The Best Chewy Pizza Crust Recipe

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The Best Chewy Pizza Crust Recipe is easy and has a delicious chewy crust. Follow video tutorial to make the best chewy pizza dough recipe!

A close up side view of the cooked pizza crust and gluten strands. — The Best Chewy Pizza Crust Recipe

Who doesn't need a great recipe for homemade pizza dough? This recipe is the best pizza dough to give you a flavorful pizza crust for your next pizza night!

Follow along below for step by step instructions to make the best homemade pizza dough. Near the bottom, look for some ideas for your new favorite toppings!

If you want to try another pizza recipe, check out my Pera Pizza with Prosciutto and Pistachios.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The chewy texture of this homemade pizza crust recipe cannot be beat!
This is an easy pizza dough recipe that you can make on your own or include the kids.
With a few basic ingredients, you'll have a delicious meal ready to go!

Recipe Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make this Chewy Pizza Crust Recipe with Yeast

Warm Water helps create the best environment for the yeast to do its magic.

SAF Instant Yeast is a great brand for many types of bread, including perfect pizza dough!

Bread Flour has a higher amount of gluten and protein than all-purpose flour.

Sugar just barely adds a hint of sweetness that makes your tastebuds ask for more!

Kosher Salt levels up the flavor of food rather than just making it salty.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil adds a great flavor.

Oil of any kind is used to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl while coating the dough.

How to Make Chewy Pizza Dough

Here are some quick visual instructions. The full recipe with ingredient measurements is in the recipe card below!

Adjust your oven racks to the bottom 3rd of the oven. Put a metal pizza pan, a baking sheet pan, or pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pro Tip: In order to get a hot pizza stone, it needs to be in the oven for at least an hour. However, aluminum pans will heat as fast as the oven preheats and will produce a crispy crust.

A pizza pan and a baking sheet in the oven.

Combine wet and dry ingredients into the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Knead on low for 12 minutes.

A mixer with the ingredients added for pizza crust.

You will know when the dough is ready because it will begin to look smooth.

Two pictures of the dough. The first shows the dough rough and not ready and the second is a smooth and ready dough.

This is what the ball of dough will look like when it is taken out of the mixer and shaped. The surface of the dough should look smooth.

Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Toss the dough inside the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest and rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. (Or cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 24 hours).

A large bowl with olive oil in the bottom and the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap on top.

Divide the dough in half and roll each into a ball. Use your hands or a rolling pin to shape dough on a clean work surface.

A bowl with the risen dough and flattened pizza crust.

Place one dough ball on a piece of parchment paper and add sauce and toppings. Keep the edge of the dough free from toppings to allow for a crust. Note that some toppings, such as fresh herbs, may be added after cooking.

A traditional cheese pizza and a fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil pizza with a balsamic glaze drizzle.

This is the finished pizza.

Two cooked pizzas: A traditional cheese pizza and a fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil pizza with a balsamic glaze drizzle.

The bottom of the chewy crust should be nicely browned.

The browned underside of the pizza crust.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

The chewy pizza dough secret is to use flour with higher protein such as bread flour and to knead it longer to develop the gluten.
If your pizza crust is too chewy you can use all-purpose flour and knead for less time.
If you like air and bubbles in your crust then stretch it gently with your hands. Do not use a rolling pin.
If you find that your dough is difficult to stretch and roll out you may not have let it rise long enough. Let the dough rest (covered) for another 20-30 minutes.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: You can make the dough up to 24 hours before cooking if stored covered in the fridge.
Reheating: Check out my article on reheating pizza in the air fryer! You can also reheat the pizza on a pan in a 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes.
Freezing: If you'd like some frozen pizza dough to keep on hand, wait until the dough has risen and then put a single potion in a freezer plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. It can last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Additions and Substitutions

Olive Oil can be substituted for extra virgin olive oil.
All Purpose Flour can replace bread flour, but the dough won't be as chewy.
Sea Salt or Table Salt can replace kosher salt. If the sea salt is "fine" sea salt then reduce the amount to 1 ¼ teaspoon.

Variations

Get creative with your toppings on this thin chewy pizza crust. Here are some of the best pizza toppings for homemade pizza!

Vegan: This is a vegan pizza crust recipe. Add your favorite vegan cheese and toppings to make a delicious vegan pizza.
Supreme: Add meat and veggies to create a supreme pizza.
Meat Lovers: For meat lovers, try pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and prosciutto to start!
BBQ Chicken: Substitute BBQ sauce for pizza sauce and add chicken, cheese, and red onion for a delicious twist!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret to a chewy pizza crust?

The secret to a chewy pizza crust is to use flour with higher protein such as bread flour and to knead it longer to develop the gluten.

What makes pizza dough tough and chewy?

If your pizza dough is tough, you could have too much flour compared to water or you may have over-kneaded it. You could try adding additional water until you have the perfect dough.

What is the best flour for pizza dough?

The best type of flour for pizza dough is bread flour.

📖 Recipe

The Best Chewy Pizza Crust Recipe

The Best Chewy Pizza Crust Recipe is easy and has a delicious chewy crust. Follow video tutorial to make the best chewy pizza dough recipe!

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 7

Rise Time: 1

Total Time: 1 22

Servings: pizzas

Author: Jen Talley

Cost: $3

Equipment

1 Mixer (Kitchenaid, Bosch etc. or by hand)
1 Pizza Pan (or cookie sheet)

Ingredients

1½ cups warm water
2 teaspoons SAF instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon oil (for coating the bowl)

Instructions

Add the water, yeast, bread flour, sugar, kosher salt, and extra virgin olive oil to your mixer with the dough hook attached. Knead the dough on a low speed for 12 minutes.
Grease a large bowl with a little oil. (can be vegetable, canola or olive oil etc). Toss the dough inside the bowl and move it around to coat the dough with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place or until it at least doubles in size. (You can also make this dough 24 hours before cooking. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and immediately put it in the fridge. Put it near the warm oven while preparing toppings and heating the oven.)
When the dough has risen, move the oven rack toward the bottom of the oven. Place your pizza pan, baking sheet or pizza stone in the bottom third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 500° Fahrenheit. If you are going to use a pizza stone you need to let it heat in the oven for at least an hour. The metal pizza pan or cookie sheet pan will heat much faster.
While the oven and pan are heating begin to prepare your pizza toppings.
Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Use your hands to gently stretch the dough or use a rolling pin until it is less than ¼ inch thick. Place the pizza dough onto parchment paper. Add a layer of pizza sauce and your favorite toppings.
Slide your parchment paper with the uncooked pizza on top onto a flat cookie sheet or pizza peel. Then use it to carry the uncooked pizza to the oven. Slide it onto the hot pizza pan/cookie sheet in the oven.
Cook 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pizza! Your oven is HOT so it will cook pretty fast! When it is finished use oven mitts to slide the parchment paper back onto the cool thin cookie sheet and let it cool a little before you slice into it. Repeat for the second pizza.

Video

Notes

Tips:

The chewy pizza dough secret is to use flour with higher protein such as bread flour and to knead it longer to develop the gluten.
If your pizza crust is too chewy you can use all-purpose flour and knead for less time.
If you like air and bubbles in your crust then stretch it gently with your hands. Do not use a rolling pin.
If you find that your dough is difficult to stretch and roll out you may not have let it rise long enough. Let the dough rest (covered) for another 20-30 minutes.

Storage:

Storage: You can make the dough up to 24 hours before cooking if stored covered in the fridge.
Reheating: Check out my article on reheating pizza in the air fryer!
Freezing: If you'd like some frozen pizza dough to keep on hand, wait until the dough has risen and then put a single potion in a freezer plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. They last for up to 3 months.