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.
Val
Can you refrigerate this?
Sam
Hi Val! I have had lots of others report refrigerating this dough for up to a week with success. 🙂
Eleanor Ong
Excellent result. Rolled the dough thin to get it crispy.
Linda
Best and easy dough.
Babs
First time I have ever cooked with yeast and I followed the directions exactly as written. Terrific and so glad I found this recipe. Thank you
Mayank Kumar
Tried making pizza base using this recipe the first time. Super Simple. Thanks
vegangirl
This pizza crust is so thick and soft! We love it!
Hilda Hernandez
It’s my first time to make a homemade pizza. Thanks for the recipe. It’s great my kids loves it!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Hilda! 🙂
Shalniel
If i want to double the recipe, should i double the yeast?
Sam
Yup 🙂
Michelle
Hello!
I made the dough without checking if we had any sauce first. We don’t so I am going to have to freeze it to use for another time. How long would this be able to last in the freezer for?
Sam
Hi Michelle! I have not frozen it personally, but others have reported keeping it for several weeks in the freezer. 🙂
Diane Nowack
Is fast yeast the same as instant yeast?
Sam
Yup. 🙂
Diane Nowack
We’ve made this dough twice now. Tonight with Calzones. We love this recipe. I like that I can use less yeast than most pizza dough recipes that only make one pizza dough. For Calzone we divided dough into thirds then took one of them and cut into four to make four calzones. We even froze some dough to use later although was best used fresh. This time we’re trying to refrigerate the other two pieces of dough. Next time I’m going to try with bread flour.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Diane! 🙂
Iris
Is active yeast the same as fast yeast?
Izzy
No, it is not. Active yeast requires water, whereas instant yeast does not.
Juan f Palacios
Best one ever
Juan f Palacios
This was my first time ever doing a homemade pizza and it was the best ever. Thanks. I followed the instructions step by step and The final
Result was just Amazing. Thanks for the recipe. I use bread Flour and it turns out great.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Juan! 🙂
Sari
This is absolutely the beat pizza dough I have ever tasted. My kids say they prefer it to delivery pizza. Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Sari! 🙂
Randy
Can I use active dry yeast? I don’t have instant
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Randy! I have had others report success using active dry yeast there is just a longer rise time. 🙂
Randy
I forgot to ask: if using active dry yeast, is the amount the same as instant?
Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Randy! Yes, same amount. 🙂
CJ
Hi Sam, I made it with bread flour, regular yeast and followed your directions otherwise. The result was very good but bready. It seemed like enough dough for two pies. Any ideas how to adjust for a thinner crust?
Sam
Hi CJ! Was the dough very dry when you were working with it? It may just have been a matter of the dough being too dry.
TheresaD
I have divided the dough in half and made two pizzas, each about 1/4” thick and thicker at the edges.