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
If you enjoy watching these videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be notified every time I publish a video!
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.
Amber
I hope to make this soon, but I don’t want to have to go get a pizza pan, do you think a pizza stone would work? thanks.
Sam
Hi Amber! A pizza stone will work great! You may need to adjust bake time so just keep an eye on it. 🙂
Grandma P
Absolutely delish. I added italian seasoning, chili flakes and parmesan cheese to dough and made a ham n pineapple ( I’m Canadian 😋) added jalapeño. Used my bread machine to make the dough will definitely do this recipe again. Thank You 😊 from Canada 🇨🇦 😊
P S
Great recipe! Quick question. The pizza was doughy and soft. How can I make it crispy? If I left it in the oven longer, cheese would’ve burned.
Sam
You could brush it with some oil and parbake it. 🙂
Patricia
This is my go to recipe. I LOVE IT!!
Bpop
Needs less flour than it calls for. Tastes good!
May
Best pizza dough ever!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you think so, May! Enjoy ☺️
john
soft and tasty dough thanks
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, John! Enjoy 😊
Heather Gonzales
I worked as a private chef, restaurant and private school chef for about 20 years and came across this recipe while working for the school and I really love that it’s Reliable! It’s also excellent for pizza of course and bread sticks, browns up nicely at 410 degrees for calzones. I used active dry yeast and proofed it first. This is my go to pizza/calzone/breadstick dough recipe and it’s quick even with active dry yeast.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love it, Heather! Thanks so much for the review–we really appreciate it 🥰
Jenna
This is my second time making this dough (or ANY pizza dough). First time, it was great but noticed that I would like to add the garlic and basil in it. I fully intended to do that this time but completely missed that step. LOL.
My one thing, the recipe talks of having to add more flour. Mine is usually ready with only HALF of the second part of the flour. Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Jenna! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Are you weighing your flour? You may be accidentally over-measuring your flour. The good thing here is that this recipe is pretty forgiving so when it reaches the proper consistency then you are done. 🙂
Rhys and Amy
I first tried this recipe 4 years ago and I lost count how many times I’ve used it since. It’s my go to recipe for pizza making. My wife, kids, and guests absolutely love it. All it takes is some tweaking or recipe adjustments and you can make any type or size you want. Well, I can say thanks to your recipe us ordering a pizza is rare and only happens if we don’t have a kitchen and supplies to make our own!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for the sweet comment! We are so happy our recipe has become a staple in your home 🥰
Charles
Not sure if I’m missing something but the servings and yield seem quite a bit off. I’ve made pizza dough using just about the same measurements of flour, water, etc but always got two 10-12″ pizzas out of it. Thoughts?
Sam
Hi Charles! Is your crust really thin? I actually make this pretty regularly and always end up with 1 crust.
Heather
This pizza crust is amazing!! Nice crisp outside with super soft inside. Wonderful taste- NOT bland. Our go-to crust. I double it each time I make it.
Donna MacCullouch
I want to make a pan size pizza, will doubling the recipe do the job?
Sam
Hi Donna! You can certainly double this recipe without issue. 🙂
sean Mongan
THIS IS AMAZING. I don’t know what you’re on, But keep being on it. This recipe 100/10
Destiny
This is my absolute go to pizza dough recipe – EVERY Friday for FNP (Friday Night Pizza). I went on a journey to find the most reliable and consistent pizza dough recipe and always came back to this one. AND it only need 30 minutes to rise and very minimal labor! Can’t beat it!
I do ALWAYS add garlic powder and basil to my dough and it is 👩🏼🍳💋
Sat
estoy impresionada con lo simple, fácil y deliciosa que queda está pizza! muchas gracias por compartir con tantos detalles la receta, realmente queda muy buena!
yo no use azúcar y ajo en polvo, me gusta más así!