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pepperoni pizza on a cooling rack on a white marble counter.

Chicago Style Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Mimi Council
This homemade pizza dough recipe makes two pizza doughs that are about 8-inches each. You can use it to make one large pizza instead, or even double the recipe to make 4 small doughs — which is what I always do when I make this thin crust pizza dough recipe so I have lots of pizza!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Ingredient
Cuisine Italian
Makes 2 pizza doughs
Calories 513 kcal

Equipment

  • Digital Food Scale
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients
 
 

  • 9 grams instant yeast
  • ½ teaspoon cane sugar
  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 255 grams 00 flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt
  • heaping ½ cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Add yeast, cane sugar, ¼ cup water and let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly.
  • Add flour, salt, remaining ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water and olive oil.
  • Mix with your hands until it comes together into a shaggy ball. No need to knead it or make a smooth ball. 
  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 24 to 30 hours at room temperature. Move to the fridge and use within 7 days.
  • Preheat the oven to 550°F. Divide the dough into two portions (you'll have 2 pizzas). You can bake both now or save one of the doughs for later (store covered in the fridge for up to a week).
  • Roll out using a rolling pin to to 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick, it should be about 8-inches in diameter. Place dough on baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
  • Top pizza with sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.
  • Top with your favorite toppings and a little more cheese!
  • Bake at 550°F for 10 to 15 minutes. (If you are using a pizza oven preheat pizza oven to 900°F and bake for 2 to 3 minutes.) Cut into square slices!

Notes

Tips
  • Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
  • Make sure your yeast is good. If your yeast doesn't turn bubbly, then that means it's gone bad. Yeast will usually last for about 3 to 4 months. But, if it doesn't bubble, there's no point in continuing on with the recipe as it won't do its job. And that means you need to get some new yeast.
  • The water should be warm, not hot. If the water is too hot, it will kill yeast. Anything 120°F or higher will kill yeast. For a reference point, your coffee is usually served to you at 160°F. So, just to give you an idea! And you don't want to use cold water either as that can slow down the rising or hinder the yeast from rising as cold water can make the yeast dormant.
  • If using instant yeast, you can mix it straight into the flour (no need to bloom), but blooming works too. I like to also bloom instant yeast, as this just confirms that it's fresh!
  • I use a 00 flour for my pizza dough for the reasons above, but you can also use all purpose flour in its place if you don't have 00 flour. But, if you love pizza and make it often, I would recommend purchasing some 00 flour.
  • Make sure to use a high quality organic olive oil as that makes a difference in flavor.
  • If your oven only goes to 500°F that's okay, just bake it as hot as it goes.
  • You can use a pizza stone instead of a baking pan as well. If you are using a pizza stone, you may want to add some cornmeal to your pizza peel to help the dough from sticking.
  • High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.

Nutrition

Calories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 14gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1748mgPotassium: 165mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 6mg
Want more recipes?Follow along on @mimisorganiceats for more inspiration!