Pizza Dough Recipe: How to Make Pizza Dough Without Yeast

Yeast-free pizza dough is pizza dough that is leavened with an agent other than active yeast—or not leavened at all compared to traditional pizza dough, which is leavened with active yeast. To make pizza dough with yeast, you typically start by adding dry yeast to warm water—this is called “blooming” and ensures the yeast is alive—after which the water becomes foamy and starts to smell like bread. To make pizza dough without yeast, you can use baking powder or no leavening agent, the latter results in a crispy, cracker-type crust.

The addition or subtraction of yeast makes a difference in a dough’s preparation and in the finished pizza’s taste and texture. Here are some of the most notable differences between yeast-free pizza dough and regular pizza dough:

• Texture: With a yeasted dough, the texture will be slightly chewy and airy from the dough rise. If you’re using another leavening agent, like baking powder, your dough will have a denser and cakier texture, much like a quickbread. If you use no leavening agent, you’ll get a super-thin crust with a more distinct snap.
• Taste: Yeast smells like bread, and it’s what many people are used to when they taste regular pizza dough. While there isn’t a night and day difference in taste between a yeast pizza dough and a yeast-free pizza dough, the difference is still noticeable.
• Process: With a yeasted dough, you have to bloom the yeast (add it to warm water) to make sure it’s alive before adding it to your flour. If you’re using another type of raising agent, such as baking powder, you mix it directly into the dry ingredients. The same goes if you’re not using any leavening agent at all. There might be rest time involved even when working with a yeast-free dough, because doughs are typically easier to roll out after the gluten in the flour has rested for a period of time.
• Prep time: When you’re using yeast, the blooming takes about 5–10 minutes. After you mix and knead the dough (pushing it back and forth upon itself with your hands while using the work surface to create tension), it has to sit at a temperature slightly warmer than room temperature for at least one hour, or in the refrigerator for up to three days. A non-yeast dough does not require the same amount of time, as there’s no bloom or rise time.

There are a few considerations to take into account when making and baking a pizza dough that doesn’t have yeast in the recipe:

1. 1. Read through the recipe. If a no-yeast dough recipe is a new recipe type for you, make sure to read through the whole ingredients list and steps before starting. Doing so will help you understand the different ingredients and the parts they play in the final product.
2. 2. Add flavor. A regular pizza dough recipe relies heavily on the yeast and potential fermentation process to add flavor to the crust. In a yeast-free dough, the flavor comes from the other ingredients. If you find the flavor that accompanies baking powder (a yeast alternative) off-putting, try adding a few classic Italian seasonings to your dough. You can use garlic powder, oregano, dried red pepper flakes, dried thyme, rosemary, or a combination of all of them. Parmesan cheese is another option.
3. 3. Use parchment paper or cornmeal. Non-yeasted dough tends to be stickier than yeasted dough. To prevent your dough from sticking to your pizza pan, line your pan with parchment paper or sprinkle a layer of cornmeal on the bottom of the pan. If you’re using a pizza stone, cornmeal is the best option because it creates a rough barrier between your dough and your cooking surface, preventing sticking.
4. 4. Cook the vegetables first. If you plan on topping your pizza with peppers, onions, mushrooms, or fresh tomatoes, cooking them ahead of time will allow any water to leach out and evaporate prior to you putting them on your pizza. Not only will this prevent your pizza from becoming soggy, it will also bring out a deeper flavor in the veggies.
5. 5. Par-bake your crust. Partially bake (or par-bake) your pizza dough to form a crust on the dough’s surface, usually about 10 minutes, before you add your toppings. Pizza toppings like tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese are wet, so baking your crust until the surface feels dry will prevent a soggy bottom and encourage a crispy, golden brown crust. After that, feel free to pile on the sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni, and any vegetables you’ve cooked ahead of time.