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.
Kaila Cascio
YUM! I made this today for my family and we all really enjoyed it. My family is the type to be too honest. I could work all day making some loaves of French bread and they’ll tell me everything that could be improved (I’m serious!) but this recipe was a win! I didn’t hear a single “Constructive criticism“ and in fact got a compliment, on the first bite! I used the 1/4tsp of each garlic powder and basil, and it was great! I cut my dough into threes so we could all make personal pizzas and they were a great generous size. Comparable to the size of Blaze or MOD pizzas, so we had leftovers.
A tip: I initially baked my dough minus toppings for less than 5 minutes as I didn’t have a pizza stone and was afraid of the dough not cooking thoroughly. It worked well!
Highly recommended tip: I brushed my crust with some pesto from Trader Joe’s and it was amazing!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear it was such a hit! That pesto on top sounds AMAZING! 🙂
Kirk Bride
Sam, now with being at home even more I’ve made what seems like a bajillion of your pizza recipe. SO GOOD! It never disappoints. I enjoy your new recipes that I receive via email. Hope all is well with you and your family. P.S. Thanks for the bread recipe, awesome!!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed your pizza(s), Kirk! I am happy that you have also loved the homemade bread. I appreciate your feedback and can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next! 🙂
Jeanette
Hello, the only sugar I have at home is raw/tubinado sugar. Is it necessary to use regular granulated sugar?
Sam
Hi Jeanette! I would probably just leave it out, or if you have honey you could use that. 🙂
Jeanette
Thanks Sam! 😊
kelsey
I use maple syrup 🙂
Jeanette
Thanks Kelsey!
Kaylllllla
Perfect crust! My first time making a pizza crust with yeast. I brushed it fresh out of the oven with melted butter that I added garlic and Parmesan cheese to.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Lily
Make this once a week, I kid you not! We spice it up differently depending on what kind of pizza (margarita, BBQ chicken, veggie, pepperoni, etc). tried a few recipes outside of this, but haven’t moved from it. We usea little more water and a 1/4c less flour (only 2c). I love how easy this recipe is, thank you!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Lily! 🙂
Elena
Love the recipe! We made it couple of times already. The dough is so easy to make, but so tasty. We double the ingredients to make one large pizza, and there is enough dough to make a mini pizza for our daughter.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much! I am so glad that this recipe has become a family favorite and you have enjoyed it, Elena! 🙂
Jason Renata Molnar
Easy recipe and tasted great. We out in garlic powder and it gave a very nice flavor. We look forward to trying different sauces and toppings with this recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am happy that you enjoyed it, Jason! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Dennis
I am not adept at making pizza. I usually do papa johns. I like this recipe almost as much as delivery especially at this time. I did the recipe by multiplying by 1.5 for an 18″ pan and rolling it out on parchment then transferring to pizza pan. The result is nice risen crust, not to thick. I also started the yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar.
Sugar Spun Run
I am happy that you enjoyed it, Dennis! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
CJ
Is it better to make this dough several hours in advance to allow it to rise more? Or will that change the dough?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, CJ! You will want to make the dough and allow it to rise just until it has doubled in size. Once it has, I reccomend deflating the dough and storing it well wrapped or in an airtight container and in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 🙂
Carolyn Haas
Thank you so much for coming up with this delicious and easy recipe! I added some McCormick Garlic/Herb seasoning to the dough. I had baked cookies earlier so the oven was nice and warm for raising the dough, which raised perfectly. And I used the instant yeast, as you recommended. And now that I own a jar of the stuff, I’ll be making it again, soon!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Carolyn! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Kate
LOVE this recipe. My roommate and I make this all the time. I’ve tried so many other pizza doughs, and I’ve always been disappointed until I found this one. I think other people are just making it too complicated. Definitely, definitely add the garlic AND the basil – I always add the maximum amounts listed for both and the dough takes such a lovely flavor with that. Thank you so much for giving me this recipe! 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that this recipe has become a favorite of yours, Kate! Thank you so much for trying it and for commenting. 🙂
Kim
Could this be made ahead of time and stored? I would like to make it the night before iso I can quickly assemble a pizza after work.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Kim! Yes, the dough can be made in advance. To do so, you will make the dough, allow it to rise completely, then store it in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. It will last for up to 3 days. I hope that you enjoy your pizza night! 🙂
Jillian
When would you freeze this dough? After its rise or before and then let it thaw and start its rise? I want to make several to put in the freezer but I don’t want to do it at the wrong time. Also, should I store it in produce style bags or in containers? I found that the last time I made this dough, it ripped a bit when I was rolling it out. Maybe I need to let the gluten form more. I also noticed that after the initial rise, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge where it continued to rise so much so that it burst out of the plastic wrap. I allowed the dough to rise the 30 minutes you had recommended before placing in fridge. I work with sourdough a lot and am used to dealing with starters etc but for some reason this instant yeast is making me work harder than sourdough. lol If you know sourdough, you know that’s not an easy task.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jillian! To freeze it, you will make the dough, allow it to rise completely, deflate it, then store it in an airtight container (or freezer bag) and place it in the freezer. It will last for up to one month. As for it bursting once placed in the fridge, did you deflate it before wrapping it the last time you made it? I have not had that happen before. 🙁
Nn
Is instant yeast the same as dry active yeast? I have dry active yeast. Will it work the same?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi! Instant yeast and active dry yeast are different. Another user who used active dry yeast (same amount listed on the recipe) proofed the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water + 1 tsp sugar before putting it in the flour mixture. Then added the rest of the wet ingredients and flour. After about 45 mins it should double in size! I hope that helps! 🙂
Clare
Such a fabulous recipe! Thank you!!
Can I ask, if I want to double/ triple the amount is it a matter of scaling up? Does it need to been proved longer? Can excess be left in the fridge? Thanks
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe, Clare! This recipe can be easily doubled/tripled. To do so, you will just increase ALL ingredients listed. If you are using Instant Yeast no proofing is needed. If you have excess dough you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to one month. I hope that you enjoy your pizza! 🙂
Rachel
This pizza dough recipe turns out great every time I try it! Super tasty! Kudos!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed it, Rachel! 🙂