Easy Pourable Pizza Dough (No Kneading, No Rolling!)

This Pourable Pizza Dough recipe is the easiest way to make homemade pizza crust. Just stir, pour, and spread - no kneading, no rolling, no fuss. The result is a soft, bready crust that can handle any toppings you throw on it.

Jump to:

• The Story Behind this Easy Pizza Crust Recipe
• Ingredients You'll Need
• Step-by-Step: How to Make Pourable Pizza Dough
• Substitutions and Flavor Variations
• Topping Ideas & Serving Suggestions
• Troubleshooting Tips
• Make-Ahead and Freezer FAQ
• Why You'll Love this Pizza Crust
• Easy Pourable Pizza Dough

The Story Behind this Easy Pizza Crust Recipe

When I was developing my recipe for Old School Cafeteria Pizza, one of the most important elements to nail down was the soft-but-sturdy, bread-like crust. The secret? A pourable pizza dough that skips the kneading and rolling.

The inspiration came from my copy of Quantity Recipes for School Food Service (1988 edition) - a collection of large-scale lunchroom recipes. Of course, the original called for seven pounds of flour and made 100 servings. After plenty of kitchen tinkering, I scaled it down for home cooks. This version makes just enough for a half-sheet pan (or two 12-inch round pizzas).

Ingredients You'll Need

This easy no knead pizza dough recipe is made exclusively from pantry staples.

• Quick rise yeast: Use only quick rise yeast for this recipe. Do not use regular yeast: it does not work fast enough.
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
• Instant dry milk: Dry milk is indispensable to this recipe. In breads, dry milk creates a smooth, mellow flavor, a more tender texture, and a higher rise.
• Sugar: Use plain granulated sugar.
• Salt: We use kosher salt.
• Oil: Use canola oil, or any neutral cooking oil.
• Hot water: Water should be 110-115°F (55° C); hot enough to activated the yeast when it is mixed with the flour, etc. Do not get the water too hot, or it will kill the yeast.

See recipe card for quantities.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Pourable Pizza Dough

Makes: 1 half-sheet pan, 2 quarter sheets, or 2 round 12-inch pans.

Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). Line baking pan(s) with parchment paper.

Hint: Use a textured baking pan if you have one. The texture allows air to flow under the pizza dough as it bakes on the parchment, making for a more evenly baked crust.

Combine yeast, flour, dry milk, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

1. Mix dry ingredients - yeast, flour, dry milk, sugar, salt.

2. Add liquids - stir oil and hot water together in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, then pour into dry mix.

3. Stir until smooth - about 5 minutes. Batter will be thick, sticky, like pancake batter.

4. Spread batter in pan - pour into the center, then spread evenly with a spatula.

5. Rest & rise - let sit in a warm spot for 45-60 minutes.

Tip: Because this is such a wet dough, the rise will not be as obvious as it is when you bake traditional yeast breads.

6. Par-bake - bake for 10 minutes until set and lightly golden.

7. Top & finish baking - add toppings, return to oven, and bake 12-15 minutes until cheese melts and crust is golden.

Substitutions and Flavor Variations

• Flour: Bread flour will also work.
• Dry milk: If you don't have dry milk, you can substitute warmed regular milk (110-115° F | 55° C) for the hot water.
• Sugar: You can substitute honey for the sugar in the bread dough.
• Herb Crust: Add 2 teaspoons of your favorite pizza herbs (e.g., oregano, basil, marjoram, etc.) to the dry dough ingredients before adding the liquids.
• Infused Oils: Use an infused cooking oil for the oil in the ingredients list to add even more flavor to the crust.

Topping Ideas & Serving Suggestions

This soft, bready crust is a blank canvas for all kinds of pizzas. Here are a few topping ideas to get you started:

• Classic Pepperoni: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, and plenty of pepperoni.
• Veggie Supreme: Sweet peppers, mushrooms, onions, olives, and mozzarella.
• White Pizza: Olive oil, ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, and fresh spinach.
• BBQ Chicken: BBQ sauce, cooked chicken, red onion, and cheddar-jack cheese.
• Margherita: Fresh tomato slices, mozzarella, and basil leaves.
• Old-school Cafeteria Pizza: This is the pizza that inspired this crust recipe, topped with a rich Bolognese-style sauce and loads of cheese. For a nostalgic take on lunchroom-style pizza, check out the full school pizza recipe.

For weeknights, try keeping prepped veggies, cooked chicken, or sausage in the fridge so you can throw together a pizza in minutes.

Troubleshooting Tips

My dough didn't rise - what happened?

• Make sure you're using quick-rise yeast, not regular yeast.
• Water should be warm (110-115°F | 55°C). Too hot will kill yeast, too cool won't activate it.
• Give it time! The rise isn't dramatic because the batter is wetter than traditional doughs.

The batter looks too runny. Did I mess up?

• It should be loose, thick, and sticky - like pancake batter.
• If it's too soupy, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until it thickens.

The crust baked unevenly.

• Use parchment paper or a textured pan for more even baking.
• Make sure batter is spread evenly before resting.

The crust seems too soft after baking.

• Par-bake the crust a few extra minutes before topping.
• If adding very heavy toppings, try reducing sauce slightly so the crust doesn't get weighed down.

Make-Ahead and Freezer FAQ

Looking for a unique pizza crust recipe? Try our Spicy Cornmeal Pizza Crust, perfect for seafood and Tex-Mex toppings!

Why You'll Love this Pizza Crust

• No kneading required: Just stir, pour, and spread.
• Beginner-friendly: If you can spread frosting, you can make this dough.
• Soft & bready: Perfect if you love a pillowy crust.
• Sturdy enough for heavy toppings: No soggy slices here.

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