Over the years, I've blogged about several different pizza crust recipes. I've also tried about a gazillion others...but I am finally certain I have the perfect pizza crust recipe. I've used it for several years, and my sister in law (who gave me the recipe*) has used it years beyond that. It's easy. It's no-fail. It rolls out well. It's healthier than a lot of pizza crust recipes. And it tastes good, too.

A lot of the other pizza crust recipes I've tried have either been a bit tough or too puffy, or they had quite a lot of olive oil in them. Olive oil is a healthy fat, but pizza, with all it's cheese, is already pretty fat-filled. Plus, good olive oil isn't cheap, so if I have to use a lot of it in a pizza crust, it makes homemade pizza not nearly as frugal as I'd like it to be.

I usually make this is my bread machine, but I've also included instructions for making it with a food processor or by hand.

The BEST Pizza Crust Ever Recipe

1 cup warm water (about 105 - 115 degrees F.)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Measure out the water in a measuring cup, then add the yeast and sugar. Set aside until the mixture is foamy. (If it doesn't turn foamy, your yeast is bad.)


2. Pour the remaining ingredients into the bowl of your bread maker, then add the yeast mixture. Turn to the dough setting and let the dough mix and rise.

To make in a food processor, pour the flour, salt, and olive oil into the bowl. With the machine on low speed, pour the yeast liquid into the feed tube. Pulse until the dough forms into a ball. Process another 30 seconds, to knead the dough. Transfer to a large Ziplock bag; seal the top and let rise in a warm location for about 45 minutes. Or, transfer to a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a cotton cloth and let it let rise.

To make by hand, mix the ingredients in a large bowl, then knead until elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm location for 45 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Yes, I prefer to use a child-sized rolling pin. Don't laugh!

4. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into shape. Transfer to a pizza tray. (Follow the pizza tray manufacturer's instructions; my trays need a wee bit of oil rubbed on them before I place the dough on top. Others may need a sprinkling of cornmeal to prevent the crust from sticking to the tray.) Parbake (this just means you're pre-baking the crust) in the oven until the crust is golden, about 10 -15 minutes. Remove from the oven and put sauce and toppings on the pizza. Bake until cheese is melted, toppings are heated through, and crust is the desired level of doneness, about 5 - 15 minutes more.

To Freeze the Dough: You can also make up the dough, and as soon as it's been mixed and kneaded, transfer it to a freezer bag and place in the freezer. To use, remove the bag from the freezer and leave the dough inside the bag. Place on the counter in the morning. By evening, it's ready to roll into a crust. To read more about freezing pizza dough, click here.

Two of Our Favorite Toppings



Pepperoni Pizza:  Spoon pizza sauce, marinara sauce, or spaghetti sauce onto the parbaked crust. Don't over do it or the pizza will be very moist and messy to eat. Spread shredded Cheddar cheese over the sauce. Layer pepperoni on top. Bake.

Chicken Pizza: Spoon Ranch dressing (preferably homemade) over the parbaked crust. Sprinkle shredded cheese of your choice over the sauce. (I usually use Cheddar and/or Mozzarella.) Sprinkle chicken over this. (We love canned chicken on pizza, but you can also use leftover roast chicken.) Sprinkle chopped green onions, scapes, or chives over this. Bake.

* This recipe originally came from a Cuisinart food processor manual.