How to Make a Thin Crust Pizza in 15 Minutes

That’s faster than delivery!

Once upon a time, we taught baking classes. One was “How to Make a Thin Crust Pizza in 15 Minutes.” We had a lot of skeptics to that class.  So, after introductions, I started talking while Debbie tackled the pizza.

Debbie was done in 15 minutes, I mean, it was out of the oven in 15 minutes.  Now, that didn’t include prepping the toppings.  I don’t remember what toppings we used, but they would have been sliced and diced and ready to go.

We taught that class multiple times. For each, we made that claim and for each, we turned out a 15-minute pizza. That means that with a little practice and your veggies prepped, you can make a 15-minute pizza.

We love thin crust pizzas. With toppings spread on a thin, almost cracker-like crust, they are delightful.

And you’ll love the convenience. Preheat the oven. Prep the toppings–cut the veggies and cook the meats. Then you really can have the pizza ready to serve in 15 minutes. We’ve proven that.

That includes mixing the dough from a mix, forming the crust, assembling the pizza, and baking it.

You can convert any pizza recipe to a thin crust pizza by making a thin crust instead of a thicker one. But, with a thinner crust, you may wish to reduce the amount of the toppings. Balance is important. Too many toppings will insulate the pizza and it won’t be done in 15 minutes. A thin crust pizza is more like eating a spread on a cracker. Often, a regular pizza recipe converts well to two thin crust pizzas.

What you'll need:

• Pizza Dough Mix
• Pizza Roller

Use a Pizza Roller

We use our pizza dough mixes to the dough for the crusts. Each mix makes a regular pizza crust. I divide the dough in half and make two 15-inch pizzas. Debbie divides them three ways.

It’s almost impossible to make a thin-crust pizza without a pizza roller. Use the small end to roll the dough to the edge of the pan.

Step 1: Making the Crust

We recommend our crusts. Why?

The enemy of thin-crust pizzas is gluten. Gluten is formed from two proteins found in wheat flour. When hydrated and mechanically worked, they twist together like tiny ropes. Those ropes give bread dough its elasticity.

But in pizza dough that elasticity creates “spring back”. You roll the dough into a 15-inch circle and it wants to spring back to a 12-inch circle. You need a soft dough that will hold its shape.

“Dough relaxer” is the magic ingredient. It’s in the mix. It makes the dough soft and easy to roll out to a thin, cracker-like crust.

Without a dough relaxer, you cannot make a thin crust pizza. Our mixes are sized for a generous regular crust pizza. With dough relaxer, you can make two or three 15-inch thin crust pizzas.

All you add is water. Use the dough hook with your stand-type mixer. Once the dough starts to come together, turn the speed to medium-high and mix for about one minute.

About the Pans

Pans are critical. Our favorite pan is a perforated pan. The holes let the heat in and the steam escape. But we’ve made plenty of crispy pizzas in pans without holes.

Step 2: Assembling the Pizza

I prefer rolling my pizzas in the pan. I use a pizza roller. For me, it’s the easy way to roll the dough for a thin crust. You can form the dough right into the corners of a pan. It doesn’t make sense to roll a thin crust and then have a build-up of dough around the perimeter of the pizza.

Debbie heats a pizza stone. She rolls the dough on a dusted counter and loads it with goodies while it’s on the counter. She transfers the loaded pizza to the hot pizza stone with a pizza paddle.

Debbie’s pizzas tend to be more rough-hewn than mine. On the stone, they’re free form. Mine are contained within the pan—two 15-inch round pizzas from one mix.

Step 3: Baking the Pizza

You need to bake ‘em hot to get ‘em crisp. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

How long it will bake will be a function of how high you stack your toppings. If the toppings are sparse, the crust should be crispy, and the cheese melted and bubbly in six to eight minutes.

Shop our pizza dough mix.