Best No-Knead Pizza Dough Ever

I wanted to get this out there early in the week, just in case you're like me and plan for Pizza Night on Fridays. I have tried a lot of pizza dough recipes. A LOT!!! And so many of them claim to be the best. But after all is said and done, I'm left thinking, "That's the best you've got?" So I've had this one tucked away on Pinterest for quite awhile, but by the time I saw it, I'd grown tired of making my own, barely decent, dough, and we'd gone to frozen pizza. Plus the "18 hours" of resting time scared me (PLEASE DON'T STOP READING!). When I looked at it again, I realized that while, yes, you do have to be thinking ahead for this one, the dough takes about 5 minutes to measure out and mix up, and then it just sits there. So all I have to do is remember sometime Thursday evening to whip it up, and then we're good for dinner Friday. And actually, the original blogger who posted it said it's very forgiving, and one time she only let it rise for 5 hours and it still turned out great, so even better! Just don't forget the extra hour at the end that you're supposed to let it sit (although I think I only did half an hour last time; again, forgiving).

I did the "heat a pizza stone first" trick, and the result was absolutely amazing! Not super thick and doughy, just thin enough without being overly so, and enough crunch to keep me from thinking I'd made fancy breadsticks instead. Much closer to restaurant style than I've ever accomplished before. I only had one stone, so I used an upside down cookie sheet for the other, and it was still great. (I have no idea why I turned it upside down, so don't ask.) And we freeze the third ball of dough, so by the third week, I don't even have to remember to make it because I have enough for two pizzas that just need to be thawed!

Printable Recipe

 No-Knead Pizza Dough

Handle the Heat

Yield: about 3 balls of dough (you can easily double this recipe)

3 3/4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (I used bleached, just because that's what I had on hand)
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (be sure not to use really hot water as that will kill the yeast)

In a medium bowl combine the flour, yeast, and salt.

Gradually add the water, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the water is incorporated and a shaggy dough forms. You may need to use your hands to fully incorporate the water. Just remember, you don't need to knead!

Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a clean large bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature in a draft-free place until the dough is doubled in size. This may take up to 18 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Don't worry too much about the time as this dough is very forgiving.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface.

Divide into 3 equal portions.

Take one portion of dough and gather 4 corners to the center to create 4 folds.

Turn seam side down and roll into an even ball.

Repeat with remaining portions.

Let dough rest, covered, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 425.

Roll dough to desired shape.

Take pizza stone out and carefully slide the dough onto the stone.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.

Top with favorite toppings.

Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until done.


The dough can be made ahead of time: Refrigerate the dough, individually wrapped in plastic, for up to 3 days. Unwrap and let rest at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap, for 2 to 3 hours before shaping.

Freeze the dough, individually wrapped in plastic and placed in Ziploc bags, for up to 1 month. Defrost the dough overnight in the fridge then allow to sit at room temperature as directed above before shaping.

The dough is now ready to be shaped into pizza or whatever else you desire.

White Chicken Pizza

This week I wanted to feature some recipes using Rotisserie Chicken. I love getting a chicken from the deli and being able to use it throughout the week for all of our meals. You can get at least 4-5 meals out of one chicken, and usually more. Last week I made this pizza, Creamy Chicken Casserole, Chicken & Noodles (this one takes quite a bit of chicken, which is why I only got 5 meals), Empanadas, and Chicken and Biscuits Casserole. Not only do I save time cooking, but with some recipes (like Chicken Baguettes) I actually think it tastes better.

I also found a recipe to make your own Rotisserie Chicken in the crock pot (super easy!) that I'll post as soon as I get some pics. It's especially great if you can get a good deal on a whole chicken.



I first saw this pizza on the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest on the Food Network (it's my dream to enter one day!), and it looked SO good that I had to look up the recipe right away. It's one of our favorites! The sauce actually is very similar to our favorite Chicken Alfredo sauce. I made a few adjustments--I lessened the cooking time for the crust (it kept getting too brown), switched the wine to chicken broth (so I took out the Marsala in the title since it doesn't really fit now), and I just used regular mushrooms and dried parsley and left out the onion on ours.

Printable Recipe

White Chicken Pizza
from Pillsbury Bake-Off Recipes

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup chicken broth (or 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine)
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray (or use a Silpat).

Unroll pizza crust dough in pan; press dough to edges of pan.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until crust just barely starts to brown. (Bake it enough so the bottom of the crust isn't too doughy; otherwise it will be soggy. But you don't want it to brown very much, or it will be too crispy in the end.)

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 7 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet; cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside. (Or substitute Rotisserie Chicken and skip this step.)

To same skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter. Add onions and mushrooms; cook over medium-high heat about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.

Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in chicken broth; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken broth is reduced by half (about 6 tablespoons).

Stir in whipping cream, parsley, salt, pepper and chicken. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and creamy.

Sprinkle pizza crust with 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over cheeses. Top with remaining cheeses.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes longer or until cheeses are melted and crust is golden brown.


Serve with: Salad or Baby Carrots