No knead pizza dough is a loose, shaggy dough that rests for hours instead of being kneaded. Flour, water, yeast and salt do the work, and time builds the structure you would normally get from kneading. Four ingredients and one long rest make enough no knead pizza dough for four crusts from one batch.
What Makes No Knead Pizza Dough Different
Time, not kneading, builds the gluten in no knead pizza dough, so you only stir the ingredients together and let them rest.
Kneading stretches the gluten network so the dough can hold gas from the yeast. A long rest does a similar job more slowly. While the dough sits, the water soaks fully into the flour and the gluten network forms on its own, which is why the dough can stay wet and still stretch later.
That is the core of any no knead pizza dough recipe. You skip the kneading step, mix with a spoon or dough whisk, and rely on a small amount of yeast and a long room-temperature rest. The dough looks rough at first and feels softer after the rise.
If you prefer a bread-flour dough, compare it with our pizza dough with bread flour guide. The trade-off is handling. The dough is soft and sticky, so it does not suit anyone who expects a smooth, elastic ball straight out of the bowl. It suits cooks who can plan the rest a day ahead and do not own a stand mixer. Plan each no knead pizza dough batch the day before you plan to eat, since the rest is the step you cannot rush.
The Classic Ratio: 500 g Flour, 350 g Water, 1 g Yeast
The James Beard Foundation archive lists Jim Lahey’s recipe as 500 g all-purpose flour, 350 g water, 1 g active dry yeast and 16 g fine sea salt, enough for four pizzas.
| Ingredient | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 500 g | Extra flour is only for dusting |
| Water | 350 g | About 70 percent of the flour weight. See our high hydration pizza dough guide for wetter doughs |
| Active dry yeast | 1 g | A small amount that drives a long rise |
| Fine sea salt | 16 g | Adds flavor and slows the yeast |
The recipe appears in My Pizza by Jim Lahey with Rick Flaste, published by Clarkson Potter in 2012. Once you know these weights, you can scale no knead pizza dough up or down by keeping the flour-to-water ratio the same, and a pizza dough calculator can do the arithmetic. Weigh the ingredients on a kitchen scale rather than using cups. A gram of yeast is too small to measure reliably with a spoon, and the water-to-flour ratio is what keeps the dough predictable from batch to batch.
How to Mix and Rest the Dough
Stir the ingredients into a shaggy dough, cover the bowl, and leave it at room temperature for about 18 hours, until the dough has more than doubled.
- Combine the flour, water, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
- Stir with a dough whisk or spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will look rough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or with a towel if you prefer.
- Rest the dough at room temperature for 18 hours, or until it has more than doubled.
A chilly kitchen stretches the rest and a warm one shortens it, so watch the bowl rather than the clock. For a rest that happens in the fridge instead, see how cold ferment pizza dough works. The James Beard page makes the same point, so the 18-hour figure is a guide, not a timer. Sticky dough is normal for no knead pizza dough. Resist the urge to add more water, and dust your hands and the counter with flour only when you need to handle it.
Timing: Why 16 to 18 Hours and Not 24
Lahey’s directions allow a rest of up to 24 hours, but one King Arthur Baking author found that length too sour and settled on 16 hours.
In the King Arthur Baking’s 2009 post on no-knead pizza, the author rested the dough for 16 hours and said the full 24-hour rest made the dough too sour for the toppings. That is a taste call, not a safety rule, so choose the window that suits your palate.
Use these three windows as a guide:
- 16 hours: the timing the King Arthur author preferred, with a milder flavor.
- 18 hours: the timing on the James Beard recipe used in this article.
- Up to 24 hours: the upper limit in Lahey’s directions, which the same author found too sour.
For a practical plan, start the no knead pizza dough in the morning for an evening bake, or the evening before for a lunchtime pizza. Check that the dough has more than doubled before you shape it, since the clock alone can mislead in a cold or hot kitchen.
Quick-Rise Shortcut: Red Star’s Version
Red Star’s no knead version uses 390 g flour, 270 g warm water and 7 g quick-rise yeast, rises for 1 to 3 hours, and bakes at 500°F for about 8 minutes.
| Attribute | Classic (Lahey) | Quick (Red Star) |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g all-purpose | 390 g all-purpose |
| Water | 350 g | 270 g, warm at 120 to 130°F |
| Yeast | 1 g active dry | 7 g Quick Rise |
| Salt | 16 g fine sea salt | 10 g |
| Rise | 18 hours at room temperature | 1 to 3 hours at room temperature |
| Yield | 4 pizzas | 2 pizzas, 12 or 14 inch |
| Fridge storage | Up to 3 days | Up to a week after the first rise |
The quick version is closer to a regular dough with a short rise, so it fits a same-evening plan. The water ratio is close to the classic version at roughly 69 percent, but the shorter rest gives less time for flavor to develop. Red Star’s quick-rise recipe page also gives the 500°F bake, which the classic source does not state.
Shaping and Baking the Crust
Fold each portion of dough four times, shape it into a round with the seam underneath, and bake the bare crust before you add toppings.
- Divide the dough into four equal pieces.
- Fold each piece four times, from the right, left, top and bottom.
- Shape it into a round and turn it seam side down.
- Dust sticky rounds with flour, then press or stretch the dough on a floured surface.
- Bake the bare crust on a hot stone or in a pan until it begins to brown, about 12 to 16 minutes.
- Add cheese and toppings, then bake for about 8 more minutes.
Red Star suggests rolling the no knead pizza dough to about 12 inches, or 14 inches for a thinner crust, and not worrying about a perfect circle. King Arthur’s method presses the dough into an oval on parchment, which lets you slide it onto a hot stone with a peel. The James Beard page does not give an oven temperature for the classic recipe, so use the hottest setting your oven allows and follow the par-bake timing above.
Storing and Freezing No Knead Dough
Wrap each dough ball separately and refrigerate it for up to 3 days, because the classic dough should not be frozen.
- Wrap each ball individually in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Take each ball out and let it rest, covered, for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature before shaping.
Neither the James Beard recipe nor Red Star recommends freezing. Red Star’s quick version can stay in the fridge up to a week after its first rise, so the two recipes give different storage limits. Follow the limit that matches the recipe you are using. Let a chilled ball come to room temperature before rolling, as the James Beard page advises, so the no knead pizza dough stretches more easily. If you want to freeze dough from a different recipe, see whether you can freeze pizza dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use bread flour for no knead pizza dough?
Yes. King Arthur’s 2009 no-knead method uses bread flour, but the weights in this article are for all-purpose flour. The gram ratio in this article uses all-purpose flour, so treat a switch to bread flour as a new test rather than a simple swap.
Does no knead pizza dough need a pizza stone?
Not strictly. King Arthur’s method bakes the bare crust on a hot stone or in a pan, so either works. If you have no stone, use the heaviest pan you own and preheat it along with the oven.
Do you need a stand mixer?
No. Both sources mix the dough by hand with a spoon or dough whisk. The dough is only combined, not kneaded, so a bowl and a utensil are enough.
Why is my no knead pizza dough so sticky?
A wet, sticky dough is normal for this method, because the recipe sets the water ratio on purpose. Dust your hands and the counter with flour when shaping, and avoid adding extra water to the bowl.
How long can no knead pizza dough stay in the fridge?
The classic James Beard dough keeps up to 3 days in the fridge when each ball is wrapped separately. Red Star’s quick version allows up to a week after its first rise.
Can you freeze no knead pizza dough?
Neither recipe recommends freezing. Keep the dough refrigerated instead, and bring each ball out and rest it covered for 2 to 3 hours before shaping.
What oven temperature should you use?
Red Star’s quick version uses 500°F for about 8 minutes. The classic James Beard page gives no oven temperature, so use the hottest setting your oven allows and follow the par-bake timing.
Choose the classic ratio when you can plan 16 to 18 hours ahead and want more flavor. Choose Red Star’s quick version when you need pizza the same evening. Either way, weigh the flour and water, because a kitchen scale keeps your no knead pizza dough predictable from one batch to the next.