The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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 1/4 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Great Recipe..
I love the addition of basil and garlic into the dough
My Little Italian Mom taught me to cook. I started at 10 yo and have cooked alot throughout the years.
When my mom passed i started cooking all my favorites
She would love this crust
Thanks so much
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Mike! ☺️
This is absolutely PERFECT!!!
I LOVE than you suggest slow adding the flour it REALLY helps the dough come together better!
I made a stuffed crust pizza with mine, I’m so excited because it came out perfectly! (I’ve never successfully made a stuffed crust pizza at home, so this was a huge win for me!) Our toppings are supreme – since that’s our preference (if I had more jalapenos I’d have made a spicy Hawaiian, which is our other family favorite)
It’s disappearing fast~ 😋
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Sabrina! ☺️
Made this tonight. Turned out awesome and how super easy! Thanks!
Best recipe, indeed!!!
My family REALLY enjoyed the perfect crust!
I used a little under 2 cups of flour as I found the doughy mixture becoming harder to mix. When it rose, it was a little stretchy (perhaps because of the reduced flour), but this was perfect for me – I divided it into four super thin crust small-medium pizzas!!! (We are a thin-crust pizza family…!) Much gratitude for this awesome recipe!
Thank you so much Nadia! I am so glad everyone enjoyed it! 😃
Hi Sam, thanks for sharing this recipe with us. I have made pizza dough in d past by eyeballing the ingredients but I tried ur recipe last night and I love it. It was easy like u said and delicious. So I added garlic powder and dried basil, oh my dear, words cannot Express d deliciousness. *mouth watering* I used it to make my 1st favorite pizza which is “chicken with pineapple and green bell peppers”, from d feel of the dough I was in love but this finished product was 🍌 out of this 🌏. Thank u so much, wish I could post a pic here.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! That pizza sounds delicious! Should have saved some for me! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing this with me! It is a great recipe that we will keep using!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! 😃
*Oh and one more thing.. I used, “Highly Active” yeast packet from Aldi, exactly as the recipe had it written. It rose beautifully, even in my cooler home. I wasn’t sure if I had “the right stuff” because it didn’t say instant, but I risked it.
This was an absolute hit! My super picky family, all adored the crust (used APF). Thanks!
Thank you Melissa! I’ am glad you enjoyed it!
I have used a gluten free recipe, but it’s a trial & error thing . “Pam’s Gluten -free mix “ is good, just add extra yeast & less warm water (depending on the warmth of your kitchen). Careful with water/ olive oil as it can “liquefy” the dough and hinder the rising. Use a really hot oven to get a good rise.
Thank you for the tips!!
Looking forward to trying this! Our first recipe from Sugar Spun were the oatmeal cookies. They were such a hit I had to make more as soon as they were gone! Thank you Sam for working all the “bugs” out of the recipes!!
I hope you love it, Susan! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the oatmeal cookies, too! One of my favorites! 🙂
I have honestly never used a recipe to make pizza dough. I have always just done it from scratch. I throw my water in my yeast my sugar a bit of salt and then I use a dough hook while I add flour. Texture goes by the feel of it.
Like you I use an olive oil coated bowl cover it with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter for about 12 hours. Punch it down, form a ball and back into the bowl it goes, covering it again. For a great flavor and texture, it goes in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. It comes out of the fridge and it sits at room temperature for about 3 hours then it’s either stretched out or rolled to form. I like sheet pan 🍕.
Thank you for the the thoughtful and humorous post.
I am always impressed by people who can bake without a recipe! And now you have me wanting to make myself a sheet pan pizza!
Thanks for commenting, Ed! 🙂
I tried your best chocolate chip cookie recipe and ended up making it 3 times in like 10 days- it was so simple and delicious.
Looks like this pizza dough is going to be just as much fun, can’t wait to try it!
Haha those cookies are seriously addictive aren’t they! I hope you like the pizza dough just as much! 🙂
I want to try this recipe! Do you know if it can be made ahead, refrigerated and then used a couple days later?
I hope you love it, Margo! I haven’t made this in advance and haven’t tried it myself, but I did some research and it sounds like you could make the dough and then place it in the oiled bowl, cover it, refrigerate it, and then once you’re ready to use it remove from the refrigerator and roll it out and then use it. Like I said I haven’t tried this myself (yet) but that is what I found online. If you do try it out I would love to know how it works for you!
I’m glad to see that you are finally getting more comfortable with yeast dough. If you feel brave enough to try out some bread, let me know. I can especially reommend the filled bread rolls 😉
Also, that pizza looks amazing. I think I know what I’ll be having for dinner this weekend.
I appreciate your encouragement regarding working with yeast! I will definitely be reaching out once I’m brave enough to try bread 😅
If you need further encouragement, just look at his delicious filled bread/pizza rolls: https://imgur.com/gallery/2rXvG
You could even try using your pizza dough for the bread part for starters (maybe add a bit more flour for a slightly less sticky dough) 🙂
I don’t have instant yeast just the kind in jar that you store in refrigerator. Do you know the substitutions for Amt and time for riding?
Hi Michelle! Unfortunately I haven’t tried this yet with non-instant yeast. My recommendation would be to dissolve your yeast in the warm water first and allow it to proof and then add that to the rest of the dry ingredients. It may need to rise longer, I would just watch for the dough to double in size.
Totally honestly, I would probably try it myself just making the recipe as is just with an even substitution of the yeast and seeing how it turns out, but that’s a little more reckless, it sounds like to give you the best shot of it working out the yeast should be proofed in warm water first.