A couple of years ago, we started reserving Friday night for pizza movie night. Honestly it’s the night we all look forward to. The end of a long week, where we can snuggle up together, watch something wholesome and fun, and eat melted cheese on dough… what could be better? I began pizza movie night using the trader Joe’s sourdough pizza crust from there freezer section… delicious yes, but also I don’t really shop at Trader Joe’s all that often and found that I was going there strictly for pizza crust when I knew I could make it at home. But I was also not really wanting to have to start dough the morning of pizza movie night, mostly because I would always forget, and that seemed like too much trouble for something that was supposed to be a bit of a “night off” for me too.

So after trying several recipes, I landed on this one.. it’s not sourdough – although I love sourdough (clearly), I choose a yeasted dough because I can literally start it an hour before dinnertime and it works beautifully… no fuss!

easy pizza crust

perfectly chewy, crispy on the bottom, and you don't have to start it hours before dinnertime!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 pizzas

Equipment

  • 1 kitchen scale This recipe uses grams but you can change to cups if need be. I do recommend getting a kitchen scale though!
  • 1 stand mixer with dough hook

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams flour
  • 375 grams room temp water
  • 1 gram instant yeast
  • 10 grams salt I use icelandic ground fine with the back of a spoon

Instructions
 

  • Combine your water and yeast into a stand mixer bowl. Let sit and "bloom" for about 5 minutes.
  • Then add in flour and salt, and mix on medium for about 3-5 minutes.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the oven (off) with the light on for about 30 mins-1 hour
  • Dough should be about doubled in size and then it is ready to use!
  • I line two baking sheets with parchment paper and drizzle olive oil on the parchment.
  • separate the pizza dough into two equal parts, and begin to roll it out into an oval shape for the baking sheets. I sprinkle the counter with flour and roll directly there.
  • Once the dough is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick, place it onto the parchment lined baking sheets and top with your desired toppings. We always do one with red sauce, raw cheddar, pecorino romano, green and red peppers, olives and purple onion. And a second one with bbq sauce, raw cheddar, pecorino, thinly sliced red onion, lacinto kale, and shredded chicken if you have it.
  • Bake at 425 for about 10-15 minutes, and I usually broil for about 1-2 minutes at the end to get the cheese bubbly. Wait to cool before cutting and eating!