Want Really Thin Pizza Crust? Use a Rolling Pin

I love me some thin-crust pizza. I mean really thin. Crispy, cracker-like, and keep it coming. The best tool for making perfect thin crust pizza at home? Try a rolling pin.

Don’t ask me why it took me so long to apply to my weeknight pizzas something that I use all the time to roll out thin crusts in my baking, but something finally clicked. A rolling pin works like a charm.

My usual method is to put the pizza dough on top of a piece of parchment and then pat it into a large, flat disk with floured hands. (I find the parchment makes the dough easier manage during rolling and then when transferring into the oven.) I let this sit for a few minutes to let the gluten relax again, then I go to town with the lightly floured rolling pin.

Just as with cookie and pie dough, roll pizza dough from the middle outwards. This lengthens the gluten strands in the dough rather than tightening them up and making you work harder. If the dough does start to shrink back on you, just take a break and let it rest for another five minutes or so.

Do you like thin-crust pizza? What’s your method for getting super thin crust at home?

Related: How to Grill Pizza

(Images: Emma Christensen)