Last Updated: September 18, 2026
Crispy, crunchy, cracker‐thin pizza baked hot on a Baking Steel.
If you're chasing that shattery, crunchy, bar‐pie crunch, this is it. This is the best thin crust pizza dough recipe for home ovens, and it's surprisingly easy just 4 ingredients and minimal hands-on time. Small dough balls, a quick roll‐out, and a ripping‐hot Steel deliver that cracker-thin pizza crust that shatters with every bite. Keep the toppings light and let the bottom do the talking.
Why This Thin Crust Pizza Dough Recipe Works
This recipe makes authentic cracker-thin pizza crust the kind you get at classic bar-pie joints. If you want that cracker crust pizza dough that snaps when you bite it, this is your recipe. The secret? Roll it thin (1/8"), dock it well with a fork, and bake it screaming hot on a Baking Steel. The result: a crispy, crunchy thin crust pizza with maximum crackle and minimal chew.
Ingredients
- 535 g organic bread flour
- 353 g water, room temperature
- 11 g fine sea salt
- 1 g active dry yeast
How to Make Crispy, Crunchy Thin Crust Pizza
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast.
- Add the water; mix with a spoon until it comes together. With lightly oiled hands, knead 3–4 minutes until mostly smooth (it's okay if it's a little sticky).
- Cover and rest at room temp for ~12 hours until about doubled.
- Refrigerate at least 12 hours and up to 5 days (flavor gets better).
- On bake day, divide into six dough balls (150 g each). Lightly flour, cover, and rest 2–3 hours at room temp.
- Roll each to 11–12" and about 1/8" thick with a rolling pin. You're knocking the air bubbles out, not just flattening it. This crust isn't supposed to puff.
- Dock lightly with a fork.
- Preheat your Baking Steel at 500°F for a full hour. Switch the oven to broil for 5 minutes to drive extra heat into the steel. Turn the broiler off right before you launch.
- Top lightly and bake 4–5 minutes until crisp and blistered, rotating once.
Don't want to measure? Our 72-Hour Pizza Dough Mix works for thin crust too. The pack makes about 1000g of dough and you can split it however you want. 150g balls for thin crust, bigger ones for a regular pie, or some of each. Roll the thin ones out and dock them with a fork. Ferment 24, 48, or 72 hours, whatever your week allows. The longer it goes, the more flavor you get.
Pro Tip: This recipe is designed for the Baking Steel Original. The 1/4" steel holds and delivers enough heat to give you a crispy, crunchy bottom in 4 to 5 minutes. Shop Baking Steel →
Pro Tips
- Roll, don't stretch: You want the air bubbles out. A stretched skin puffs, and this crust isn't supposed to.
- Dock: Tiny holes = flat bake = maximum crunch.
- Get the steel scorching: Preheat an hour at 500°F, then broil 5 minutes and shut the broiler off right before launch. You're loading the steel with as much heat as it will hold. This is a departure from how we normally bake, and it's what gets you done in 4 to 5 minutes.
- Light toppings: Less moisture keeps the center crackly.
The Cheese
A blend of fresh and low-moisture mozzarella, with a little fontina for richness. Buy it in chunks and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and that coating browns too fast on a steel this hot.
Thin Crust Pizza Dough FAQ
How do you make thin crust pizza dough from scratch?
Start with 4 simple ingredients: bread flour, water, salt, and yeast. Mix, knead briefly, then let it ferment at room temp for 12 hours and refrigerate for another 12 hours (up to 5 days). On bake day, divide into small dough balls, roll thin with a rolling pin, dock with a fork, and bake hot on a Baking Steel.
What makes thin crust pizza crispy and crunchy?
Three things: rolling the dough very thin (1/8"), docking it with a fork to prevent puffing, and baking it on a screaming-hot Baking Steel. Preheat an hour at 500°F, broil 5 minutes, then shut the broiler off and launch. The steel drives intense heat into the bottom, creating that cracker-thin, crunchy crust.
How long do I preheat the Baking Steel?
A full hour at 500°F. Your oven hits temperature in about fifteen minutes and beeps, but the steel doesn't. It needs the rest of that hour to fill with heat. Then broil for 5 minutes to push it further, and turn the broiler off right before you launch.
How thin should thin crust pizza be?
For authentic cracker-thin pizza, roll your dough to about 1/8" thick (11–12" diameter). Any thicker and you lose that shattery crunch.
Can I freeze thin crust pizza dough?
Yes. After the cold ferment, portion into dough balls, oil lightly, and freeze for up to 30 days. Thaw overnight in the fridge; bring to room temp before rolling.
Can I use all-purpose flour for thin crust pizza?
AP flour works in a pinch, but bread flour gives the snappiest, crunchiest bite thanks to its higher protein content.
How long does thin crust pizza dough need to ferment?
Minimum 24 hours total (12 hours room temp + 12 hours cold). For best flavor, ferment up to 5 days in the fridge.
Want to scale this dough? Use the Dough Calculator.
About the Author
Andris Lagsdin is the founder of Baking Steel. He invented the original Baking Steel in 2012 after spending 15 years in his family's steel business, Stoughton Steel, in Hanover, MA. He's taught thousands of students how to make pizza at home through free weekly classes and has been obsessing over flour, dough, and crust for over 13 years.
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