Best Thin-Crust 00 Flour Pizza Dough Recipe (+Video)

Why You'll Love This 00 Flour Pizza Dough Recipe

• Authentic pizzeria results using premium Caputo 00 flour for the perfect crispy-chewy texture
• Beginner-friendly pizza dough recipe (perfect recipe for kids and anyone new to making yeast doughs or homemade pzza.
• Best homemade pizza dough with only 5 ingredients (4 if you want to omit the sugar)
• No special equipment needed
• Make-ahead friendly—refrigerate for 24-72 hours for even better flavor development
• Restaurant-quality results at home with a fraction of the cost of dine-in, takeout, or delivery
• Superior stretch and elasticity
• The pizza dough and the cooked pizza both freeze perfectly for quick weeknight homemade pizzas anytime
• Versatile for both thin-crust and traditional hand-tossed or stuffed-crust pizza with foolproof baking instructions
• Professional results that outperform store-bought dough with minimal effort

Kid-Friendly Homemade Pizza Recipe

If you've ever wondered how to make the best pizza dough from scratch that has awesome flavor and a perfect texture, I'll walk you through all of the necessary steps in this post!

What is 00 Flour (and Does it Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough)?

Italian 00 flour (also known as "tipo 00", "farina doppio" or "doppio zero" which translates to "type 00", "double flour", or "double zero") makes excellent pizza. It is a highly refined white Italian soft wheat flour that contains no bran or germ and has a protein content usually between 11% and 12.5% (and less often up to 13%).

3 Most Common 00 Flour Options You'll Find in Italian Grocery Stores

1. 00 Flour "per tutti preparazione" (for Every Preparation)

This flour (blue bag above) usually has around 11% -11.5% protein. This is what I use as a substitute for all-purpose flour in most of my baking and cooking recipes including homemade fresh egg pasta dough recipes. I also use it for this basic 00 pizza dough recipe (with its relatively short 2-hour leavening time).

Note that all-purpose flour is often made up of a mix of both soft and hard wheat or only hard wheat whereas 00 flour uses only "grano tenero" or soft wheat.

2. 00 Flour "per impasti tradizionale" (for Traditional doughs)

This flour (red bag above) usually has around 12.5% protein. I use this flour for Neapolitan pizza dough which has a longer 24-hour leavening time which requires a higher protein % to hold up to the yeast feeding on the carbohydrates in the flour over this extended period of time.

3. 00 Flour "per dolci" (for Dessert) or "per dolci e frolle" (for Cakes and Shortcrust Pastry)

This one (pink bag above) usually has around 11% protein and is very similar to the other 00 flour used "for every preparation" mentioned above.

Can I Substitute All-Purpose or Bread Flour for 00 Italian Flour?

Yes, you can absolutely substitute a high-quality all-purpose flour or bread flour for the 00 flour used in this recipe and still make a great-tasting pizza. Especially because the crust is rolled out so thinly and it's not being hand-tossed (where we'd notice the shortcomings of using an all-purpose flour over the 00 flour).

I've made excellent thin-crust pizza dough using this exact recipe but substituting King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (which has 11.7% protein) for 00 Italian flour. That said, 00 Flour pizza dough compared to all-purpose flour pizza dough in a side-by-side comparison tastes better to us and has a better texture.

Bread flour (like King Arthur's or Hecker's) makes an even better substitute than all-purpose if you have it.

How Do I Know If This Pizza Dough Recipe Is For Me?

You'll definitely want to make this simple 00 thin-crust pizza dough if...

Can I Make Pizza If My Oven Doesn't Reach 500°F/288°C or Higher?

Yes, you can make great homemade pizza even if your oven doesn't reach 500°F/288°C! In fact, I'll show you precisely how to make perfect homemade pizza even if your oven only reaches upwards of 475°F-482°F/250°C (as is the case with my current European Whirlpool oven), and even if you only own a toaster oven.

One of the keys to making the absolute best homemade pizza crust: Preheat your oven with the pizza stone or steel (or my best pizza stone and pizza steel substitutes outlined below) for at least 30 minutes at the highest temperature your oven will go (even better if you can preheat it for 45 minutes).

That said, as with any good (or great) homemade pizza, there is science involved with baking. And the taste and texture of this 00 pizza dough are even better the higher you can crank the oven. Not only will the pizza crust have more "oven spring", but the pizza cooks faster creating a better overall texture. So, if you're lucky enough to own an Ooni pizza oven, an outdoor brick oven, or a Kettle Pizza Weber grill converter kit, you should definitely bake this pizza recipe in them!

What to Expect When You Make This 00 Pizza

This is not a pizza dough that's ready from start to finish in 30 minutes or even an hour. Because while it only takes 15 minutes to prep and fully knead, it still requires adequate hands-off proofing time to achieve its best flavor and texture.

Here's Why Properly Proofing Pizza Dough Matters:

There are lots of "quick and easy pizza dough recipes" online promising to make "the best pizza recipe ever" often referring to almost "zero kneading and just 30 minutes of total rise time".

I can't get behind this concept because yeast pizza dough needs the proper amount of time to proof, or it inevitably lacks in both flavor and texture (not to mention it will also be less digestible). In fact, pizza dough actually tastes better when you prep a day or two in advance!

If a speedy, great-tasting, cracker-like magic pizza crust is what you're after, I recommend trying this delicious (no-yeast) St. Louis-Style pizza dough recipe instead↓. It's quick and easy (20-minutes) and will fill every pizza craving you're having but with just about zero effort and no rising time needed!

Homemade Pizza Timeline

Below is a schedule for how long each step of this homemade pizza-making process takes:

• 5 minutes to measure and mix the ingredients
• 10 to 12 minutes of kneading the pizza dough (by hand or in a stand mixer)
• 1 ½ hours for the first rise
• ½ hour for the second rise
• 5 minutes to roll, sauce, and top each pizza
• 8 minutes to bake

Homemade Thin-Crust 00 Pizza Dough Ingredients

All Homemade pizza dough includes 4 basic ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, and water. However, there are very good pizza-science reasons (outlined below) as to why you should also add extra virgin olive oil (or even vegetable oil) and sugar to your dough. 

In fact, pizzerias across Italy (and in the States) typically don't add sugar or oil to the dough because it's not necessary since these pizzas are cooked in commercial or wood-burning brick ovens with temperatures reaching up to 800°F/425°C.

These pizzas cook much faster which means the science behind the ingredients and how each of them affects the dough as it bakes are very different from that of pizza cooked at lower temperatures for longer in a standard home oven.

Below is an overview of the ingredients used in this traditional pizza dough and what each of them adds in terms of flavor and texture when baked in a home oven (or toaster oven):

Yeast: I use SAF Instant Yeast and Red Star Instant Yeast. These are high-quality yeasts (SAF Instant is what we used in the commercial restaurant kitchen I worked in and is the preferred yeast in most commercial kitchens).

With instant yeast, you don't have to bloom it first in warm water (which is a 10-minute time-saver). Instead, it's added directly to the flour. You'll need 2 teaspoons (or just ¼ teaspoon less than one packet of yeast) for this pizza dough).

Flour: 00 Italian flour with 11 to 11.5% protein (or in a pinch substitute King Arthur's unbleached all-purpose flour with 11.7% protein). High-quality flour equals a better pizza crust.

Water: Use gently heated warm water between 110°F-115°F (43°C-46°C). Yeast will die at temperatures of 130ºF (54°C) or higher so if you don't have a thermometer, think of the temperature as needing to be just slightly warmer than milk would be for feeding a baby.

Salt: Every good pizza dough contains salt because, without it, it just won't taste great. That said, if you need to make a low-sodium pizza you can simply use less salt than this recipe calls for. In fact, I did this for my Mom so I know it's still delicious! FYI, I've used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt in this recipe.

Sugar: I've added 2 teaspoons of sugar to this pizza dough to help with color without affecting the flavor of the dough at all. As mentioned above, sugar is not an ingredient found in typical pizzeria dough.

And while you don't have to add it (and you can even substitute honey or maple syrup), when cooking a pizza in the home oven, adding sugar helps improve the color of the pizza (see photo comparison below). You don't need to add a lot of sugar because flour already contains the natural sugars glucose and maltose which also help with coloring.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Most pizzerias in Italy making traditional pizza don't use oil in their pizza dough, but for pizza made in the home oven, we add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. And contrary to what most people think, oil isn't added to pizza dough for extra flavor, but rather to provide the necessary fat for a well-textured dough.

In fact, just about any vegetable oil will work if you don't have EVOO. However, if you're drizzling oil over the top of the fully assembled pizza just before baking (which I recommend) it does add extra flavor so do not use anything but extra virgin olive oil for this. Drizzle a #6 pattern over the assembled pizza like a real Neapolitan pizzaiolo does.

What is Dough Point and Why It Matters

In Italy, you'll often hear pizza chefs refer to the "dough point". So what is it?  The dough point is the time when you decide three things: The elasticity, the softness, and the hydration of the dough.

Being able to identify the dough point is important because oftentimes we're just using a recipe we found online but the pizza turns out different than we'd expected -- it may be hard or doesn't leaven well.

If we're able to determine the dough point instead of solely relying on measurements, we'll have a much better result even if we follow a recipe exactly and weigh all of the ingredients. The more dough and yeast bread you make, the better you'll be at determining this.

You'll know the dough has reached the dough point when after you've kneaded it long enough, you start to see that the dough is no longer moist looking. At this point, start feeling the dough and if it's smooth, silky, soft, has the right elasticity, and is well-hydrated you've reached the dough point (see above photos and also watch the dough point video in the recipe card).

PERFECT PIZZA DOUGH POINT VIDEO

Check out this few-second video to see what the perfect dough point for this pizza dough looks like (so you'll never have to guess if you've kneaded your pizza dough long enough)!

Overview: Thin-Crust 00 Pizza Dough in 7 Easy Steps

Here's an overview of how to make this thin-crust 00 pizza, but you'll find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card or watch the pizza video that shows how to make it!

Best Pizza Toppings (With Photos)

Are you looking for the best pizza toppings and pizza dough recipes? Can't decide between vegetarian pizza, meat lovers pizza, or maybe even a supreme pizza?

A good rule of thumb when topping a pizza is to not add too much sauce or toppings. Add too much sauce and the dough won't cook like it's supposed to and it will be soft and maybe even soggy. Add just about ¼ cup of sauce or crushed fresh peeled whole tomatoes per pizza.

Also, slice any vegetables as thinly as possible and pat them dry to help remove excess moisture (a mandoline is one of my all-time favorite pizza tools to slice pizza toppings super thin like onions, mushrooms, etc.).

I know from personal experience it can be really hard to limit toppings when you have so many delicious ingredients to choose from. But if you can refrain from overloading your pizza, I promise you'll be rewarded with pizza perfection.

• Fior di latte (fresh cow's milk mozzarella), Mozzarella di Bufula (buffalo mozzarella), burrata cheese, or Ricotta
• Sun-dried tomatoes or roasted tomatoes in Olive Oil & Herbs
• Black Olives and Green Olives
• Romesco or purple, orange, green, or white cauliflower
• Pioppini mushrooms
• Shaved button or cremini mushrooms
• Sliced onions or shallots
• Artichoke hearts in oil
• Zucchini (julienned or shaved ribbons)
• Roasted Red, yellow, or green bell peppers
• Fresh Red, yellow, or green bell peppers
• Fresh basil (add a little before you bake the pizza and just after it comes out)
• Pesto (basil, spinach, or kale varieties)
• Sweet fresh pineapple tidbits
• Abruzzese Ventricina 
• Spicy Italian Salami Piccante 
• Pepperoni slices 
• Sopressa or Sopressata
• Speck di Asiago (it may be added "in cottura" meaning before you bake the pizza, or just after the pizza comes out of the oven)
• Prosciutto di Parma (add it to the pizza just after the pizza comes out of the oven)
• Prosciutto cotto (or Canadian bacon)
• Italian salsiccia (or sweet or hot Italian sausage)
• Bacon
• Chashu Pork

(PHOTO LEFT: 00 pizza dough without sugar & PHOTO RIGHT: 00 pizza dough with sugar)

Why You Should Add Sugar To Pizza Dough When Cooking in a Home Oven

Adding Sugar Versus Not Adding Sugar in Pizza Dough: (see photo comparison above). As previously mentioned, when making 00 pizza dough at home you can choose to add the 2 teaspoons of sugar called for in this recipe or omit it altogether.

Equipment: The Best Tools For Making Pizza

Here are my favorite useful tools for making pizza at home:

• Kitchen scale: I highly recommend a scale because it provides consistency and precision, but if you don't have one, be sure to use the "scoop and level" method when measuring flour. To do this, use a large spoon to scoop flour and add it to a measuring cup until you have a heaping mound that overfills the cup. Use the back side (straight side) of a butter knife to scrape the excess flour off so you're left with a full cup of flour (as seen below).

• Mandoline slicer: for slicing ultra-thin vegetables which cook up faster
• Pizza stone: Emile Henry is what I've used for this post, but a refractory pizza stone would be even better
• Good pizza pans: (as outlined below) perfect for making hand-stretched or hand-tossed pizza
• Pizza peel: (or sub parchment paper)
• Rolling pin: for making thin-crust pizza
• Pizza cutter: for cutting the pizza
• Ladle or large soup spoon: for spreading out pizza sauce

Pizza Pro Tip: Best DIY Substitutes for a Pizza Stone or Pizza Peel

If you're wondering "Can I make homemade pizza without a pizza stone or pizza peel?", the answer is a resounding yes! In fact, you can make excellent pizza even if you don't own a pizza stone or peel.

Outlined below are my 2 favorite DIY baking stone substitutes and how to use them to get a really crispy and thin pizza crust:

My favorite substitute for a pizza stone is a large 12 or 15-inch cast iron skillet.

Turn it upside down and place it in the hottest part of your oven (for me this is the oven floor) and preheat it on your oven's highest setting for at least 30 minutes (or up to 45 minutes to 1 hour) before baking the pizza right on top (in above left photo).

My 2nd favorite substitute for a baking stone is a heavy-duty metal (not non-stick) sheet pan, or the grill pan that comes with your oven.

Place the baking pan in the hottest point of your oven (for me, this is the very bottom on the oven floor) and preheat the oven with the baking pan in it on your oven's highest setting for at least 30 minutes (or up to 45 minutes or 1 hour) before baking the pizza in the pan (in above right photo). 

The Best Pizza Pizza Pans & Cooking Surfaces (Stones, Steels, Pans)

Besides baking pizzaa directly in my Ooni 12 Volt, my favorite way to bake pizza is directly on a well pre-heated pizza stone or pizza steel in my regular home oven. You'll get the best results when you allow the pizza stone to preheat for at least 45 minutes (even better for 1 hour) at your oven's highest temperature and in the hottest part of your oven.

I own a flame-proof Emile Henry stone↓ which allows me to place it directly on my oven floor (the hottest spot in my oven) without it breaking. Be careful of other types of stones that don't hold up well to super high heat because they can break.

Best 4 Ways to Meal Prep Homemade Pizza Dough

You can make pizza dough ahead of time and refrigerate it, or freeze it - and here's why you should! Making dough 1 to 3 days in advance and refrigerating it allows it to cure through a process known as cold-fermenting giving it superior flavor and texture to a pizza made the same day.

In fact, this is my favorite method for making better-than-average pizza whether I'm hand stretching the dough or rolling it out. Not to mention it's a huge time-saver for quick weeknight meals.

Depending on your schedule here are 4 ways to refrigerate homemade pizza dough:

Option 1: (My preferred option) Refrigerate the Just-Portioned (not yet risen) Dough Balls

Refrigerate portioned dough balls BEFORE they are allowed to rise for the second time. Lightly oil the inside of a large freezer bag being sure to cover the entire surface area inside. Place the dough balls an equal distance apart leaving room in between them as they will slightly expand.

Squeeze out all the air, seal them, and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Bring the dough balls to room temperature (see instructions below for how to temper refrigerated pizza dough balls) Then proceed with recipe instructions.

Option 2: Refrigerate Dough Balls Immediately After Forming

Refrigerate the dough just after kneading it to allow it to fully cold ferment (rise slowly in a cold environment) overnight or for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, portion it into 4 equal dough balls, brush them lightly with oil, cover them, and allow them to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Then proceed with recipe instructions.

Option 3: Refrigerate the Whole Dough After its First Rise

Refrigerate the dough just after its first rise (about 1 ½ hours in the winter and just 1 hour in the summer). Wrap it well and place it in the refrigerator overnight and for up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, portion it into 4 equal dough balls, brush them lightly with oil, cover them, and allow them to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Then proceed with recipe instructions.

Option 4: Refrigerate the Dough Balls After the 2nd Rise

Refrigerate the dough balls just after they've risen twice. Lightly oil the inside of a large freezer bag being sure to cover the entire surface area inside. Place the dough balls an equal distance apart leaving room in between them as they will slightly expand.

Squeeze out all the air, seal them, and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Bring the dough balls to room temperature (see instructions below for how to temper refrigerated pizza dough balls) Then proceed with recipe instructions. *This is my 2nd preferred method for making homemade pizza dough!

How to Temper Refrigerated Pizza Dough

If you've refrigerated individual pizza dough rounds, you'll need to allow them to come up to room temperature before rolling them out, or hand stretching them.

To properly warm (temper) refrigerated pizza dough, remove the sealed, lightly oiled dough balls from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature (keeping them in the sealed bag for 30-60 minutes before handling).

This crucial step allows the gluten to relax, making the 00 flour dough easier to stretch without tearing. For homemade pizza dough using Caputo or Italian 00 flour, this resting period ensures the perfect texture and elasticity that professional pizzerias achieve. Don't rush this step for best results.

How to Freeze Homemade Pizza Dough

Freezing pizza dough is so easy, and here's why you should! Since it's not recommended to refrigerate pizza dough past 3 days (at which point the dough begins the process of breaking down), the next logical step is to freeze any unused pizza dough.

In fact, it works so well, I usually scale the dough recipe (doubling or tripling it) and freeze half of the dough balls to use for easy pizza nights.

To freeze homemade pizza dough, lightly oil the inside of a large freezer bag covering the entire inside surface area. Place the dough balls an equal distance apart leaving room in between them. Squeeze out all the air, seal the bag, and place the pizza dough into the freezer for up to 3 months.

There are no negative effects of freezing pizza dough which is why I use this method to meal prep pizza regularly to make quick and easy pizza dinners anytime we're in the mood.

How to Thaw Frozen Pizza Dough Quickly

As seen in photos above, the best way to thaw frozen pizza dough quickly and effectively without damaging the dough, is to place the sealed bag of dough in a bowl of hot tap water for 20 minutes, then flip and soak another 20 minutes. The dough will be thawed but cool after 40 minutes total—let it rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before using.

Alternatively, transfer frozen dough to the refrigerator overnight, then let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping.

For a hands-off method, place the frozen dough bag on the counter for about 8 hours in the winter and less in the summer. All methods yield perfect homemade pizza dough texture without compromising the authentic Italian quality.

The Best Ways to Reheat Leftover Pizza

Here are 4 easy ways to reheat leftover cold pizza:

• Emergency: Place it on a paper towel-lined plate and microwave (not recommended, but sometimes you need pizza fast).
• Oven Broiler Place the pizza in the oven under a preheated broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
• Regular Oven: Place pizza on a baking sheet covered loosely with foil and add it to a preheated 375°F/190°C for about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Skillet: Place pizza in a dry skillet and cover with a lid or foil and heat over medium-high heat for about 4 to 6 minutes (cast iron & carbon steel pans are my favorite pans for this).

More Uses for Homemade Pizza Dough

Here are just some of the many ways you can use this homemade pizza dough beyond making pizza with it:

• Calzone
• Stromboli
• Garlic breadsticks
• Garlic knots
• Homemade ham and cheese or pepperoni hot pockets
• Homemade Pepperoni pizza rolls

Looking For More Easy Pizza Recipes?

Below are a few of our favorite pizza recipes including a regional Italian fried pizza, thick crust pizza, bread flour pizza, no-yeast St. Louis-Style pizza (aka magic pizza with whole wheat option), pumpkin focaccia pizza, and naan pizza. Plus, all the best sides to serve with pizza!