A pizza is more than the sum of its parts, but if you ask us, the crust can make or break a pie. Luckily we have baker extraordinaire Christina Tosi of Milk Bar and Netflix’s Bake Club fame to guide us toward the light-yet-chewy profile that the best crusts have in common. Whether you’re a deep dish lover or paper-thin-crust fan, you can’t go wrong with Christina’s endlessly customizable recipe from her latest cookbook, Bake Club. We love it with marinara, mozzarella, and any fresh veg or fruit (yes, really!) hanging around in the fridge. Pineapple, anyone?

A word from the pizza professional:

Even before I trial-and-errored my way to a great homemade version, Friday nights were reserved in my heart–and the Tosi home–as pizza night. A good movie, paper towel napkins, a triangle of cheese-and-sauce-covered bread–what more could one need to close out the week? And with this could-not-be-easier dough recipe, you’re just steps away from having pizza night whenever the mood hits. A little cornmeal dusting helps give your dough the crispy edge you long for. I pull out everything from my fridge and pantry that could possibly be a pizza topping or saucy spread, and encourage you to do the same. My POV these days is that, as long as pizza’s on the menu, any night can feel like Friday night.

Ditch the spatula and by-hand approach and use a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment if you like.

Get the recipe for Christina Tosi’s Pizza Dough:

Christina Tosi’s Pizza Dough

Author: Misfits Market

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 teaspoon (½ packet) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2½ cups flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon olive oil + more for greasing
Cornmeal, for dusting
Pizza toppings of your choice
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water until the yeast is dissolved and foamy, about 1 minute. Let it sit as is another 5 minutes to continue foaming and growing, until it’s ready to do its work.
Ditch the whisk and grab a sturdy spatula. Stir in the flour, salt, and oil, and mix to combine everything, about 1 minute, until you have a dough ball that’s neither sticky nor stiff.
Ditch the spatula now and, with your hands, knead the dough ball in teh bowl, pushing the dough away from you with the heel of your hand and folding it over itself with your fingers, then pulling it back. Do this for 7 minutes, total, to fully develop the chewy, stretchy tunnels of gluten.
Grease a fresh large bowl with a thin coast of oil, and transfer the dough ball to it. Toss the dough in the fat, and leave it seam side down. Cover the bowl with a dry towel, and place it in a draft-free spot (I like the microwave or a turned-off oven) to rise for an hour, until it’s doubled in size.
Knock the dough out onto a clean, dry countertop, and divide it into size equal pieces. Round each piece into a smaller ball. Place the balls 2 inches apart, cover them with the same towel, and let them rest and rise another hour, until each has doubled in size.
In the meantime, position an oven rack close to your oven’s heating element. Heat the oven to its highest temperature, 500° or 550°F. Sprinkle two half sheet pans liberally with cornmeal.
Like a pizzaiolo/a, punch each dough ball down, stretch it, and throw it into a 6-inch round–or, alternatively, using a rolling pin, flatten and roll each dough ball out to the same size, shooting for a thinner center (¼ to ½ inch) and slightly thicker edges (½ to ¾ inch) to represent the crust.
Make a pizza bar: Grab anything and everything that could make awesome pizza toppings, and lay them out on the counter for folks to don their individual pizzas as they like.
When the oven is as hot as can be, throw the pizza (either raw on cornmeal-lined pans or par-cooked) into the oven. Bake until the cheese begins to bubble and the crust is golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes from raw, 2-3 minutes for par-cooked. Have a cutting board and sharp knife or pizza roller ready so that, as the pizzas come out of the oven, you can slice and serve them hot. I don’t think you need me to tell you how to store leftover pizza–everyone does their own thing. We wrap ours in plastic in the fridge overnight, because Franke really likes pizza for breakfast the next day. I don’t encourage you to keep it for more than 2 days. Eat it cold, or reheat it in the oven to attempt to bring a little texture back, though nothing is like the fresh-out-of-the-oven thing.