 tsp sea salt, 2.25 cups COLD water
- Switch to the dough hook and mix together on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and sticky but should not stick to the sides of the bowl, only a little to the bottom.
- NOTE - If the dough sticks to the sides sprinkle in a little more flour, if it is too dry then add a bit more water. This will vary every time you make it so keep extra flour handy.
- After the 8 minutes have passed remove the dough from the mixer and cut it into 6 pieces and form them into rounds. Place them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tbs or so of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature and rise for 2 hours in a draft free area, I prefer the cold oven. ( At this stage you can also freeze the dough individually or place in the fridge overnight or a couple of days).1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- Sprinkle the counter with a little bit of flour, take one piece of dough and press down on it with your fingers until you have 1/2" thick circle or oval. Using your fists and knuckles start stretching the dough until 10" in diameter making sure not to tear it ( this should be easy since it is a small pie).
- Dust your pizza peel (or a piece of cardboard) very well with semolina flour or corn meal and set your pizza dough on it making sure it slides easily when moved. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the pizza sauce in the center and spread it around with the back of a spoon leaving 1 inch of space at the edges and making sure not to get any on the peel. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and add your favorite toppings. ( Don't add too many toppings, keep in mind this is a thin crust and a couple of toppings will suffice ).Arrabiata Sauce
- Gently slide the pie on the preheated pizza stone in a hot 525"F degree or more oven, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. When making the breakfast pizza I find that the egg cooks perfectly in 6 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil and freshly grated parmigiano reggianno. Allow to rest for a few minute for the cheese to set.
By Hand Method
- Pour the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast, salt and cold water and using a wooden spoon mix to combine well.
- Sprinkle some flour on a work surface/kitchen counter and dump the pizza dough. Sprinkle some more flour on top and using your hand knead the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes until a smooth ball forms but still a little bit sticky on the bottom. Follow the steps above afterwards.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to preheat your oven with the pizza stone in it for at least 45 minutes, and finish cooking the pizza under the broiler for a nice charred touch.
- If topping with heirloom tomato slices, make sure to use the firm ones, otherwise the pizza would be watery. Thin firm slices is what you want.
Nutrition
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havennt made the recipe yet but if i want to freeze some dough, do i freeze the dough after its risen for 2 hours or i dont have to
Freeze the pizza dough straight away, it will rise while defrosting. Set by step: https://46favorites-holiday.com/how-to-freeze-pizza-dough-tutorial/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Looks great, go into try but Recipes I’ve used before have left me with soggy pizza, can you blind bake for a couple of mins before adding the topping?
Yes you can if you want to make it extra crispy. Report back ~ Florentina Xo’s
Delicious! I didn’t have a pizza stone/steel or a pizza slide, so just heated up baking trays and put dough on baking parchment. Slid the pizza onto the trays still on the parchment and slid out again leaving the baking trays in the oven. Turned out perfectly crispy and super easy. Fussy teenagers said this is our new pizza recipe. No more store bought bases.
Maybe it was my fault since I didn’t out as much flour as I should have (even though the dough wasn’t really sticking to the sides of the bowl), but the dough was not very malleable and very moist and soft. The pizza also didn’t rise almost any after I rolled it out. They were okay, but I’m not sure that I would make again.
Hi Maggie, sorry you had trouble with the dough. Can you elaborate for me what you mean by “the pizza didn’t rise after I rolled it out” ? You are NOT supposed to roll it out… There’s a video above and inside recipe that details the steps of forming the dough balls, letting them rise then shaping your pizzas without disturbing the gluten strands which is what it sounds like in your description. This is also A thin crust Neapolitan style pizza with a chewy bite and crisp edges and bottom. Let me know If I can help after watching the video ~ Florentina Xo’s
Dough seems to have a great gluten structure to it. Any idea on how long I should plan on setting my dough out at room temperature if I did a cold ferment on it in the fridge two days ago?
A couple of hours is usually enough unless your house is cooled below 70 degrees then longer until you see the dough springing back. Hope that makes sense ~ Florentina Xo’s
The only limiting factor is the oven not being able to get hot enough.
Hi Sigma, just blast your oven as high as it will go and cook the pizza longer, it will still be great ~ Florentina Xo’s
Skeptical with ingredients, no sugar with yeast, tried it anyway and boy was this recipe good. Like eating pizza from a restaurant forno, I recommend this recipe and I recommend following the instructions to a T, thank you to Florentina
I live this recipe! Can I prepare the dough and leave it to rest for 5-6 hours in room temperature before using – or should I keep the dough in the fridge, then let it rest for time noted in room temperature before use?
Hi Luna, keep the dough in the fridge up to a week. Bring to room temperature 2-3 hours before planning to bake the pizza and follow recipe instructions. Enjoy! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Is there a reason why you don’t use sugar in the recipe. I thought that the sugar feeds the yeast! Many pizza recipes do use sugar.
Hi Peter, you don’t need sugar, the instant yeast is pretty much fail proof unless it’s extremely old in which case the sugar wouldn’t help much anyways. I also want a thin crisp crust Neapolitan style and not a lot of fluff which is what the sugar would create.
I have never tried to make a pizza at home because I thought it would be too hard to make good crust. This recipe is so good and so easy. We don’t live where we can get takeout pizza delivered, so this is just amazing for us. I swear I went to the best pizza shop and bought a pizza and brought it home. Thank you so much for this recipe.
This is the best pizza base I have ever made. I have tried so many many times and failed until I used this recipe. So easy and so delicious. Your tips were very helpful to. Thank you for sharing.
This is by far the best and easiest pizza dough I’ve ever made. I usually make a thicker, Detroit style pizza, but my husband wanted a thinner crust. I have used your other bread recipes so decided to give it a try. Oh my! So so good. Crust was crispy outside and chewy inside. It will be awhile before I make Detroit style pizza again.
Can you use Active Dry Yeast in this recipe? It sounds delicious,
Hi Michelle, you can use active dry yeast if that’s what you’ve got. I started recommending instant yeast because people including myself were getting mixed results with the active dry in the last couple of years. It might take longer to proof which is fine if you are not pressed for time. You can even let it the sit overnight in the fridge to develop more flavor. Let me know how it goes ~ Florentina Xo’s
How long do you use the paddle to mix before switching to the dough hook?
Just a minute until your ingredients have mixed.
Every Friday night in our house is “pizza and a movie” – I’ve been making the pizza from scratch for a couple of years now (my kids are 10 & 12). We’ve never been amazed by any of the dough recipes I’ve tried until this one! I’ve deleted all the other dough recipes in my bookmarks and now only use yours. Would putting the dough on parchment paper work instead of cornmeal to get it off the pizza peel? My son has texture issues and it’s tricky just using flour to slide the dough onto the pizza stone. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Oh My God! Kat you have made my entire month with your review, thank you! YES, you can use parchment paper just make sure to check the safe oven temp on it. Alternatively just make sure to flour the pizza peel really well so nothing sticks. Once on the hot pizza stone nothing will stick so this is just to help with the transfer. Let me know how that works ~ Florentina Xo’s
Great dough- can use immediately or let rise!
I insist on a pizza Steele over the pizza stone- cooks more evenly. I also use parchment paper over corn meal or Seminole flour- less messy.
Could this dough also be used for making breadsticks along side the pizza? If you’ve tried that too, do you have any recommendations? We make pizza and breadsticks every Friday for family movie night and I’m wanting to try this recipe, looks so delicious!
Hi April, yes you can make bread sticks with it too, you’ll want to bake them at 400″F so as not to burn the garlic topping. I actually have a garlic bread sticks recipe in production right now using this dough as a base as well, check back again soon ~ Florentina Xo’s
Do you let rise then freeze or do you mix, put into balls then let rise and then freeze?
Hi Sheri, you’ll want to freeze the dough before rising. When ready to bake your pizza just bring the dough out to room temperature and they will rise as they thaw out. Enjoy! Here’s the step by step tutorial on freezing pizza dough: https://46favorites-holiday.com/how-to-freeze-pizza-dough-tutorial/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Omg I read it as 1/2 tsp of yeast and salt. Not 1 1/2 tsp. hopefully its ok
Love this dough. We have a friend that comes over every Saturday to have the pizza with my husband and I. I was wonder if the nutritional information is for just the dough or all the other ingredients like cheese and sauce you lave listed.
Hi I’m currently making this recipe but I don’t have a pizza stone, can I still make this recipe?
Hi Lexi, yes you can use a heavy duty baking dish or a large cast iron plate or skillet instead.
Absolutely delicious! I’ve been wishing for a crispier slice and this was crispier and chewier. So glad you got me to get out the pizza stone again!
I tried the recipe with the By Hand(I do not have a mixer). After mixing the ingredients with a wooden spoon it was extremely sticky. When I dumped it on my floured bread board, the dough was sticking a lot to my fingers. So much that I lost about 1/4 of my quantity. I know I did something wrong. Any suggestions?
Hi Robert, sounds like you just need to add more flour as needed so you can work the dough well, same as if you were using a mixer. You want to end up with a little bit of a sticky dough but one you can handle and knead. Depending of the flour used (all purpose, high protein bread flour) and the environmental conditions like heat and moisture, you’ll sometime need more or less flour. The secret to a great pizza dough is learning to feel the dough so it will always be a success. Let me know how it all works out for you ~ Florentina
The addition of sprinkling some more flour helped tremendously! Awesome recipe!
So glad to hear that worked out Robert! Enjoy! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Hi
where’s the video?
Video is above the recipe + inserted in the bottom of the recipe card.
On step 5, for refrigerating or freezing, do I need to let it rise for 2 hours first or skip straight to fridge/freezer? Thank you!
Hi Arianna, you can freeze or refrigerate straight away no need to let it rise, the dough will rise when you take it out before baking.