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)
Recommended Equipment
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.
Suteera
Thank you so much to share this recipe with us. It’s easy, simple and delicious. I can’t believe I make 3 times in a month. My husband like pizza and I never thought I could make one until I found your recipe. Nothing better than home made pizza out from our own oven.
Sam
I am so glad to hear this! Thank you so much for letting me know how you liked it, Suteera! 🙂
Luz
I have actice dry yeast. Can I substitute the yeast and how do i do it?
Thanks!
Sam
Please see notes below instructions for how to use active dry yeast in this recipe. 🙂
Prachi
About to make the pizza for the second time with this recipe! The dough is indeed simple and the crust tastes delicious! I usually deflate the risen dough and store in fridge for another 6-24 hours until I’m ready to use it. Very convenient. Using this recipe in India and it works so well with our all purpose flour as well! It seems like I’m going to use this for all the pizza/pockets like recipes! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much, Prachi! 🙂
Fatima
Hey your recipe is easy and a success every time I make it … I even used this recipe to make garlic knots 👍🏻😃
Thanks for this recipe
Sam
I am so glad you have enjoyed it so much, Fatima! 🙂
Marangelly
My son and I are doing the recipe right. We are delightful about it. We did also home made pasta. Simply delicious.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Jen Einstein
Best dough ever. I chose not to deflate mine one of the times and it just made it like a deep dish crust. Tonight I made it a white pizza and used parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning blend. I seasoned the dough and then on top of the cheese before I put it in the oven. Soooo delicious.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jen! 🙂
Nikita
I just tried this recipe. Never made pizza in my life. And it was a success. Thank you so much. I’ll improve by doing it again another time. 👍
Sam
I am so glad to hear this! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you, I appreciate it! 🙂
Alyssa
Delicious and easy
Liz
I tripled the recipe and made 4 cookie sheet pizzas making everybody in the family happy. We had ham and pineapple, pesto chicken sausage with toasted almond, sun dried tomato with bell pepper, and one with everything but cheese. I loved the texture of the crust and was surprised that it really did take 15 minutes. No soggy bottoms!
Thank you for the fantastic recipe. We’ll definitely be making (tripling) it again!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Liz! Those sound like some awesome pizzas! 🙂
Pat
From Aztec,NM. I made the best crust with garlic powder and dried basil from my garden. It was easy and the crust was gone not left on the plate!
Will do it again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Pat! 🙂
Michelle
This is the first time I’ve ever rated any recipe. This is the easiest and best pizza dough I’ve ever had the pleasure of making. Look no further.
Sam
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Michelle! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much. 🙂
Mary Wheeler
Awesome recipe!! My family loved it 😊
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Mary! 🙂
Colleen Jones
I’ve made pizza half a dozen times and added garlic granules and dried basil to the crust. Love being able to bung it all into a bowl without having to proof the yeast first. Superx easy and super tasty result.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Colleen! 🙂
MaryAnne I.
This is my 3rd time to make this pizza dough. I love it! Thank you for this recipe. My husband do not want to order online so I have to look for a pizza dough recipe to make my own.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, MaryAnne! 🙂
Reginia E Turner
I wish I could post a photo. I made hot pockets with this recipe. I had some philly cheesesteak (from a crockpot) left over and minced it fine and drained all the liquid off. I also made pepperoni and cheese hot pockets. The dough recipe made 4 hot pockets. I pushed the dough out into rectangles and filled the centers leaving about 1/8″ on all sides. I added my ingredients and rolled first the short sides in, and then the long sides over all the rest and pinched them shut. I brushed them with an egg wash after cutting slashes in the top. My family loved them. Thank you so much. This is a great lunch box recipe if you have a microwave. I put them in the microwave for about a minute and they were great.
Sam
That sounds so awesome, Reginia! I am so glad you enjoyed the dough so much! Unfortunately pictures can’t be posted on this site, but I do have a facebook group that you can join. I’d love to see them! 🙂
Jim
I’m originally from New Jersey, now living in northwest Florida. I’m looking for a recipe for pizza bread, the kind used for Italian hot dogs. There’s no such thing around here. I’d love to use your recipe. Should I make it about 8 inches around, and then simply bake it? I give your recipe 5 stars for ease, and I’m sure it will make a great pizza.
Sam
Hi Jim! I’m not really familiar with a pizza bread or wrapping hot dogs with it. That being said, you could certainly roll this out to be 8 inches and bake it. It will be on the thicker side for a crust if you only roll it out to 8 inches. 🙂