Cracker Crust Pizza

This Cracker Crust Pizza recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer. Add your favorite sauce and toppings; it always comes out perfectly thin, crispy, and delicious.

Pair this with my cheesy Garlic Fingers for a tasty pizza night!

🍕 What is Cracker Crust Pizza?

It's a type of pizza known for its thin and cracker-like crust. It originated in the Midwest, specifically St. Louis, where it's simply called St. Louis-style pizza.

Unlike regular pizza, it's leavened with baking powder instead of yeast.

🤐 The Secret To A Crispy Crust

The secret to this thin-crust pizza is all in the ingredients.

All-purpose flour is the best flour to use. It creates a firm dough texture with a cracker-like consistency. Pizza or bread flour will make an overly chewy crust.

Baking powder is the most popular leavening agent used in cracker crust pizza. Yeast isn't used because it results in a fluffy, bread-like consistency. Here, we want a crisp, thin crust, and baking powder does the job.

Ensure your oven is hot. I recommend preheating to 500℉ for at least 20 minutes to store as much energy inside as possible. The crust will not crisp properly if the oven is not hot enough.

🧂 Ingredients

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour. It has the perfect amount of gluten to give the pizza dough the best texture. Having said that, whole wheat flour can also be used, but you'll need to add more water.
• Baking Powder: Be sure that your baking powder is not expired.
• Salt: Season the dough and bring out its best flavor.
• Water: We'll need 8 to 10 tablespoons of water. The exact amount can vary based on factors like the brand of flour and how tightly you pack it when measuring.
• Olive Oil: We will use olive oil in the dough itself to flavor the crust. You can also use melted butter or neutral oils like vegetable or canola.
• Pizza Sauce: Storebought or make your own.
• Toppings: I'm only using mozzarella cheese today, but feel free to use whatever toppings you like. Avoid adding too many, as this can overcrowd the pizza and make the crust soggy.

🔪 Instructions

STEP 1: Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. If you don't have a pizza stone, just heat the oven to 500°F.

STEP 2: In a stand mixer bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add olive oil and 8 tablespoons of water. Mix on low with the hook attachment until a ball forms, adding more water if needed.

STEP 3: Knead the dough in the mixer on medium-high for 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, work it for 10-12 minutes until smooth. Divide the dough in half (or keep it as one for a large pizza) and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

STEP 4: Take one portion of the dough at a time, and roll it between two pieces of parchment paper until it's very thin, about ⅛" thick or less. Remove the top parchment layer.

STEP 5: If you have a pizza stone, leave the bottom parchment on, then add sauce and toppings, and transfer it directly to the stone (no need to slide the crust off the parchment paper).

If you don't have a stone, remove the bottom parchment and transfer it to a greased baking sheet or pizza pan before adding the sauce and toppings.

STEP 6: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown and the edges of the crust are golden brown. Enjoy!

Just look at that thin pizza crust!

🥡 Storage & Leftovers

Storing: Store leftover cracker crust pizza in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating: Reheat leftovers by baking for 5-7 minutes at 400℉ until warm and crispy. You can air-fry at 400℉ for 2 minutes.

📋 Recipe

Cracker Crust Pizza

This Cracker Crust Pizza recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer. Add your favorite sauce and toppings; it always comes out perfectly thin, crispy, and delicious. Makes two 10-inch pizzas or one 14-inch.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 2 people

Calories 581 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 8 to 10 tablespoons water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

 

• Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. If you don't have a pizza stone, just heat the oven to 500°F.
• In a stand mixer bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add olive oil and 8 tablespoons of water. Mix on low with the hook attachment until a ball forms, adding more water if needed.
• Knead the dough in the mixer on medium-high for 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, work it for 10-12 minutes until smooth. Divide the dough in half (or keep it as one for a large pizza) and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
• Take one portion of the dough at a time, and roll it between two pieces of parchment paper until it's very thin, about ⅛" thick or less. Remove the top parchment layer.
• If you have a pizza stone, leave the bottom parchment on, then add sauce and toppings, and transfer it directly to the stone (no need to slide the crust off the parchment paper). If you don't have a stone, remove the bottom parchment and transfer the dough to a greased pan before adding the sauce and toppings.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown and the edges of the crust are golden brown. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 581kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 13gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 1011mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 3gSugar: 0.3gCalcium: 256mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Did you make this?Let me know how it was!

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