No-Knead Pizza Dough

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. To a large mixing bowl, add the water, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt, and flour. Using a heavy wooden spoon (or Danish dough whisk), stir together to form a wet, very sticky dough. Do not try to knead with your hands, as it is too sticky to handle. The mixture will seem dry at first, but as you continue to stir together, all the flour will be absorbed and it will pull away from the edges of the bowl. Add more flour if needed to form a very thick, very sticky dough ball.

3. Once well mixed, cover the bowl with a towel, and leave out at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours.

4. When ready to form the dough, flour a work surface very well. Using a spatula, scrape the sticky, bubbly dough onto the floured surface. Flour your hands and pat the dough down to flatten it. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and, using plenty of flour to handle, shape and form 2 smooth, elastic, balls of dough.

5. Allow the dough balls to rest on a floured board with several inches separating them, covered, for 30 minutes.

6. Your pizza dough is ready to use, This dough is even better if the balls are covered and kept refrigerated overnight. When ready to shape into pizzas, let the dough come up to room temperature before using.

Note: As with all dough recipes, the amount of flour will vary depending on the weather, the brand of flour used, and other factors. Use as much flour as you need to handle the dough, but keep in mind that the stickier the dough, the better the texture of your pizza crust will be.

Make and Bake Another Day

This pizza dough can be formed on a metal or aluminum-foil pan, placed in the freezer until frozen, and then wrapped for longer storage to be pulled out for when the pizza mood strikes.

Another option is to form the dough on a pan and also top it with your favorites, freeze it, and bake it without thawing when you're ready to enjoy it.

If you like an extra-crispy crust, try par-baking the crust by pricking it all over with a fork. Place a piece of parchment paper on it and fill with dried beans (blind bake) at 400 F for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, add your favorite pizza toppings, and bake according to your recipe. If you decide to freeze the parbaked crust, let it cool completely before freezing.