This is the easiest, best pizza dough recipe. With just 6 ingredients and no fancy flours required (I’ve included instructions for using all-purpose or bread flour), this pizza crust requires just one bowl (no stand mixer, though you can use one if you’d like), about 3 seconds of kneading, and just 30 minutes to rise.
If you’re uncomfortable working with yeast or making your own pizza dough at home, I’ll walk you through every step of the process in my video just below the recipe. You’ve got this!
It’s a little silly how excited I am to share this recipe with you today. It’s pizza dough, not exactly glamorous or sexy and it was honestly pretty boring to photograph (how do you make a ball of dough look fun and appealing in pictures, please tell me!).
But as someone who has struggled with baking even the most simple recipes with yeast, perfecting this pizza dough was definitely a triumph for me and I’m really happy to announce that there’s nothing to be afraid of! Yeast baking isn’t all that scary or hard, and you too can make your own super simple pizza crust at home in a matter of minutes, no fancy ingredients required.
I kept this pizza dough recipe as simple and approachable as possible. It’s made with all-purpose flour (and notes on how to substitute that flour, in case you want to get fancy 😉), no stand mixer needed, and only the most minimal amount of kneading required.
Below I’ve tried to ask some of the most frequently asked questions about making your own pizza dough. Let’s get to it.
What is the best flour for making homemade pizza dough?
Many pizza-making-pros will likely argue that bread flour is best for making homemade pizza. However, I rarely keep any flours in my pantry that are more exotic than all-purpose flour, so when I was working on this recipe I first and foremost made sure that it worked perfectly with regular old all-purpose flour.
I did make a point to test this recipe (repeatedly, we ate a lot of pizza last week) with bread flour and it works very well when made that way, too. I find that the biggest difference is that using bread flour gives my pizza dough a crispier crust, while the all purpose flour yields a softer one.
Can I flavor my Pizza Dough?
Pizza dough on its own is obviously important as a base for your favorite pizza, but it’s also kind of… bland. Shockingly, something made primarily of flour and water isn’t super exciting to the taste buds, and most of the flavor will come from whatever toppings you add.
I do usually try to spice up my crust just a bit, though, by adding a dash of garlic powder (usually around a ¼ teaspoon) and sometimes dried basil leaves (dried oregano could also work for you but I absolutely loathe oregano) into the dough before you add your oil and water.
How do you stretch out pizza dough?
You can use a rolling pin or you can use your hands. If you’re especially skilled, you can toss it up in the air and spin your dough like an Italian pizza artist, but I definitely lack the ability to tell you how to do that one.
I prefer to use a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a circle (or more like an amoeba-shape, since I can’t roll a perfect circle to save my life). Alternatively you can use your hands to flatten and stretch the dough until it reaches the desired width.
Then use your hands to pinch the edges to make a crust or fold over the edges (I always fold mine over because it gives me a thicker crust, which I love), brush the entire surface of the pizza generously with olive oil, and then use a fork to poke holes over the center of the dough to prevent any bubbles from forming while it bakes.
How do you make Homemade Pizza?
You can use this pizza dough recipe to make your own homemade pizza using any toppings you’d like (I love making Margherita pizza and have even made a BBQ chicken version using my BBQ pulled chicken).
I included instructions in the recipe, but once you’ve prepared your pizza dough, just add your favorite toppings and bake in a 425F oven for about 15 minutes (you may need longer if you add a lot of toppings). Do make sure you let your oven preheat properly and use an oven thermometer as possible, my oven takes a while to reach that temperature and usually “tells” me it’s ready when it’s not even close.
OK, are you guys sick of hearing about my beloved pizza dough recipe yet? In case you just can’t get enough, I also made a video just below that you can watch so you can see exactly how your dough should look in every step.
How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough
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The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
- 1 packet instant yeast² (2 ¼ teaspoon)
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional
- ¾ cup warm water³ (175ml)
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder and dried basil at this point as well.
- Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
- Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour. Add any additional flour as needed (I've found that sometimes I need as much as an additional ⅓ cup), stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (see video above recipe for visual cue). The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.
- Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
- Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F (215C) at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.
- Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times).
- Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.
- Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
- Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
- Add desired toppings (see the notes for a link to my favorite, 5-minute pizza sauce recipe!) and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.
Notes
Making in Advance:
To make in advance, let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, then deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days or it will freeze for up to a month. Top your pizza off with my favorite, easy, homemade pizza sauce!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Patti
This is the easiest, quickest, most delicious pizza dough recipe I’ve ever tried. I thought I had saved the recipe the first time I tried it. So glad I was able to find it again! I was in a bit of a culinary panic!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Ah, we’re glad you found us again too Patti! Thanks so much for trusting our recipe and coming back to leave a review ❤️
Josh
I tried this recipe, but the dough came out super dry, not sticky at all, and did not rise. Any ideas on what I did wrong? I reviewed the recipe multiple and added the ingredients as written
Sam
Hi Josh! I’m so sorry to hear this! Is your yeast still good? Bad yeast could cause it not to rise. For it being dry, you want to gradually add the flour until it reaches the proper consistency. Consistency is more important than an exact amount of flour added in. I hope that helps! 🙂
Brenda Vasquez
I’ve tried so many recipes for pizza dough and this one is the easiest, and definitely the tastiest!! I double the recipe and get 4 smaller pizzas. I make several batches, top the pizzas and freeze for easy meals through the week. So glad I found this recipe!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy the recipe is a hit for you, Brenda! Thanks for the review ❤️
KC
Oh my lord! This recipe is a life saver. We’ve just migrated to Africa from Uk, kids were missing their comfort food, i must say, you’ve literally saved my skin. This is my 3rd time making pizza. I’ve double the amount of ingredients and ended up with a lot more. I’ve freeze some for a quick snack.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear this! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it so much! Good luck in your new endeavors! 🙂
Kayla
I made this using traditional yeast and it turned out great! We also cooked our pizzas in the smoker and this pizza dough was perfect!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds divine, Kayla! We’re so happy you loved it 🥰
Dawn Stuart
I doubled the recipe because all my grandchildren will be here tonight SO it’s pizza and wings
All I know right now is boy did my dough rise lol
Medwick
Does using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment work for this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Medwick! We actually find a stand mixer can make this recipe a little more cumbersome. If you do decide to use one, you will probably have to start stirring by hand until your dough hook can reach the dough and stir it. 🙂
Marco G
The results are very good but you’ll definitely be kneading more than 3 seconds. It is a very sticky dough and it will keep gluing to your hands first and to the rolling pin later. I made a mess using the rolling pin and ended up adding more flour and working it with my hands.
This is what we call in my country, Portugal, a “bread dough” because you don’t need to work it much and it rises easily. A “bread dough” will work perfectly for pizza but it’s a bit different from a true “pizza dough” which is much more manageable but needs more work. Pizza dough rises a bit less though. So this recipe is very interesting.
All in all, it’s a nice recipe and I’ll be adding my own twists in the future.
Thanks.
Terry
I’ve never had luck with pizza dough before this recipe, it is so good and easy to make I made pepperoni twice and tri-tip and red onion tonight. Thanks for a great recipe!
Ilona
I made this for the first time today after another recipe failed me. This was absolutely delicious! So quick and easy! I made 2 batches, and both pizzas were devoured in no time. Will definitely make again!
Sherry
This is a very very good and easy recipe. Curious if you’ve tried using 00 all purpose flour?
Sam
Hi Sherry! I haven’t tried it, but I know others have done so with success. 🙂
Lorie
LOVED the Pizza Dough recipe! I’ve tried for years to find a really, easy and great tasting pizza dough. Well, I can tell you, my hunt is over! I have found it! This is the very best, EVER pizza dough. It is so easy to make and it is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Cathy
I’m surprised at the short rising time.. not like bread?
Sam
Correct. It doesn’t need to rise for a long time like a bread. 🙂
Nicole
I made this for dinner tonight! This dough was so easy to make and it tasted so good! Also whipped up a batch of your homemade pizza sauce. I made the dough exactly as the recipe is written and made 2 small pan pizzas. Topped one with cheddar cheese and the other with mozzarella and fresh basil. Both were so yummy! Definitely will make this again. Thank you for the great recipes!!
Kels
What would the measurements be if I used Traditional Yeast? Do I still add the sugar and water mentioned above or no? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kels! Check out the notes within the recipe card; we answer your questions there 😊
Croky
Read the notes, please. The answer to your question is there.
Jennifer Carson
This is definitely a quick easy receipe. I haven’t made my own pizza dough since 1984. That tells you how old I am and of course back then I didn’t use Instant yeast. Something is different and I did bake it about 16 min as I like my crust crispy..I may try my old receipe if I can find it, and compare. But it was delishious. Thank you!
Patricia G
This is a good, easy recipe. I used bread flour andI rolled it out thinly to cover a 16 inch pizza pan with perforations. It had a nice crustiness we prefer in pizza. I would increase the baking time from 15 to 18-20 min next time.