Artisan No-Knead Pizza Crust

59 Reviews 4.7 out of 5 stars

This Roman-style pizza is reminiscent of the artisan wood-fired pies that are all the rage on the West Coast. The pizza is light but not flat; substantial but far from bready, with a light and pillowy crust that's equal parts chewy gluten and air. In short, it's pizza perfection. Our thanks to Julia Reed, King Arthur's visual media producer, for this delightful recipe.

Prep
15 mins
Bake
4 to 8 mins
Total
1 day 30 mins
Yield
two 10" to 12" pizzas
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Artisan No-Knead Pizza Crust

Instructions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the water. Stir until just combined.

  2. Cover and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 24 hours. To make dough with a longer rise, see "tips," below.

  3. Place your oven rack on the center rung, and preheat the oven to 500°F to 550°F (if your oven goes to 550°F) with a baking steel or stone inside. The position of the rack inside the oven is especially important, particularly if you're using parchment paper — too close to the broiler (you need at least 8" clearance) and the top of your pizza (and the parchment) will burn before the bottom has had time to cook through.

  4. Allow the oven to sit at temperature for 30 minutes before baking your pizza, in order for the steel or stone to fully preheat.

  5. Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use a bowl scraper to transfer it to a well-floured surface. Stretch and fold it, as follows: holding onto the dough at both ends, pull one end away from the other, then fold it back onto itself. Repeat on the other side. The dough will likely be sticky — don't worry about it looking neat as you fold. Be sure to keep your hands floured as you work.

  6. Repeat this process for the other side of the dough, so that all four corners of the dough have been stretched and folded.

  7. Gently pull the ends towards the middle of the dough, then turn it over. Using your fingers, pull the dough under itself until the top is smooth, and the seams have been worked into the bottom of the dough.

  8. Repeat with the second piece of dough, and place each ball seam-side down into a floured bowl.

  9. Cover the bowls and allow the dough to proof (rise) for 45 minutes to an hour, while your oven preheats. In colder weather, place the bowls on the stove top to stay warm.

  10. Generously flour a wooden peel, rubbing flour into the board to completely coat. If you're using a metal peel, or if this is your first attempt at homemade pizza, place a piece of parchment on your peel instead of using flour.

  11. Scoop the proofed (risen) dough onto a well-floured work surface, using care to pool the dough in as round a shape as possible for easier stretching. If your dough feels wet, use a generous dusting of flour on top. For a dough that feels drier, use slightly less flour.

  12. Using your fingertips, gently depress the dough, being careful not to touch the outer edge of the crust. This step is important — leaving the circumference untouched at this stage will result in a beautiful bubbly outer crust, post-bake.

  13. Again, using care to not touch the outermost edge of the crust, lift the pizza from the work surface and use your knuckles to gently stretch the dough. If the dough is at all sticky, use more flour. Use two hands at once to gently move the dough in a circle, allowing gravity to perform the stretch. Gravity is your friend! Let it do most of the work for you, as pulling will stretch the center more than the edges. If you find your dough is difficult to stretch, set it down on a floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

  14. Stretch the dough until it's approximately 10" to 12" in diameter. Move it to your well-floured peel (or floured sheet of parchment) and adjust the dough to fit the surface. Remember — if the dough is sticky when you put it on the peel, it will stick to the peel! Make sure it's well-floured.

  15. If you're using parchment, trim the excess around the dough to prevent it from burning. We generally leave an inch around the dough, but to be safe we recommend trimming the paper flush with the dough, especially if your parchment's heat rating is below 500°F, as many are.

  16. Lightly sauce the dough, then top with the cheese of your choice. Add the rest of your toppings.

  17. Turn on the top broiler in your preheated oven, and transfer the pie to your preheated steel or stone. If you only have a bottom broiler (in a drawer underneath the oven), don't use it — there's not enough clearance (see "tips" below). But no worries; without using a broiler you may need to bake your pie for a few minutes longer, but with a steel or stone, it will still turn out just fine.

  18. If you're using a wooden peel, jiggle the uncooked pizza back and forth until it moves easily on the peel before quickly transferring it to the steel. If you're using parchment, gently slide pizza and parchment onto the steel or stone. The parchment will blacken around the edges, but remain intact under the pizza.

  19. Bake the pizza for approximately 6 minutes on the steel, 7 minutes on the stone (give or take), until bubbly and charred on the edges. Remove the pizza from the oven, and top it with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

  20. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Join King Arthur baker Martin Philip and his family as they bake Sourdough Pizza together, start to finish. Watch Martin Bakes at Home - Sourdough Pizza now.

  • Why use parchment instead of flour on a metal peel? Releasing the dough from a wooden peel (even a generously floured one) takes some practice, and is even more difficult using a metal peel. Parchment is easier to use while you perfect your technique, and renders equally delicious crusts.

  • Parchment paper is rated to 500°F, so at 550°F the edges will char. We've never had any trouble with parchment catching fire when baking on the center oven rack, but be sure to keep a close eye on pizzas being cooked on parchment, just to be safe.

  • If you're using a wooden peel, be sure to apply your toppings quickly. The longer the dough sits on the peel, the more it'll want to stick.

  • Warning: DO NOT place your pizza under a broiler with less than 8" of space between it and the cooking surface (as is often found with bottom broilers.) This could cause a fire. Broiling instructions for this recipe are written for an oven equipped with a top broiler. If you have an oven where the broiler is on the bottom (usually in the bottom compartment of the oven) or on top in a smaller, separate compartment, make sure there's at least 8" between the broiler and the cooking surface. If there isn't, don't use the broiler. Your pizza will still be great without being broiled, though it may take a few more minutes to bake.
  • Make absolutely sure the pizza moves easily on the peel before you transfer it to the stone or steel. You want to be sure it isn't sticking before opening the oven; we learned the hard way that jiggling the pizza over a steel usually causes toppings to fly onto the steel, burning immediately and setting off smoke alarms.
  • To make dough with a longer rise (and more flavor), after letting it rest on the counter for 24 hours, refrigerate it for up to 6 days. Let it come to room temperature before shaping and baking.

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