Simple, 4-Ingredient Homemade Pizza Dough

Made with 4 ingredients — flour, water, salt, and yeast — this simple, no-knead pizza dough recipe is a snap to throw together, and you can use the dough the same day you mix it or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days (or freeze it!). If you love pizza with a ballooned edge and crisp but pliable crust, this pizza dough recipe is for you.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups (512 g) bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for assembly
  • 3 to 4 teaspoons (10 to 15 g) kosher salt, see notes above
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) instant yeast
  • 1.75 to 2 cups (400 to 454 g) lukewarm water, see notes above

Instructions

Whisk together flour, salt, and instant yeast (SAF is my preference)

 

Add water, and …

 

… mix to form a sticky dough ball:

 

Let rise in a warm spot till nearly doubled, about 1.5 hours.

 

Turn out onto a floured work surface.

 

Divide into four portions and …

 

… ball up, using as much flour as needed.

 

If you are baking pizza immediately, let the dough rest for another hour before shaping. Otherwise, transfer the balls to quart containers and stick them in the fridge.

 

This is the dough after a night in the fridge.

 

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to cup the dough into a round.

 

Let the rounds sit for about an hour covered with a towel. (Note: My preference now is to let the rounds proof at room temperature in a DoughMate because the lid protects the dough from drying out.)

 

Gently stretch a round into an 11-inch round (roughly).

 

Transfer the round to a peel lined with parchment paper.


Top pizza as desired or to make the Margherita pizza:

spread 2 ounces of tomato sauce over your pizza dough. Top with 3 ounces of mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. To make the kale and crème fraîche pizza: Place the kale in a small bowl, drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with sea salt, and toss with your hands till the kale is coated in oil and salt. Spoon crème fraîche over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border or so—I use 1 to 2 tablespoons per pizza. Sprinkle with the garlic and a handful of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Top with the kale.


Bake the pizza:

Shimmy the pizza, parchment paper and all into the oven. Bake the pizza until the top is blistered, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Shower basil over the pizza Margherita. Cut and serve. Discard parchment paper.

Recipe by Alexandra's Kitchen